Doing the math, PS4 is one of the longest-lived and longest-running consoles in history. This system has been on the market since the end of 2013, which means that. is already 10 years oldand that its hardware has been widely surpassed in the PC world. If we talk about console generations, its true successor has been PS5, although we must not forget that PS4 Pro arrived earlier, which offers more powerful hardware than the original model and is therefore capable of moving its games at higher resolution.
Sony has reaped great success with PS5, and it is clear that the Japanese company is not willing to lower the price of that console permanently, only in specific offers and in a very punctual way. It’s been more than three years since it hit the market and PS5 is now 50 euros more expensive than in 2020because costs 549 euros in its version with optical drive, and 449 euros in its version without optical drive.
This situation has led to more and more people are considering buying a PS4 or PS4 Pro.but is it really worth doing this now that both are at the end of their life cycle? It’s a very interesting question, and I think it’s worth dedicating an article to delve into this topic, as I know a portion of our readers have also thought about taking the opportunity to buy that console and enjoy the Sony exclusives they didn’t get to play at the time.
First of all I want to make it clear that everything we are going to see in this article is not based on a simple opinion, but rather that part of the current reality that lives the world of game consolesand also I start from my experience playing PS4 for over seven years, as I bought the Slim model in 2016 in a pack that included the Call of Duty Infinite Warfare game and a 1TB HDD, all for €299.99.
Buying a PS4 in 2024, is it a wise move or a mistake? Depends on the price you find it at
Right now the price of new PS4 units still in stock. is excessively highIt even exceeds the price of Xbox Series S, a console of the current generation that is far superior in terms of hardware. They are, therefore, a bad buy, because they force us to pay an absurd price for a console that has become obsolete, and because for that money we could buy an Xbox Series S.
However, if we look on the second hand market we can find PS4 Slim units at much more interesting prices. Buying a unit for between 120 and 130 euros, at most, yes that would be a good option.as long as the console is in good condition and working properly. I recommend getting the version that includes a 1TB HDD, as this will save you from having to delete and reinstall games frequently.
The price of PS4 Pro Is inflated even on the used market, and this makes it more complicated to find a worthwhile unit. I am not exaggerating, the average is around 200 to 220 euros. If we find a unit for 160 euros it would be worth it. pay that extra, since this console works with resolutions 1440p and 2160p rescaled more frequently, and this improves the sharpness of the games.
We can’t forget that PS4 Pro also improves even those games that have not been optimized. thanks to the “boost” mode. Bloodborne is the best example, because although it maintains resolution and frame rate on this console (1080p and 30 FPS) it shows a more stable performance and reduces jerks and stuttering.
Reasons why it would be worth spending that money on a PS4 or PS4 Pro.
1.-It has an enviable catalog of games.
Buy a PS4 for 120 euros opens the door to an outstanding catalog of games.where we will also find a huge amount of exclusives that have not yet arrived on PC. I could give you many names, but among the most prominent are The Last of Us Remastered and The Last of Us Part II, God of War: Ragnarök, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Bloodborne, Ghost Of Tsushima, Horizon Forbidden West and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
In addition to having access to this huge catalog of games, which also includes highly rated current multiplatform titles, we will also have the peace of mind that all of them will run smoothly on this console. Obviously the experience we will get will be limited to 1080p and 30 FPS, and the quality will be very tight. because of the shortcomings of the hardware of this console, but for 120 euros we can’t ask for more.
2.-The price of the games has gone down a lot.
And many of them can be found for a few euros on the second hand market. Depending on the title you are looking for, and the age of the game, we can find games with a price of between 5 and 20 euros.and with the “PlayStation Hits” range we will also be able to buy them new at very affordable prices.
The best thing about all this is that the list of titles available in “PlayStation Hits”. is not limited to second-rate games, quite the contrary.In it we can find gems like Bloodborne, The Last of Us Remastered, Killzone Shadow Fall, Uncharted 4: The Thief’s Denouement, Resident Evil 7, God of War and many more. Other popular games have also dropped a lot in price, such as Resident Evil 2 Remake, which can be purchased for €19.95.
3.-It is a mature and stable console that does not usually give problems.
And this makes it a recommended option for those who do not like to tinker, and just want to enjoy a quiet experience and your favorite games without having to break the piggy bank. PS4 Slim has mature and totally reliable hardware that overcame the problems of the original model of that Sony console, and at the operating system level it is now fully polished.
All in all, if you are going to buy second hand I strongly recommend you to try it first and to be very attentive. to any possible symptoms of problems, such as excessively loud fan noise and small graphic artifacts or image glitches. Buying in store will give you a guarantee, but the price in this case does not usually go below 170 euros for a PS4 Slim with 500 GB HDD, so keep that in mind.
4.-You will still receive new games
It is true that PS4 has practically finished its life cycle, but the user base that it has is so huge that still has the support of some developers. One of the most important and most recent triple A games to come to that console was Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and I am aware that many games will still be coming to this console in 2024.
If you buy a PS4 you will not be limited to the existing catalog of games, this will be renewed and you will be able to enjoy new titles, although you should be aware that the big triple-A releases from Sony studios will no longer be coming to this console, and that they will be exclusive to PS5 (some will also come to PC to cushion development costs).
PS4 games will work on PS5.
You can also consider buying a PS4 as a transitional move while you wait for the PS5 price to come down.. This way you can enjoy a huge amount of games for a minimal investment, and when PS5 comes in range you can sell your PS4 and keep the games to use on your new console with graphical and/or performance upgrades.
There are cases where we will be able to upgrade a PS4 game to the PS5 version. and enjoy the improvements introduced by that generation. It is not always possible to do it for free (it depends on each specific game), that is to say, in some cases we will have to pay for the upgrade, but this will not prevent you from continuing to play the original version on PS5. However, this will not prevent you from continuing to play the original version on PS5. Moving from PS4 to PS5 will also be very easy.
Are there reasons not to buy a PS4 in 2024?
Well, yes, there are also reasons why we should look the other way and avoid this console, although this is already will depend on the aspirations and the budget we have.. If we have little money and we are not demanding in terms of graphics quality or performance a PS4 will be a good choice, but if we can spend a little more and aspire to enjoy an experience closer to that of a minimally current PC we should choose Xbox Series S.
Xbox Series S has been available starting at 239 euros, and we can buy it second hand in store, and with warranty, for about 170 euros. For that price it treads almost directly with PS4 Pro, and offers a superior value if we compare it with this and PS4. At the hardware level it is far above both of them in every way, and is capable of delivering a gaming experience on a whole new level. thanks to its Zen 2 CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads at 3.4 GHz, its RDNA 2 graphics, its 10 GB of GDDR6 and its 512 GB SSD that works at 2,400 MB/s.
For comparison purposes, a PS4 has a 1.6 GHz 8-core Jaguar CPU, 8 GB of GDDR5, GCN 2.0 graphics and a 512 GB HDD running at 100 MB/s. As you can see, the differences between the two at the hardware level are huge, and obviously this is noticeable in all the games that are available for these two consoles.
A very clear example of this is Cyberpunk 2077, which is a disaster on PS4, and yet runs much, much better on Xbox Series S. This is a current generation console, so you’ll have a longer life and will receive a greater number of games. On the other hand, it is also compatible with games from Microsoft’s previous consoles, and gives us the possibility of hiring the Xbox Game Pass, a service that will give us the possibility to play games from previous consoles. access to a huge amount of games for only 9.99 euros per month.
I understand that for some the Sony exclusives will make too much of a difference, and that being able to play the PS4 catalog buying a console from 120 euros is a real “candy”, in fact I myself bought that console at the time just to be able to play Bloodborne. All in all, as of today a second hand Xbox Series S is a much smarter buy. by all accounts, unless you approach the PS4 purchase as a transition to PS5, or you’re really into PS5 exclusives.
In my case, and taking into account everything I enjoyed at the time of games like Bloodborne, Days Gone and other exclusives, I would opt to buy a PS4 and save for the transition to PS5.. Conversely, a person who has no interest in either Sony franchises or spending money on a PS5 should opt for an Xbox Series S, as this console will allow them to enjoy a superior gaming experience, and to all the innovations introduced by the new generation. In cost-performance ratio this console still offers excellent value, especially when we bundle it with Xbox Game Pass.
