PS5 Which is more convenient? PS5 vs PS4 (Slim or PRO)

GuilloteTesla

GuilloteTesla

Moderator
Hi everyone!

For a couple of months I've being chewing the idea of getting a PS4 PRO, but because of the near impossibility of getting a new one sealed in the box I've started to look for a PS4 Slim. Here in Argentina there are lots of scammers that claim to sell "new in box" consoles and then you get the ugly surprise that the console was not new at all. I won't buy from them ever again.

Unable to find one still sealed in the box, I thought maybe a PS5 is better, as it's available at retail sealed in box, it's backwards compatible with PS4 and has much better speeds. I really like the PS4 exclusives, but if a PS5 can run them with better speeds and graphics, that's perfect.

I'm still not sure which one to pick because I'll not use it to play online at all (neither the PS4 nor the PS5), and I don't have a 4K TV yet so neither console will be used at its full potential. There is also the homebrew matter which is always a plus to have.

So, which one do you think is the better choice?, which one would you recommend me to buy?.

At the time of writing this post, the difference in price for the PS5 is almost 250-300 dollars more than a PS4 Slim (couldn't get the prices for a brand new PS4 PRO)... yeah, we love taxes a lot over here :rolleyes:.

Thank you in advance for your replies and advices, those are always welcome.
 
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I have yet to touch the PS4 ever since getting a PS5. It truly made my PS4 Pro obsolete. Unfortunately it is on 9.03 as I got the ps5 a bit too late...
But, keep in mind the PS5 stays updated and connected to psn as my family and I play online.

Homebrew wise right now I'm not sure if there's anything truly exciting for the ps5.
Tough to justify the expense unless you have money to burn imo.
 
Indeed, the PS5 is a big leap ahead from the PS4 regarding hardware specs.

Regarding PSN and going online, I'm not interested in that at all. I plan to keep my next console offline until the homebrew scene is available on the latest FWs (both PS4 and PS5).

I will wait a couple of weeks as I have some personal things going on. But seeing that the PS4 PRO is nowhere to be found, I'll try to get a PS5 instead.
 
Take in mind that PS5 using SSD, it is soldered on the motherboard and irreplaceable (external one on M.2 cannot be used in other meaning than user space expanding). When it dies, console will die. And now imagine that games everyday dropping on it literally hundreds of GiB of data from RAM and tmp (for hibernation aka "quick resume") and constant video recording in the background like on PS4.

Many, MANY, people have problems with "coil howling" which is not repairable. Personally I'm autistic with oversensitive and this sound makes me crazy. ;p

Some people have liquid metal leaking in vertical position which killing mobo instantly.

You cannot backup and restoring saves on PS5 for PS5 games (only for PS4 games).

And most important here: this console looks really ugly. :D Like a daughter of router and iron.

Difference between PS4 Fat/Slim and Pro are cosmetic. On Pro You will get 60fps in some games, and some have better performance, but in almost all cases, nothing is different in 1080p besides those two aspects.
 
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Those are pretty good points @Berion!

I've read about the liquid metal leaking issues, and read somewhere that the coil whine was handled in the second or third PS5 models, but didn't know that the installed SSD couldn't be "switched" once you install another NVMe drive on the m.2 external port. Sony's engineers are total morons or evil a-holes that make crappy products with planned obsolescence.

That's why I'm not convinced at all if it's worth buying a PS5 as there are no homebrews yet to back up your personal data. I know the scene will grow at some point, just like the PS4 and PS3 did before.

Regarding the difference between a PS4 Slim and PRO, if I happen to buy one I would go with the better hardware. It really angers me that console manufacturers change major hardware specs on the same generation. It kills the main purpose of console gaming: one spec to handle every game of the generation it was designed for.

I'm still trying to find a brand new PS4 PRO. We shall see in the forthcoming weeks.
 
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Yeah my PS4 hasn't been used in a very long time. Only a few demos, network test and oddball things don't run. And you have another library that is just really starting to take off.

The PS4 Pro you have to toggle the "Pro" mode as it breaks some games. Bloodborne comes to mind but on PS5 it is smart enough to enable it with working games but disabled upon boot for incompatible games. Another big advantage of you ask me.

But money wise it's a big jump in prices so if you can it's worth it if you ask me. Keep my PS5 games on the internal & M.2 I have then all my PS4 games on the USB.

Linux does run better on the PS4 slim over the Pro. And there is something coming for a homebrew environment it was spoken of recently on Twitter.
 
Berion said:
Take in mind that PS5 using SSD, it is soldered on the motherboard and irreplaceable (external one on M.2 cannot be used in other meaning than user space expanding). When it dies, console will die. And now imagine that games everyday dropping on it literally hundreds of GiB of data from RAM and tmp (for hibernation aka "quick resume") and constant video recording in the background like on PS4.

Many, MANY, people have problems with "coil howling" which is not repairable. Personally I'm autistic with oversensitive and this sound makes me crazy. ;p

Some people have liquid metal leaking in vertical position which killing mobo instantly.

You cannot backup and restoring saves on PS5 for PS5 games (only for PS4 games).

And most important here: this console looks really ugly. :D Like a daughter of router and iron.

Difference between PS4 Fat/Slim and Pro are cosmetic. On Pro You will get 60fps in some games, and some have better performance, but in almost all cases, nothing is different in 1080p besides those two aspects.
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is it possible in the future that the OS can be installed on m.2 slot? if someone can exploit the kernel etc?
 
atreyu187 said:
The PS4 Pro you have to toggle the "Pro" mode as it breaks some games. Bloodborne comes to mind but on PS5 it is smart enough to enable it with working games but disabled upon boot for incompatible games. Another big advantage of you ask me.
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Really?. I've always thought that the PS4 turned the "PRO mode" automatically if the game supported it, and worked in "non-PRO mode" otherwise.

On the price jump, it is considerable but justified because of the hardware (I agree with Berion that the PS5 design is horrible compared to the PS4, but I digress). Here we have high inflation, like 7% per month, so the price difference can be reduced by paying with monthly installments (if you can find a store that offers 0% fees on each installment).
 
100% compatibility PS4 are Fat models. Slim and Pro have some issues (in addition: Slim have hw bad design which leading to ODD killing). However, if You can afford Pro (it is no longer in production, that's why new is hard to find), it is the best series of PS4 in manner of games anyway (some games allows You to see more grass like in "Horizon: Zero Dawn", some offering better framerate, some... crashing less like "No Man's Sky" in current version).

AFAIK it is user choice how to run games. Normally like in Slim/Fat, or in 1080p with 60fps, or with upscaled to 4K in 30fps.

@popio Who knows? ;(
 
Well, if the original Fat model is the best option then finding one brand new will be impossible (or extremely expensive).

I've seen a God of War Ragnarok PS4 Slim bundle on the shelve of a compliance store at 585 dollars, but the official Sony Store has a PS5 standard at 825 dollars.

There is this huge distortion between prices, like the previous gen never got the news that they must drop their prices as happened in the past.
 
GuilloteTesla said:
Well, if the original Fat model is the best option then finding one brand new will be impossible (or extremely expensive).

I've seen a God of War Ragnarok PS4 Slim bundle on the shelve of a compliance store at 585 dollars, but the official Sony Store has a PS5 standard at 825 dollars.

There is this huge distortion between prices, like the previous gen never got the news that they must drop their prices as happened in the past.
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IMHO the last true "PlayStation" is PS3.

PS4 and PS5 are *locked* PCs in a case of PlayStation. You are limited in upgrades and the content that you can play.

I wouldn't waste a cent in a limited hardware that cannot be upgraded, just to play expensive "exclusive games". Also these console specifications are getting obsolete very soon.

Sony knows this situation and they are slowly opening their catalog to PC. But they don't want to kill their cash cow too soon.

With that money I would start building a decent gaming PC. I hope that this post help you to reconsider your decision :D
 
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aldostools said:
IMHO the last true "PlayStation" is PS3.

PS4 and PS5 are *locked* PCs in a case of PlayStation. You are limited in upgrades and the content that you can play.

I wouldn't waste a cent in a limited hardware that cannot be upgraded, just to play expensive "exclusive games". Also these console specifications are getting obsolete very soon.

Sony knows this situation and they are slowly opening their catalog to PC. But they don't want to kill their cash cow too soon.

With that money I would start building a decent gaming PC. I hope that this post help you to reconsider your decision :D
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Ha ha ha, you are killing me Aldo!. I wanted some clarity and got more doubts.

But I have to agree, the last true console was the PS3, as like you said the PS4 and PS5 are middle end PCs after all.

Getting a top tier PC is tempting, but getting the parts here is quiet a challenge.
 
I am afraid I have to agree with Aldo, the PlayStation 4 and 5 are totally uninteresting consoles.
Personally I haven't touched my ps4 in years and never even considered buying a ps5.

There used to be some magic in buying a playstation, you bought something unique, experimental even to a point, that no standard PC could really match.

At this pace and with such a lack of ambition, the playstation would deserve to die off imho and it still might...
 
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bguerville said:
I am afraid I have to agree with Aldo, the PlayStation 4 and 5 are totally uninteresting consoles.
Personally I haven't touched my ps4 in years and never even considered buying a ps5.

There used to be some magic in buying a playstation, you bought something unique, experimental even to a point, that no standard PC could really match.

At this pace and with such a lack of ambition, the playstation would deserve to die off imho and it still might...
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Well, I've skipped the PS4 gen altogether because of the same: lack of interest. I don't play online, never liked it, never will, and all the consoles are designed for that market now (which makes me doubt about buying these consoles). And there aren't any AAA exclusives or IPs that develop a desire on me to get this or that console anymore. I believe Sony dropped the ball on PS3 by not securing first and third party exclusives (it was a mess), which they seemed to improve a little bit with the PS4 but not so much with PS5.

I'm also tired of being forced to buy the re remaster of the remake of the re release (and don't get me started with the PS2 "Classics"). That's why I thought about a PS5, because I was able to pick a PS4 game and play it as usual, without being forced to buy the current gen embellished crap at 60 bucks or more.

Another thing that is being forced upon gamers is VR, which is a nice and expensive toy with the entertainment durabilty of a chewing gum. Luckily, it's not mandatory.
 
Yes!, that's the PS4 bundle that tempted me. Very good price for a brand new console, and with financing too. Thanks for the tip!.

Then came the PS4 PRO vs Slim dilemma, and the PS5 entered the equation afterwards (because of the low retail price at Sony Store).
 
I have all three variants of the PS4 and my only compatibility issue came from the PS4 Pro version with the added processing power. The only reason for the Pro is 4K otherwise kinda pointless. Think it's stupid to have to enable and disable with certain games. But all 500ish games I have work on all three systems. And if homebrew is of concern the Pro actually runs Linux worse then the standard or slim but they are working to try to leverage the power but isolates a vast majority of users that have standard hardware. The 5.05 firmware is the best one. And if a persistent hack comes along it will be for that since ASLR isn't on 5.05 making it much easier. 9.00 is ok but a pain in the ass IMO. Hate using a USB key or setting up a Raspberry Pi or my phone to enable the hack. Outside of toying with delisted games and Beta/Network test games I do not use it much.
 
PS4 have some great games, as always, all consoles having. This generation is mostly focused on sandboxes and FPS but many hidden gems lies here and there. But TBH, most fun brings me... remakes. lol Spyro Trilogy, Crash Bandicoot Trilogy, MediEvil, Shadow of The Colossus (better than PS2 and PS3 port because all items can be acquired in the same playthrough, not to mention astonishing graphics), Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, a lot less "reboot-remakes" like Resident Evil 2/3. From fresh open worlds/cRPG: Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk (it is patched now, except physics but it is really great story), Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding (annoying for completonists). From original titles for sure Vampyr, The Last Guardian, Alien: Isolation, Dragon Quest: Builders 2, Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition (my top 1 metroidvania, even better than Castlevania SoTN/NiTM in my ranking, but unfortunately with ridiculous difficulty level, I never crossed 108% barrier, finished Pantheon or Path of Pain etc.), Yoku: Island Express (metroidvania pinball lol yeah, but super cool), A Plague Tale: Innocence.

The only reason for the Pro is 4K otherwise kinda pointless.
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Rather 60fps in 1080p. ;) 4K is not native resolution for any PS4 games but of course if someone have such TV it is still better to use console side scalling than TV upcalling.
 
Berion said:
PS4 have some great games, as always, all consoles having. This generation is mostly focused on sandboxes and FPS but many hidden gems lies here and there. But TBH, most fun brings me... remakes. lol Spyro Trilogy, Crash Bandicoot Trilogy, MediEvil, Shadow of The Colossus (better than PS2 and PS3 port because all items can be acquired in the same playthrough, not to mention astonishing graphics), Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, a lot less "reboot-remakes" like Resident Evil 2/3. From fresh open worlds/cRPG: Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk (it is patched now, except physics but it is really great story), Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding (annoying for completonists). From original titles for sure Vampyr, The Last Guardian, Alien: Isolation, Dragon Quest: Builders 2, Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition (my top 1 metroidvania, even better than Castlevania SoTN/NiTM in my ranking, but unfortunately with ridiculous difficulty level, I never crossed 108% barrier, finished Pantheon or Path of Pain etc.), Yoku: Island Express (metroidvania pinball lol yeah, but super cool), A Plague Tale: Innocence.


Rather 60fps in 1080p. ;) 4K is not native resolution for any PS4 games but of course if someone have such TV it is still better to use console side scalling than TV upcalling.
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True but even then it's rarely a solid 60fps but if that is your thing PC is probably best. Just not a fan of PC gaming really. But I ordered a Steam deck last week for the From Software games being modded like Elden Ring & Dark Souls.

I just prefer the ease of console gaming myself. Never been a GFX junkie but Sony's first party games are just amazing. Do not like FPS never have. Xbox is great for that for sure. I won a dual boot RGH from bitsbubba when Tortuga Cove was around.

Played the Gears of War games and it's been sitting on the box. Had a few offer to buy it but seeing as our friend passed I couldn't sell it ever. But I bring this up as I got a Series S for homebrew. Always in dev mode but if homebrew is what someone wants I suggest trying one of those.

That's why I am not to fussed about the PS systems being hacked as M$ has been great about that. They closed retail mode but Dolphin devs have managed to get it working again in retail mode. Wish Sony would do something like this again.
 
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