Xbox One S does what PlayStation 4 Pro won’t: Play UHD 4K Blu-ray discs

Sony’s new 4K gaming machine is not going to replace your Ultra HD Blu-ray player — or be your first.

The PlayStation Pro does not support 4K-capable UHD Blu-ray discs. Instead, the optical drive can only read DVDs and standard Blu-rays, according to Sony’s official specs. That means the only way to get 4K video onto the new PS4, which is due out November 10 for $400, is to stream it. You can do that using apps like Netflix or YouTube. You could also stream 4K films from your personal digital library using the excellent Plex app. But few digital sources — especially streaming sites — have 4K tech that matches the quality of an UHD Blu-ray, so your new 4K machine won’t get the most from 4K content if it is from a compressed stream from a remote server.