PlayStation 4 Pro News and 2016 Updates: Game Patches to Cost Customers? 4K HDR Updates Coming to 'Paragon,' 'The Witness,' and More
One of the greatest pull factors of the new PlayStation 4 Pro is the 4K HDR support for games and 4K-enabled TV sets. However, the existing PlayStation 4 games don't have the feature yet, and are set to be patched to support the feature.
4K and HDR Patch
Perhaps two of its greatest features, the PlayStation 4 Pro boasts support for 4K resolution games and TV sets, as well as the capability to project games in High-Dynamic Range. Only a handful of preexisting games support these features though, as the older PlayStation 4 does not have this feature.
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Sony said that in order for the games to support the new feature, they have to be patched. This means that game developers could charge customers in exchange for an updated software.
Sony Interactive Entertainment executive Masayasu Ito said that every publisher and title may entail different updates. It would be in each licensee's prerogative to either patch the game or not. If they do so, they also have the option to charge for it at different rates.
Ito also said that for Sony's own games, monetization and charging fees would vary per title. However, a Sony representative later said a contradicting statement, saying that the company will not charge consumers for patches.
The statement, however, did not clarify whether the same case would apply to third-party publishers and developers. Another source said that developers are not allowed to charge customers for game patches or PlayStation 4 Pro feature updates.
Games to Receive the Patch
Here are some of the games that are going to be updated to take advantage of the new 4K and HDR features.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Changes on the PlayStation 4 Pro with a display of at least 1080p resolution include super sampling anti-aliasing.
Paragon
For users with the PlayStation 4 Pro and a 1080p display, the update will bring enhanced visual effects, higher scene complexity, procedural ground cover, dynamic reflections, and greater texture fidelity.
The Witness
Players who have the PlayStation 4 Pro and a 4K resolution display would experience the game would experience the game in 1440p Quad HD resolution, with possible higher upscaling to 4K resolution at a consistent framerate of 60 fps. Text, menus, and other user interface elements would then be set at a native 4K.
Those who have 1080p displays will experience an increased anti-aliasing quality from 2x to 4x MSAA, with a similar consistency in the framerate of 60fps.
Some of the other games set for an update with unconfirmed details include Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, FIFA 17, Final Fantasy XV, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and Watch Dogs 2, among others.
