In this technical comparison between the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro, we analyze the key features to help you choose.
Choosing between these two Home Consoles models often comes down to your budget, with prices around $499 (20 GB) / $599 (60 GB) and 399 USD.
| Specifications |
Sony PlayStation 3 |
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
|
|
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| Launch | ||
| Release Version | November 2006 | November, 2016 |
| Performance | ||
| CPU | 3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine (7 Synergistic Processing Elements) | x86-64 AMD "Jaguar", 8 cores @ 2.1 GHz |
| GPU | 550 MHz NVIDIA RSX 'Reality Synthesizer' | 4.20 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine |
| GPU Power | ~230 GFLOPS | 36 Compute Units @ 911 MHz |
| RAM | 256 MB XDR Main RAM / 256 MB GDDR3 VRAM | 8GB GDDR5 (218 GB/s) + 1GB DDR3 (for background tasks) |
| Storage | 20 GB or 60 GB HDD (Later 40 GB, 80 GB, 160 GB) | 1TB HDD (Internal) |
| Expandable | User-replaceable 2.5" SATA HDD | Support for Internal SSD/HDD (SATA 3.0) & External USB 3.0 HDD |
| Disc Drive | 2x Blu-ray / 8x DVD / 24x CD / SACD (Super Audio CD) | BD × 6 CAV / DVD × 8 CAV (Does not play 4K UHD Blu-rays) |
| Video Output | ||
| Image Resolution | 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p | 1080p, 1440p, 2160p (Native 4K or Checkerboard 4K) |
| Max FPS | 60 FPS | 60 FPS (depending on the game) |
| HDR | No | Supported (HDR10) |
| VRR | No | No |
| Ray Tracing | No | No |
| Audio | ||
| Formats | LPCM 7.1, Dolby Digital, DTS, SACD support | Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1, Linear PCM 7.1 |
| Headphones | Bluetooth or USB (No jack on controller) | 3.5mm Jack on Controller; USB & Optical support |
| Connectivity | ||
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 1.3 | 1 × HDMI 2.0b |
| USB | 4x USB 2.0 (On 20GB/60GB/early 80GB models; later reduced to 2) | 3 × Super-Speed USB (USB 3.1 Gen.1) |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Gigabit | 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit LAN |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g (Note: 20GB model did not have Wi-Fi) | IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR) | Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE) |
| Services | ||
| Online Multiplayer | PlayStation Network (Free) | PlayStation Plus required |
| Cloud Saves | Added later via PS Plus | Included with PlayStation Plus |
| Subscription | PlayStation Plus (Introduced in 2010) | PlayStation Plus (Essential, Extra, Premium) |
| Remote Play | Yes (with PSP) | Supported (up to 1080p on PC/Mac/Mobile) |
| Controller | ||
| Included | Sixaxis (No vibration) / Later DualShock 3 (With vibration) | 1 × DualShock 4 Wireless Controller (V2) |
| Features | Motion sensing (Six-axis), Bluetooth, Internal Battery | Touchpad, Light Bar, Motion Sensors, Built-in Speaker |
| Compatibility | ||
| Backward | Full Hardware Support for PS1 and PS2 (20GB/60GB models only) | Plays all standard PS4 games (with "Pro Enhanced" modes) |
| VR Support | No | Supports PlayStation VR (PSVR) |
| Physical | ||
| Body Dimensions | 12.8" x 3.8" x 10.8" (325 x 98 x 274 mm) | Approx. 295 × 55 × 327 mm |
| Weight | ~11 lbs (5 kg) | Approx. 3.3 kg (7.3 lbs) |
| Color | Piano Black (with chrome/silver trim) | Jet Black (Glacier White released later) |
| Power | ||
| Consumption | ~180W–200W (A heavy power draw compared to later slims) | Max 310W (Actual use ~150W–165W during gaming) |
| Misc | ||
| Inside the Box | Console, Sixaxis Controller, Mini-USB Cable, AV Cable, Ethernet Cable (60GB), Power Cord. | Console, Controller, HDMI cable, USB cable, Mono Headset, Power cord |
| Price | $499 (20 GB) / $599 (60 GB) | 399 USD |
| Full Details | PlayStation 3 - Full Specifications | PlayStation 4 Pro - Full Specifications |