One would think that Sony, by announcing the PlayStation 4 Pro, intended to beat Microsoft and provide a more powerful console to gamers one year earlier than the scheduled launch of the Xbox Scorpio.

　　As it turns out, the main reason could very well be an attempt to prevent the migration of PlayStation gamers over to the PC platform, at least according to Sony Interactive Entertainment's President and Global CEO Andrew House. In an interview conducted by the Guardian just after the PlayStation Meeting, he said:

　　I saw some data that really influenced me.

　　It suggested that there’s a dip mid-console lifecycle where the players who want the very best graphical experience will start to migrate to PC, because that’s obviously where it’s to be had. We wanted to keep those people within our eco-system by giving them the very best and very highest [performance quality]. So the net result of those thoughts was PlayStation 4 Pro – and, by and large, a graphical approach to game improvement.

　　That's hardly news. It's been happening for several console generations already - at the very beginning consoles might provide a fairly close graphical experience to the PC, but as the years pass the inevitable hardware improvements provide PC games with an ever growing edge, at least until the next console generation. During the last generation I made that same choice myself, ditching the consoles mid-cycle to focus on a powerful PC gaming rig.

　　It looks like now Sony finally opted to act on this data and deliver a more powerful console just three years after this console generation began, with the clear goal to keep enthusiasts in their fold. Microsoft is poised to make the same choice when it launches Scorpio next year, though in that case the increased time and power differential might be closer to a new generation.

　　It's hard to say if Sony will be successful in this bid. A top of the line PC, though much more expensive, can already beat the PlayStation 4 Pro and that's without mentioning many other advantages such as modding, which Sony seems obstinately refusing to bring to PlayStation.

　　What do you think, dear readers? You can vote in the poll below and express your opinions in the comments.

　　.democracy:after{content:'';display:table;clear:both}.democracy ul li,.democracy ul{background:none;padding:0;margin:0}.democracy ul li:before{display:none}.democracy input[type='radio'],.democracy input[type='checkbox']{margin:0;vertical-align:middle}.democracy input[type='radio']:focus,.democracy input[type='checkbox']:focus{outline:0}.democracy ul{list-style:none !important;border:0 !important;padding-left:0 !important}.democracy ul li{list-style:none !important}input[type="submit"].dem-button,a.dem-button,.dem-button{position:relative;display:inline-block;text-decoration:none;-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;line-height:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;width:100px;font-size:14px;font-weight:normal;float:right}input[type="submit"].dem-button:focus,a.dem-button:focus,.dem-button:focus{outline:0}input[type="submit"].dem-button:disabled,a.dem-button:disabled,.dem-button:disabled{opacity:.6;cursor:not-allowed}.dem-button:hover{cursor:pointer}a.dem-button:hover{text-decoration:none !important}.democracy{position:relative;margin:0 auto}.democracy input[type='radio'],.democracy input[type='checkbox']{margin-right:.2em}.dem-screen{position:relative;line-height:1.3;padding:20px}ul.dem-vote{margin-bottom:1em}ul.dem-vote li{padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0}ul.dem-vote li>*{margin-bottom:.6em}ul.dem-answers li{padding-bottom:1em}.dem-answers .dem-label{margin-bottom:.2em;line-height:1.2}.dem-graph{position:relative;color:#fff;box-sizing:content-box;width:100%;display:table;height:1.2em;line-height:1.2em}.dem-fill{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;height:100%;background-color:#7cb4dd}.dem-voted-this .dem-fill{background-color:#3498db}.dem-votes-txt,.dem-percent-txt{position:relative;display:table-cell;padding-left:.3em;vertical-align:middle;font-size:90%}.dem-poll-info{float:left}.dem-poll-info:after{content:'';display:table;clear:both}.dem-poll-info>*{font-size:85%;display:block;clear:both;opacity:.7;line-height:1.3}.dem-vote label{float:none;display:block}.dem-results-link{display:inline-block;line-height:1;margin:.5em 0;float:left}.dem-vote .dem-disabled{opacity:.5}.democracy .dem-bottom{border-top:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.1);margin-left:-20px;margin-right:-20px;padding:19px 20px 0 20px}.dem-bottom:after{content:'';display:table;clear:both}.dem-vote-button{float:right}.dem-poll-title{display:block;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-top:1.2em;font-size:120%}.dem-cache-notice{z-index:10;position:absolute;top:0;border-radius:2px;width:100%;padding:1.5em 2em;text-align:center;background:rgba(247,241,212,.8);color:#6d6214}.dem-notice-close{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;padding:5px;cursor:pointer;line-height:.6;font-size:150%}.dem-notice-close:hover{color:#d26616}.dem-star{font-size:90%;vertical-align:baseline;padding-left:.3em;color:#ff4e00}.dem-poll-note{font-size:90%;padding:.5em;opacity:.8;line-height:1.3}.democracy .dem-copyright{position:absolute;bottom:-1em;right:0;text-decoration:none;border-bottom:0;color:#b2b2b2;opacity:.5;line-height:1}.democracy .dem-copyright:hover{opacity:1}.dem-add-answer{position:relative}.dem-add-answer>*{display:block}.dem-add-answer a{display:inline-block}input.dem-add-answer-txt{width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.dem-add-answer-close{position:absolute;right:0;padding:0 .7em;cursor:pointer;color:#333}.dem-add-answer-close:hover{color:#ff2700}.dem-edit-link{display:block;position:absolute;top:0;right:0;line-height:1;text-decoration:none !important;border:0 !important}.dem-edit-link svg{width:1.2em !important;fill:#5a5a5a;fill:rgba(0,0,0,.6)}.dem-edit-link:hover svg{fill:#35a91d}.dem-loader{display:none;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}.dem-loader>*{display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.dem-loader svg{width:20%;max-width:100px;min-width:80px;margin-bottom:15%}.dem-loader [class^="dem-"]{margin-bottom:15% !important}.dem-archives .democracy{margin-bottom:2em;padding-bottom:20px;border-bottom:1px dashed #ccc}.dem-archives .dem-archive-link{display:none}.democracy{background:#f6f6f6;margin-bottom:1em;border:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.1)}.dem-poll-title{margin:0;font-size:16px;padding:20px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.1)}.dem-percent-txt,.dem-label-percent-txt{display:none}.dem-votes-txt-percent:before{content:'- ';display:inline}.dem-revote-button:before{content:'◂ '}.dem-graph{background-color:#ddd}.dem-results-link{margin-bottom:0}.dem__checkbox,.dem__radio{display:none !important}.dem__checkbox_label,.dem__radio_label{position:relative;box-sizing:content-box}.dem__checkbox_label .dem__spot,.dem__radio_label .dem__spot{position:relative;display:inline-block;vertical-align:baseline;top:.1em;cursor:pointer;width:12px;height:12px;margin-right:.3em;background:#777}.dem__checkbox_label .dem__spot{border-radius:3px}.dem__radio_label .dem__spot{border-radius:50%}.dem__checkbox_label .dem__spot:after,.dem__radio_label .dem__spot:after{content:'';position:absolute;opacity:0}.dem__checkbox_label .dem__spot:after{width:11px;height:4px;top:0;left:2px;border:2px solid #fff;border-top:0;border-right:0;background:transparent;-ms-transform:rotate(-45deg);-webkit-transform:rotate(-45deg);transform:rotate(-45deg);box-shadow:-1px 1px 1px #555}.dem__radio_label .dem__spot:after{width:6px;height:6px;border-radius:50%;top:50%;left:50%;background:#fff;-ms-transform:translate(-50%,-50%);-webkit-transform:translate(-50%,-50%);transform:translate(-50%,-50%);box-shadow:0 0 0 1px #666,inset -1px -1px 1px #ccc}.dem__checkbox_label:hover .dem__spot::after,.dem__radio_label:hover .dem__spot::after{opacity:.4}.dem__checkbox:checked+.dem__spot,.dem__radio:checked+.dem__spot{border-color:#999}.dem__checkbox:checked+.dem__spot:after,.dem__radio:checked+.dem__spot:after{opacity:1}.dem__checkbox:disabled+.dem__spot,.dem__radio:disabled+.dem__spot{opacity:.5}.dem__checkbox:not(:checked):disabled+.dem__spot:after,.dem__radio:not(:checked):disabled+.dem__spot:after{opacity:0}input[type="submit"].dem-button,a.dem-button,.dem-button{font-weight:700;color:#fff;padding:10px 30px;border-radius:3px;background:#eb0254;transition:background .2s}input[type="submit"].dem-button:hover,a.dem-button:hover,.dem-button:hover{background:#eb0254}input[type="submit"].dem-button:active,a.dem-button:active,.dem-button:active{background:#21935a;box-shadow:0 3px #21935a inset}a.dem-button:visited{color:#fff}Will PlayStation 4 Pro Prevent Your Migration to PC?No, I want the absolute best and that's only PC 71%, 1171 vote

　　1171 vote 71%

　　1171 vote - 71% of all votes

　　I'll get both 18%, 306 votes

　　306 votes 18%

　　306 votes - 18% of all votes

　　Yes, the graphics are great and I'm satisfied with the hardware 11%, 178 votes

　　178 votes 11%

　　178 votes - 11% of all votes

　　Total Votes: 1655

　　September 10, 2016 - September 17, 2016

　　Voting is closed

　　Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser. .dem-roller { margin: 0 auto; width: 40px; height: 40px; position: relative; } .con1 > div, .con2 > div, .con3 > div { width: 10px; height: 10px; background-color: #2686cc; border-radius: 100%; position: absolute; -webkit-animation: bouncedelay 1.2s infinite ease-in-out; animation: bouncedelay 1.2s infinite ease-in-out; /* Prevent first frame from flickering when animation starts */ -webkit-animation-fill-mode: both; animation-fill-mode: both; } .dem-roller .demrcont { position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; } .con2 { -webkit-transform: rotateZ(45deg); transform: rotateZ(45deg); } .con3 { -webkit-transform: rotateZ(90deg); transform: rotateZ(90deg); } .circle1 { top: 0; left: 0; } .circle2 { top: 0; right: 0; } .circle3 { right: 0; bottom: 0; } .circle4 { left: 0; bottom: 0; } .con2 .circle1 { -webkit-animation-delay: -1.1s; animation-delay: -1.1s; } .con3 .circle1 { -webkit-animation-delay: -1.0s; animation-delay: -1.0s; } .con1 .circle2 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.9s; animation-delay: -0.9s; } .con2 .circle2 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.8s; animation-delay: -0.8s; } .con3 .circle2 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.7s; animation-delay: -0.7s; } .con1 .circle3 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.6s; animation-delay: -0.6s; } .con2 .circle3 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.5s; animation-delay: -0.5s; } .con3 .circle3 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.4s; animation-delay: -0.4s; } .con1 .circle4 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.3s; animation-delay: -0.3s; } .con2 .circle4 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.2s; animation-delay: -0.2s; } .con3 .circle4 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.1s; animation-delay: -0.1s; } @-webkit-keyframes bouncedelay { 0%, 80%, 100% { -webkit-transform: scale(0.0) } 40% { -webkit-transform: scale(1.0) } } @keyframes bouncedelay { 0%, 80%, 100% { transform: scale(0.0); -webkit-transform: scale(0.0); } 40% { transform: scale(1.0); -webkit-transform: scale(1.0); } }