PlayStation Meeting 2016 Recap: PS4 Pro, PS4 Slim, and Everything Else That Happened

Two new PlayStation 4 consoles were expected at the PlayStation event, and that's exactly what we got. Andrew House, president and global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, kicked off the event by announcing a slimmer version that will be available in a week's time on September 15 for $299 (approx. Rs. 19,870).

The mid-cycle upgrade, now officially known as PS4 Pro, will cost $399 (approx. Rs. 26,500) and will hit stores on November 10. It will come with 1TB HDD, with full 4K gaming support, as well as featuring an upgraded GPU, boosted clock rate to provide "unprecedented level of detail". and a 1TB hard drive. And despite what it may seem like, Sony maintained that the "PS4 Pro is not intended to blur the lines between console generations".

Plus there will be support for HDR imaging technology, which will apparently yield a wider range of colours and more vivid graphics for those with an HDR-compatible TV.. PS4 Pro allows developers to push the fidelity while maintaining performance, House said. The reason Sony decided to introduce a newer version earlier than usual in the cycle is because they have already maxed out what's possible with 1080p.

Games that will support PS4 Pro, shown at the event, include Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Days Gone, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, FIFA 17, For Honor, Horizon Zero Dawn, Mass Effect Andromeda, Rise of the Tomb Raider, the untitled Spider-Man, and Watch Dogs 2. All these games were shown via 4K gameplay videos during the event, except Battlefield 1 and FIFA 17.

Also, a "slimmer, lighter, more energy efficient" model of the PlayStation 4 was announced, which will replace existing models of the PlayStation 4 moving forward.

It is priced at $299 and will hit "most markets" on September 15, 2016.

Sony admitted that not everyone would wish to upgrade to PS4 Pro, and hence it's bringing HDR capability to the existing market of 40 million PS4 owners, to be available via a firmware update next week. And should you decide to upgrade and fork down money on the PS4 Pro, part of your existing game library will work the new console in what Sony termed "forward compatability".

Sony also talked about 4K and HDR content with PS4 Pro, going so far to say that "at launch, PS4 Pro will become the number one provider of HDR content". This includes new apps for both Netflix and YouTube. Netflix will offer 600 hours of footage by the end of this year, Sony said, with the recently released second season of Narcos and upcoming first season of Marvel's Luke Cage part of that.

Check out the Full Event Here:

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FIFA 17 Up for Pre-Order in India: Price, Release Date, and More

FIFA 17's price has been revealed for India. It is Rs. 3,999 on the PS3, PS4, Xbox and Xbox 360 and is up for pre-order now. The PC version is digital only as it has been for the last couple of years. And much like FIFA 16, it will be exclusive to Amazon India.

The price of Rs. 3,999 comes as a relief considering that Battlefield 1, another high-profile EA game is up for pre-order at Rs. 5,199.

Interestingly, Amazon India only lists the Standard Edition of FIFA 17 which comes with an eight match FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Loan Item of Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, Marco Reus, or James Rodriguez, five FUT draft tokens, and Special Edition FUT kits. The Deluxe Edition and Super Deluxe Edition haven't been listed yet. Safe to say they should be in days to come.

Furthermore, the announcement of FIFA 17's price and pre-orders this early is indicative that Amazon India is confident of getting the game on time. A major plus point considering how the grey market and parallel importers got the jump on the e-commerce giant last year.

FIFA 17 will be available in the US from September 27 and the rest of the world (India included) from September 29. The game will be on EA Access for the Xbox One a week prior to release and on PC through Origin Access. You can also pre-order the game digitally.

On the Xbox One and the Xbox 360, FIFA 17 Standard Edition is for Rs. 3,500 and comes with an eight match FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Loan Item of Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, Marco Reus, or James Rodriguez, five FUT draft tokens, and Special Edition FUT kits.

And then there's a FIFA 17 Deluxe Edition which includes up to 20 FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Jumbo Premium Gold Packs for 20 weeks, access to FUT kits early, an eight match FUT Loan Item of Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, Marco Reus, or James Rodriguez, and a three match team of the week loan player, one per week over 20 weeks. This costs Rs. 4,240.

For Rs. 4,500 though you can get the FIFA 17 Super Deluxe Edition. This doubles the number of Gold Packs and three match team of the week loan players. The rest of the entitlements remain the same as the Deluxe Edition.

The same editions are available on PC, although the pricing differs. Rs. 3,499 gets you FIFA 17 Standard Edition, while the FIFA 17 Deluxe Edition will set you back by Rs. 4,799. If you have your sights set on the FIFA 17 Super Deluxe Edition, expect to shell out Rs. 5,499.

On the PS4 you'll be paying Rs. 3,375 for FIFA 17 Standard Edition, Rs. 3,999 for the FIFA 17 Deluxe Edition, and Rs. 4,499 for the Super Deluxe Edition. If you're still on a PS3, expect to pay Rs. 3,330, Rs. 3,999, and Rs. 4,499 respectively.

These come with all the same freebies as the Xbox One and PC versions with the addition of a FIFA 17 theme. Keep in mind that buying digitally usually means a large download size and the lack of resale value, making the physical version a valid option especially in countries like India where Internet connectivity isn't the greatest.

FIFA 16 was found to be an interesting beast. The core gameplay veered towards simulation with thoughtful ways that retool some of its most basic actions and your approach to a match. However it's hamstrung with flawed execution to some of it's headline features like FUT Draft and women's teams. How EA rectifies this in FIFA 17 remains to be seen.

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