Sony’s 4K-equipped monster, the PS4 Pro, has established itself as the first Ultra HD console on the market, but if you’re not ready to upgrade to a new television just yet then the original PS4 is still an excellent machine, especially now that it’s been shrunk down into a new slimline form factor.
It’s meant as the budget option, so there are a couple of compromises. You naturally won’t get any form of 4K output, and you’ll have to do without an optical audio output.
But if you’re willing to put up with these limitations you’ll find the PS4 slim to be an exceptionally capable machine.
After all it’s smaller, it runs quieter, it’s more power efficient and – if you live in Europe or Asia – it’s available in Glacier White, but is it worth upgrading to? Moreover, if you’re looking to buy the console for the first time, is this the one to go for?
It’d be an easier decision if Microsoft’s Xbox One S hadn’t significantly raised the bar by packing a 4K Blu-ray player into the Xbox One, as well as adding 4K upscaling and HDR functionality to its games.
Meanwhile, further complicating the decision, the 4K PS4 Pro has just launched, bringing improved performance to the PS4 ecosystem. The slim PS4, meanwhile, works more or less identically to the existing console.