Movie and TV fans can rejoice and rest easy; the newest PlayStation 4 hardware will support 4K media streaming. As announced earlier today at the PlayStation Meeting, the newly revealed PS4 Pro will be receiving newly-developed Netflix and YouTube apps by the end of the year, which will allow the new console to output video in 4K.
This announcement doesn’t come as much of a shock, as the long-awaited revamp of the PlayStation 4 hardware had been speculated to support 4K media playback. However, while the PS4 Pro will support 4K without an issue, it’s up to developers themselves to take advantage of the additional processing power available.
As detailed by Sony Interactive Entertainment President Andrew House, Sony’s and Netflix’s long-standing relationship will continue to thrive with the release of the PS4 Pro, with 4K support coming on launch day. By the end of the year, over 600 hours of 4K content will be available for streaming, including the newest season of Narcos, and the upcoming debut season of Marvel’s Luke Cage.
For those who prefer user generated content, you’ll be glad to hear that a newly developed YouTube app will be making its way to PS4 Pro, with native support for 4K playback. At this time, information on new app is scarce, with no set release date mentioned. There’s also no mention as to whether or not 4K 60 frames per second playback will be possible.
High framerate 4K content is available for streaming on YouTube on standard desktops, though it requires a powerful processor, coupled with a fairly beefy internet connection. Reports estimate that 4K 60 fps content can take up anywhere from 30 to 50 mbps of bandwidth, so we’re curious to see what the PS4 Pro will bring to the table. With support for 5 GHz/wireless AC, there’s a good chance that the revised hardware will be able to reach much higher and more stable download speeds.