Buying a PlayStation 4 in 2020: Worth It or Not?

PlayStation 4 was the king of current-gen consoles with its launch, but how relevant is the PS4 now in 2020, with the release of next-gen consoles? Will the new titles still be playable on the PlayStation 4 in 2020?

PlayStation 4, launched in 2013 by Sony, revolutionized the current generation of consoles; the new dual shock controllers, refreshed hardware, and expanded exclusive library made it one of the most successful console releases.

The current-gen PS4 is no small beast when it comes to gaming even in 2020 but what would be the strengths to get one in 2020 with the next-gen on the horizon.

1. PlayStation 4 Purchase Worth It In 2020

There are several reasons for getting a PS4 in 2020, one of the major ones being the price tag and availability. The PS4 has gotten cheaper, and it is available right now as compared to a preorder of PS5 that might be approved or not in the coming months.

The PS4 is currently available in Slim and Pro Version; the older chunky PS4 has been discontinued. The PS4 Slim retails for $289, while the PS4 Pro goes for $399.

The PS4 Pro makes sense if you want the highest performance with 4K and enhanced VR. The PS4 slim is for those of you, who like me are just starting console gaming and want a stylish, slim console that doesn’t make much noise.

These prices are for brand new consoles; obviously, the second-hand market is filled with current-gen consoles as users gear up to buy the new-gen consoles. So, you can snag a PS4 for even cheaper if you are open to getting a second-hand unit.

Category	PS4 Slim	PS4 Pro
Price	$289	$399
Dimensions	10.43in x 11.34in x 1.54in	11.61in x 12.87in x 2.17in
CPU	AMD Jaguar 8-core (x86-64)	AMD Jaguar 8-core (x86-64)
GPU	AMD Radeon (1.84 TFLOP)	AMD Radeon (4.2 TFLOP)
Storage	500GB / 1TB	1TB / 2TB
Optical Out	No	Yes
Power Consumption	165w Max	310w max
4K Streaming	No	Yes
USB	USB 3.0 (x2)	USB 3.0 (x3)
PS VR Support	Yes	Yes (Enhanced)
AV Out	HDMI 1.4	HDMI 2.0

2. Get PlayStation 4 Slim and Pro

Before pulling the trigger on getting a PS4, some critical factors need to be factored in, including price tags, game libraries, and noticeable performance drop as compared to the newer generation.

3. PS4 Extensive Game Library

By getting a PlayStation 4, you will immediately get access to a vast library of games, including many PS exclusive tiles. For the coming months and even the year, you should probably be set with the current gen’s library.

The PS4 would be a better choice if you only play a handful of games and tend to play a single title extensively. If you need a console to unwind from work and play Stardew Valley with your SO without caring for the next AAA title release, then the current-gen would be a perfect fit for you.

With the purchase of a PS4, you not only get immediate access to the PS game library, but you also get cheap titles from people selling the current-gen disc games for slashed prices. So you get the console as well as the games for reduced prices.

Also, some big titles are yet to arrive for the PS4, including Cyberpunk 2077; Sony will not kill the PS4, the second PS5 hits the store.

One thing to keep in mind is that this support from Sony will not continue for long. Another thing is that since the PS5 has backward compatibility, people might not be willing to sell most of their titles.

4. How The PlayStation 4 Holds Up to The Next-Gen

The PS5 has upgraded most tech specs and a good piece of hardware but does not mean the PS4 is an obsolete piece of technology. The PS4 Pro is still is a worthy console capable of running your games.

The highlights for the PS5 are the improved CPU, GPU, and faster storage technology. With the eight Zen 2 CPU cores running at 3.5GHz combined with 36 compute units running at 2.23GHz to handle the graphics, the GPU will be capable of 10.28 TFLOPs.

Combine this with the onboard SSD; the PS5 is undoubtedly a powerful console. Compare this to the PS4, which is still bound with the mechanical hard drive.

All this computational power does come at a higher price tag; the PS5 digital edition costs $399, while the disc edition costs $499.

Since Sony was competitive in pricing the next-gen console, the current PS4 prices might drop even lower, making it a still worthy choice.

5. So, what’s the Verdict on PS4 in 2020?

The newer generation PS5 makes sense if you have the funds to spare given its advanced hardware and backward compatibility, but the final verdict depends highly on your use case.

If you are looking for a new console to buy in 2020, and are strapped while working with a tight budget, you should look for a PS4 and find a pre-owned console to lower the price tag even more.

On the other hand, if you can extend your budget to $399 and wait a couple of months, the PS5 is the right choice.

I think if you own a PS4 and don’t care much about the latest games and only play the current titles casually, you shouldn’t upgrade to the newer PlayStation5. For those of you who want the latest AAA titles with dynamic resolution and ray tracing, then the PS5 upgrade is no brainer.

6. About PlayStation

PlayStation is the gaming console brand from Sony which is on it’s 5th iteration with the recent launch of PlayStation 5. Envisioned by Ken Kutaragi, the ‘father of PlayStation’, the first PS console released in Japan in 1994 with a worldwide release in the following year.

PlayStation is a headon rival of Microsoft’s Xbox series and offers great exclusive titles which are one it’s main USP. The latest release, PS5 has large improvements over the last generation both in terms of hardware and core technologies.