Compare Sony PlayStation 3 vs Sony PlayStation 4 Pro

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
Sony PlayStation 3 Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
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