The PS4 Pro is sure to be a very popular purchase this holiday season, with a fair few of them putting in an appearance under Christmas trees. However, if you are buying one as an upgrade to a PS4, you're going to need to transfer your data. The process is easy, but it does require a network cable to perform.
The PlayStation.Blog posted a detailed guide on how to perform the data transfer, but I've summarized it here to show how easy it is:
- Ensure your PS4 and PS4 Pro are running system software 4.0 or higher.
- Connect both consoles to the Internet and your PS4 Pro to your TV.
- Sign into the PlayStation Network (PSN) on your PS4 Pro.
- The PS4 Pro will ask if you want to start a transfer of data, confirm you do.
- Press and hold the power button on your PS4 (not the PS4 Pro!) until it beeps.
- Connect both PS4 consoles together using a network cable.
- Select the types of data to be transferred from the on-screen list.
- Allow the data to transfer, which could take a couple of hours.
- Once complete, activate your PS4 Pro as the primary PS4.
- Remove the LAN cable and you are done.
Checking your system software version before you start is easy to do, as is the process of updating it when connected to the Internet.
With the above steps complete, all your data—including installed game data, save games, captured screenshots and video, themes, synced trophy data, profile data, and all messages you've sent to PSN friends—will be available on the PS4 Pro. The only missing data will be any passwords for different services (e.g. PSN, Netflix), which you'll have to enter again. Any trophy data that hasn't been synced will be lost.
If connecting your two consoles together using a single network cable isn't possible, you can instead achieve the connection using two networks cables and attaching them both to your home router. The single cable option does sound simpler, though. Alternatively, you can just cancel the data transfer when you first turn on the PS4 Pro, but you will have to download and reinstall your games and apps. Saved game data can be backed up to a USB storage device or stored online if you subscribe to PSN Plus.
One important thing to note: the data on your PS4 will not be deleted as part of the transfer process. So if you intend to sell your old machine or give it to someone else, make sure to format the hard drive first. This can be achieved by navigating to Settings > Initialization > Initialize PS4 > Full. Once the process is complete, the PS4 will be all set for its next owner.