Sony Totally Goes 1980s Retro With Latest PlayStation 4 Pro Ad

Sony has a new ad for its not-yet-released PlayStation 4 Pro console, though it is not what you might expect. The trippy ad-spot goes into full retro mode with hat tips to 1980s culture, an odd time period to promote a new PS4 console considering the original PlayStation didn't debut until halfway through the 1990s. Nevertheless, it is an amusing and nostalgic flashback to a bygone era in gaming.

The grainy ad plays like a VHS tape, for those of you old enough to remember the defunct media. Saturated colors and grainy video highlight the "super-charged PlayStation 4 Pro console system" with its "revolutionary cord-free player paddle joysticks" and "super fresh graphics." All the while a long-haired dude feigns surprise with goofy expressions and exclamations such as "Woooah!!"
Sony did a good job recapturing the 1980s style with what looks and sounds like something that could have aired during a commercial break while watching Saturday morning cartoons (remember those?). Ah, the glory days!

The video is posted to Twitter by Sony's PlayStation division in the U.K., which tries lumping the PS4 Pro in with Reebok Pumps, Pac-Man, and other nostalgic bits. While amusing, the best laughs come from the comments section.

"No 4K Blu-ray drive? Might as well keep going backwards," a Twitter user wrote in response to the post. Another user asks Sony how it expects him to connect the PS4 Pro with HDMI connector to his Phillips TV enclosed in a wooden box with only an RF connector.


The PS4 Pro (formerly known as the PlayStation Neo) launches November 19 for $399. It brings with it twice the graphics horsepower for 4K HDR gaming and streaming, though as correctly criticized, it won't feature 4K Blu-ray support.