The PS4 Pro is a pioneering system, in that it is the first instance of an iterative, souped up model of an existing console on the market – something that is actually pretty common in the handheld, smartphone, and PC markets. But all of its trailblazing wouldn’t amount to anything much if developers weren’t on board with the system.
Thankfully, that shouldn’t be much of a problem- according to Mark Cerny, system architect of the PS4 and the PS4 Pro, converting a PS4 game to a PS4 Pro game takes just 0.2%-0.3% of overall development effort, meaning developers have very little incentive not to support Sony’s new console.
So when we at GamingBolt had the chance to talk to Patrik Lasota, the VP of development at Arrowheads, the team behind the excellent Helldivers, we decided to ask him how true his team have found this claim to be in their experience- particularly since they have enhanced Helldivers for the PS4 Pro.
“I’d say that the minimum effort is probably even less [than 0.2-0.3% of the overall effort], counting the work hours involved compared to the work hours put into making the game,” Lasota said. “We did a bit more than that and yet it took us very little time to get the game running on PS4 Pro in 4K.”
This is certainly excellent news, especially coming as it does from a relatively smaller development team- if the PS4 Pro is indeed that easy to develop for, then Mark Cerny is right, and we shouldn’t see any shortage of (hopefully) meaningful content for the platform.
We also asked Lasota for his own personal opinion on the PS4 Pro. His reply? He likes that the option exists, although he also admits that it doesn’t seem to have much appeal for him personally. “I think it’s a nice option for those that really want to do 4K gaming or want a higher framerate. It was not enough for me personally to warrant an upgrade of my PS4, but I like that the option is there,” he said.
Which is ultimately fine, and it represents the guiding philosophy behind the PS4 Pro- it exists, and it’s there for those who want to have the best possible console gaming experience that they can have. For those who don’t feel like springing up the extra money for it, however, they can always go with the base PS4 system, and they will not be missing anything.
