PS4 Pro PlayStation 4 Sony 1

Consumers didn't get a great grasp on the PlayStation 4 Pro at Sony's low-key press conference this week, but there's plenty of time for the platform holder to course correct its messaging before the box's 10th November release. And as the appliance assumes the top spot on various retail best sellers lists, analysts are in agreement: the hardware's going to hit hard.

Divisive forecaster Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities was the first to weigh in on the new console as part of an extensive article published on Games Industry.biz. "The pricing gives Sony a big advantage," he said of the $399.99 machine. "PS4 Slim is competitive with Xbox One S, but PS4 Pro is a bargain. For the same price as the 2TB Xbox One S, you get 1TB and future proof for 4K."

Pachter continued: "I think this sells very well at holiday, and was surprised it was coming out this year." David Cole of DFC Intelligence agreed: "Sony will have the powerful system with virtual reality now and a well-executed plan that leaves consumers no reason to wait. It is just an all-around compelling proposition."

SuperData Joost van Dreunen added: "The relatively low price point for all available devices and the publisher support promises to supercharge the holiday season." Meanwhile, IDC games research director Lewis Ward said that the PS4 Pro's souped-up GPU paints "one hell of a sexy picture". However, he cautioned that 4K television adoption isn't high at the moment.

And this is perhaps the biggest lesson that Sony will have learned from this week's press conference: it needs to sell the system to people with 1080p televisions too, as the console does pack some pretty meaningful pros for those not willing to upgrade their screen – the manufacturer just hasn't done a particularly good job explaining it. Yet.

[source gamesindustry.biz]