Sony's Unseen PlayStation 4 Pro DevKit 16GB: The PS5's Cooler Inspiration
video description
Date: 2022-12-22
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 14
Sgt
I am pretty sure you can map various things to the 8 LEDs. By default they probably indicate some disk activity, or something basic. I think the system software allows to map some stuff to them, and perhaps you could code something in the game to use it too. I think we used it for something like memory usage or monitoring something in the game.
Standard retail software is indeed incompatible, you need proper firmware that is different for every devkit model - PS4, PS4 Pro or a testkit. It's installed from a PC over the dev network connection. Devkits have 2 interfaces so you can use one to connect to the internet or PSN, and the 2nd one to connect with the PC to monitor/upload stuff.
The USB-B port is useful to speed up the connection with accompanying PC, but interestingnly - the DEV NET needs to be connected during that. You can't just use the USB. I wonder how it balances the load between Ethernet/USB. Not sure if that is a feature for retail PS4 - you could enter a mode on the devkit that the controller is using wireless connection even when it's plugged in into USB - to simulate the wireless connection quirks.
Dev PSN is super easy to use but works only on devkits, you can create dev PSN accounts with I think less than 5 clicks, it's so much easier on PS4 (and on PS5) than on XBO/XS.
Awesome feature of those devkits is that you could stack them up one on another, including the basic PS4 devkits. MS devkits are unfortunately flat and don't feel as sturdy.
I am so anxious to see one of those disassembled - they were quite pricey and the PS4 Pro ones were in use all of the time, as they allowed to emulate basic PS4 and they have additional memory and faster HDDs, so you could launch a game before it was optimized enough to run on a base PS4 and not spend ages on loadings. It was also a small quirk - emulation of a base PS4 on PS4 Pro often gave different performance measurements than a basic PS4 devkit - think it was due to PS4 Pro emulating the theoretical speed of base PS4, but real base PS4 was slower due to more worn out HDD. Oh, you could switch the devkit to one of 3 modes - dev/assist/retail, with gradually less dev tools available, but I think even the retail mode couldn't run retail games (as opposed to Xbox One that acted as a real retail Xbox in retail mode).
Really cool stuff is in the software. Version 6.0 isn't even that old. It could be from 2019. You could operate the PS4 completely remotely from a PC, capture videos, logs, performance logs, tweak the settings without touching the devkit, turn it on/off as long as it was connected to network. You could connect an X360 gamepad to the PC and also play remotely on the PS4 with that. You could stream the game to a local streaming server. You could start the game without copying it to the console, the data would be streamed from PC on demand.
reply
I am pretty sure you can map various things to the 8 LEDs. By default they probably indicate some disk activity, or something basic. I think the system software allows to map some stuff to them, and perhaps you could code something in the game to use it too. I think we used it for something like memory usage or monitoring something in the game.
Standard retail software is indeed incompatible, you need proper firmware that is different for every devkit model - PS4, PS4 Pro or a testkit. It's installed from a PC over the dev network connection. Devkits have 2 interfaces so you can use one to connect to the internet or PSN, and the 2nd one to connect with the PC to monitor/upload stuff.
The USB-B port is useful to speed up the connection with accompanying PC, but interestingnly - the DEV NET needs to be connected during that. You can't just use the USB. I wonder how it balances the load between Ethernet/USB. Not sure if that is a feature for retail PS4 - you could enter a mode on the devkit that the controller is using wireless connection even when it's plugged in into USB - to simulate the wireless connection quirks.
Dev PSN is super easy to use but works only on devkits, you can create dev PSN accounts with I think less than 5 clicks, it's so much easier on PS4 (and on PS5) than on XBO/XS.
Awesome feature of those devkits is that you could stack them up one on another, including the basic PS4 devkits. MS devkits are unfortunately flat and don't feel as sturdy.
I am so anxious to see one of those disassembled - they were quite pricey and the PS4 Pro ones were in use all of the time, as they allowed to emulate basic PS4 and they have additional memory and faster HDDs, so you could launch a game before it was optimized enough to run on a base PS4 and not spend ages on loadings. It was also a small quirk - emulation of a base PS4 on PS4 Pro often gave different performance measurements than a basic PS4 devkit - think it was due to PS4 Pro emulating the theoretical speed of base PS4, but real base PS4 was slower due to more worn out HDD. Oh, you could switch the devkit to one of 3 modes - dev/assist/retail, with gradually less dev tools available, but I think even the retail mode couldn't run retail games (as opposed to Xbox One that acted as a real retail Xbox in retail mode).
Really cool stuff is in the software. Version 6.0 isn't even that old. It could be from 2019. You could operate the PS4 completely remotely from a PC, capture videos, logs, performance logs, tweak the settings without touching the devkit, turn it on/off as long as it was connected to network. You could connect an X360 gamepad to the PC and also play remotely on the PS4 with that. You could stream the game to a local streaming server. You could start the game without copying it to the console, the data would be streamed from PC on demand.
reply
Sylvie
I worked in DevQA for a couple big-name publishers and I've worked with this exact type of unit side-by-side next to a Scorpio XDK and an NX SDEV unit.
My experience with this particular unit can best be summarized as
- pull nightly builds from share drive via Orbis/PS4 neighborhood
- Install builds, monitor install progress and check [REDACTED] for any errors
- Perform smoke runs, watch for any crashes, frequent hitching, anything that could harm test units/retail configs, copy build string into Jira with logs attached
- Send it off for lower QA folks to deal with
I have to admit that I enjoyed working with the XDK more, since that one let you run things in specific performance modes that were in-line with a certain spec (think Series X mode, Series S mode)
Sure, my work could have just as easily been done with something not as beefy as this, but I was one of the guys whose job it was to make sure our workday could actually begin. These configurations are surprisingly versatile and well-suited for testing and development.
reply
I worked in DevQA for a couple big-name publishers and I've worked with this exact type of unit side-by-side next to a Scorpio XDK and an NX SDEV unit.
My experience with this particular unit can best be summarized as
- pull nightly builds from share drive via Orbis/PS4 neighborhood
- Install builds, monitor install progress and check [REDACTED] for any errors
- Perform smoke runs, watch for any crashes, frequent hitching, anything that could harm test units/retail configs, copy build string into Jira with logs attached
- Send it off for lower QA folks to deal with
I have to admit that I enjoyed working with the XDK more, since that one let you run things in specific performance modes that were in-line with a certain spec (think Series X mode, Series S mode)
Sure, my work could have just as easily been done with something not as beefy as this, but I was one of the guys whose job it was to make sure our workday could actually begin. These configurations are surprisingly versatile and well-suited for testing and development.
reply
Bexley
I worked in DevQA for a couple big-name publishers and I've worked with this exact type of unit side-by-side next to a Scorpio XDK and an NX SDEV unit.
My experience with this particular unit can best be summarized as
- pull nightly builds from share drive via Orbis/PS4 neighborhood
- Install builds, monitor install progress and check [REDACTED] for any errors
- Perform smoke runs, watch for any crashes, frequent hitching, anything that could harm test units/retail configs, copy build string into Jira with logs attached
- Send it off for lower QA folks to deal with
I have to admit that I enjoyed working with the XDK more, since that one let you run things in specific performance modes that were in-line with a certain spec (Series X mode, SeriesS mode)
Sure, my work could have just as easily been done with something not as beefy as this, but I was one of the guys whose job it was to make sure our workday could actually begin. These configurations are surprisingly versatile and well-suited for testing and development.
reply
I worked in DevQA for a couple big-name publishers and I've worked with this exact type of unit side-by-side next to a Scorpio XDK and an NX SDEV unit.
My experience with this particular unit can best be summarized as
- pull nightly builds from share drive via Orbis/PS4 neighborhood
- Install builds, monitor install progress and check [REDACTED] for any errors
- Perform smoke runs, watch for any crashes, frequent hitching, anything that could harm test units/retail configs, copy build string into Jira with logs attached
- Send it off for lower QA folks to deal with
I have to admit that I enjoyed working with the XDK more, since that one let you run things in specific performance modes that were in-line with a certain spec (Series X mode, SeriesS mode)
Sure, my work could have just as easily been done with something not as beefy as this, but I was one of the guys whose job it was to make sure our workday could actually begin. These configurations are surprisingly versatile and well-suited for testing and development.
reply
MotoMario87
Those plates that are used for memory cooling that s not their main purposes which is why it seems to be such an inefficient design (because it is from a cooling standpoint), the main purpose of those plates is to pass EMC testing and minimise the electromagnetic phenomena being radiated from the SoC and memory to the outside world. Without those plates and the grounding you see where they interface with the PCB the unit would likely fail radiated emissions and hence not be able to be CE or FCC marked. The use of them for cooling is secondary to EMC.
reply
Those plates that are used for memory cooling that s not their main purposes which is why it seems to be such an inefficient design (because it is from a cooling standpoint), the main purpose of those plates is to pass EMC testing and minimise the electromagnetic phenomena being radiated from the SoC and memory to the outside world. Without those plates and the grounding you see where they interface with the PCB the unit would likely fail radiated emissions and hence not be able to be CE or FCC marked. The use of them for cooling is secondary to EMC.
reply
DarkWiN14
Great video, as descriptive as it could be, I have an idea for you guys, could you either look more into the psu side of things for the prototypes you see? Since you've got the staff, as well as yourself to analyse the boards you look at? (Consoles as well as dev kits)
And if you don't mind, would you be able to get more devkits? The stadia was neat, well approached, and insanely informative, hence why the request is to be taken into consideration.
I hope for all the member of the teams a very happy christmas! (Early)
reply
Great video, as descriptive as it could be, I have an idea for you guys, could you either look more into the psu side of things for the prototypes you see? Since you've got the staff, as well as yourself to analyse the boards you look at? (Consoles as well as dev kits)
And if you don't mind, would you be able to get more devkits? The stadia was neat, well approached, and insanely informative, hence why the request is to be taken into consideration.
I hope for all the member of the teams a very happy christmas! (Early)
reply
ENEKO
ih wow that sata extension cable thingy is the one used on small form factor pcs called singages used to drive displays at stores and such, i have one (got it for 15 on a local second hand store which im using as a seedbox) and it has a normal sata port for an hdd and then that two pin connector and a sata data port for another one (apparently is more commonly used for sd to sata adapters or ssds), i had to get one of that exact thingy on aliexpress for cheap to be able to add a second drive, so funny to see it here lol
reply
ih wow that sata extension cable thingy is the one used on small form factor pcs called singages used to drive displays at stores and such, i have one (got it for 15 on a local second hand store which im using as a seedbox) and it has a normal sata port for an hdd and then that two pin connector and a sata data port for another one (apparently is more commonly used for sd to sata adapters or ssds), i had to get one of that exact thingy on aliexpress for cheap to be able to add a second drive, so funny to see it here lol
reply
Brian
The first devkit I encountered in my game art career was for the original Playstation. It was an ISA card (or maybe a pair of cards?) that you installed in a standard PC-compatible computer. One time we accidentally left it installed in a PC we'd taken to a local shop for repairs, and the poor tech at the store was super apologetic about not being able to find any drivers for that weird video card . We were just glad we didn't lose the thing, because Midway and Sony would've been ... unhappy with us.
reply
The first devkit I encountered in my game art career was for the original Playstation. It was an ISA card (or maybe a pair of cards?) that you installed in a standard PC-compatible computer. One time we accidentally left it installed in a PC we'd taken to a local shop for repairs, and the poor tech at the store was super apologetic about not being able to find any drivers for that weird video card . We were just glad we didn't lose the thing, because Midway and Sony would've been ... unhappy with us.
reply
Drackzgull
Damn, as someone who has worked with these, I can say that when you get one, if Sony finds out that you have so much as leaked a picture of it, not only will Sony take them back, you'll have to pay fines for breaking the NDA and other agreements signed before getting it,
If whoever you guys got this from isn't Sony and gets exposed, they're going to have Sony's boots so far up their asses they're going to taste the shoelaces.
reply
Damn, as someone who has worked with these, I can say that when you get one, if Sony finds out that you have so much as leaked a picture of it, not only will Sony take them back, you'll have to pay fines for breaking the NDA and other agreements signed before getting it,
If whoever you guys got this from isn't Sony and gets exposed, they're going to have Sony's boots so far up their asses they're going to taste the shoelaces.
reply
Infinity
I held off on getting a base PS4 and eventually got the PS4 Pro and absolutely LOVED IT (no regrets there, especially given how well is STILL can handle new games nowadays compared to a base PS4). That's why, in the same way, I'm holding off on buying a base PS5 and will hopefully be getting the inevitable PS5 Pro instead when that gets released in 2023-2024!
reply
I held off on getting a base PS4 and eventually got the PS4 Pro and absolutely LOVED IT (no regrets there, especially given how well is STILL can handle new games nowadays compared to a base PS4). That's why, in the same way, I'm holding off on buying a base PS5 and will hopefully be getting the inevitable PS5 Pro instead when that gets released in 2023-2024!
reply
Gerdy
Completely off subject here, Steve, but could you possibly do a video about how common shader and asset stutter is becoming in PC gaming? I've noticed it myself and have seen more and more threads about it recently. I know this is not really the type of video you usually do, but it would be great to have more creators start pointing it out as well.
reply
Completely off subject here, Steve, but could you possibly do a video about how common shader and asset stutter is becoming in PC gaming? I've noticed it myself and have seen more and more threads about it recently. I know this is not really the type of video you usually do, but it would be great to have more creators start pointing it out as well.
reply
AlmightyGTR
If the memory only generates 1 watt per chip, and runs at max 85C (thermal gradient of 50C), that thermal interface seems more than adequate to transfer 1 watt at 50C gradient.
Just because it isn't designed to transfer 1 watt at 30C gradient, doesn't mean that it should be. Requirements -> Design -> Engineering -> Manufacturing.
reply
If the memory only generates 1 watt per chip, and runs at max 85C (thermal gradient of 50C), that thermal interface seems more than adequate to transfer 1 watt at 50C gradient.
Just because it isn't designed to transfer 1 watt at 30C gradient, doesn't mean that it should be. Requirements -> Design -> Engineering -> Manufacturing.
reply
SergentBoucherie
I never worked with a Playstation devkit but when I was working at Babel Media doing QA I worked a few times with Microsoft devkits, that was about 10-12 years ago, we were testing some kinect games. You could hear the testers 3 rooms away screaming at their devkit because the voice recognition was not working properly
reply
I never worked with a Playstation devkit but when I was working at Babel Media doing QA I worked a few times with Microsoft devkits, that was about 10-12 years ago, we were testing some kinect games. You could hear the testers 3 rooms away screaming at their devkit because the voice recognition was not working properly
reply
Deltarious
I am someone who would actually watch the full 2hr uncut thing, and yes you're absolutely right it would probably be mostly 'background' content for me, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't find it quite interesting. I literally watched a 45 minute stream of water boiling before, don't think I wouldn't do this.
reply
I am someone who would actually watch the full 2hr uncut thing, and yes you're absolutely right it would probably be mostly 'background' content for me, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't find it quite interesting. I literally watched a 45 minute stream of water boiling before, don't think I wouldn't do this.
reply
Heidi
Not sure about this kit but the LEDs in test board /de kits are commonly used as programable register flags so the tester can test that the software/hardware is behaving as expected without a debug console and in a way that can be kept through a kernel crash in some cases
reply
Not sure about this kit but the LEDs in test board /de kits are commonly used as programable register flags so the tester can test that the software/hardware is behaving as expected without a debug console and in a way that can be kept through a kernel crash in some cases
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
