Sony PlayStation 4 500GB Console (Black)
Sony PlayStation 4 500GB Console (Black)
The biggest games
Hardware Specs
| Dimensions: | 30.5 x 27.5 x 5.3 cm; 2.8 Kilograms |
| Model: | 9436812 |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
| Dimensions: | 30.5 x 27.5 x 5.3 cm; 2.8 Kilograms |
| Origin: | Germany |
The system itself works very well. It has only completely frozen once in the month that I have had it and it was expected from all the processes I had running. A new feature for PSN is party audio chat while gaming. This is really useful if you do not want to hear the players that are in your game lobbies and just want to talk with friends even if you are not on the same game.
The main problem with the PS4 would be the controller. Its does have a nice design and is much better than the PS3 controller, in my opinion. However, It’s very weak battery life, of only a handful of hours, means that you will be charging it often. If you use the controllers audio function to play game sound from the 3.5mm jack on the controller then this will also be shortened further. Then there was the triggers, which don’t feel well built. The first controller’s R2 button had broke in only a couple of days after receiving the unit, which was rather annoying. The new controller seems to be holing up better. (I did have to send the whole PS4 system back for a replacement). The touch pad still seems like a gimmick and the only use I have found for it is that, with some practice, typing can be faster. Hopefully, future games will take advantage of this.
As a console, it is great. I do not use the media options too often apart from Spotify app since gaming and listening to music is nifty. Well worth it for the deal I got, which was the PS4 with The Witcher 3 and 3 months PS+ For 279.99.
If you’re looking for a console to buy then this is a great choice unless you have friends or prefer the exclusives of the Xbox One. It seems as if Sony took the Xbox 360 and made it even better, which was an excellent choice by them.
I created this review in order to provide an in-depth technical review since i noticed the other reviewers haven’t done so.
I suggest reading this review if you want to know EXACTLY what you’re buying.
For your information, I have been a long time PC and Console gamer. I personally don’t have a preference of the 2. However I specialise in PC Hardware and thought it was extremely interesting that consoles have now moved to more computer like hardware.
Note: If you’re a non-technical person i advise trying to understand the information provided. If you can’t understand it at all, then I would then suggest skipping it.
Let me just say the hardware provided inside the PS4 is some what similar to a PC worth 400+ or so and you’re receiving excellent for value for performance.
*Processor & Graphics*
The PS4 has a Custom APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) created by AMD featuring the “Jaguar” architecture.
For people who don’t know what an APU is, its a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) combined.
The Jaguar architecture was designed for notebooks, mini pcs and micro-servers offering low power consumption. It was created in Mid 2013. It is the successor of the older generation architecture “Bobcat”. All the Jaguar based CPUs only offered up to quad cores before the announcement of the PS4.
The APU has the CPUs, GPUs and shared memory controllers on the same die.
The CPU side of the APU is created on a 28nm manufacturing (smaller the nm the more transistors can be placed for efficiency as well as improved performance – however there is a limit to the amount of shrinking they can do to a chip) As a comparison the AMD FX 8350 has a 32nm manufacturing and the Intel i7 4770k has a 22nm manufacturing.
The CPU uses Dual 4 Core Modules (x86-64) (Total 8 Cores) with a base clock frequency at 1.6GHz however there is an unknown uptick in speed for intensive CPU usage. My personal guess due to the PS4’s maximum power consumption limit due to the PSU would be around 2.5GHz to 3GHz. Cooling is also a limiting factor to the lower GHz clock speed. Since AMD CPUs at higher clock speeds produce too much heat, the energy efficiency goes out the window and the PS4 doesn’t have enough cooling potential for something like a 4GHz turbo clock. Modern games can’t run at a 1.6GHz clock speed unless its featuring League of Legends graphics or something along those lines. Though ultimately the GPU is the graphics manager so there might be some optimisation i am unaware of for the consoles.
Each CPU core contains a 32KB Level 1 instruction and data caches with 1 shared 2MB Level 2 cache for each module (In total 4MB Cache)
The GPU side of the APU is based on the GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture.
GCN is featured in 28nm graphics chips which for PCs are the HD 7000, HD 8000, and AMD R-series graphics cards. GCN is also featured in AMD’s Latest APUs.
I can assure you this is an extremely powerful graphics chip which they have placed in the PS4’s APU. As other sources have announced, the chip is capable of producing 1.84TFLOPs which puts it almost on par with a HD 7850 / 7870 / R7 260x which are 100 graphic cards. They are considered to be the better mid range gamer cards for PC.
No bias/fan boy intended however, this also dominates the Xbox One’s graphical performance capabilities hence why games have better graphics on PS4 as to Xbox One. For example Thief runs at 1080p on PS4 and only 900p on Xbox One.
Moving back to the main topic the GPU consist of 20CUs (Compute Units) – 2CUs are disabled meaning only 18CUs are running. This produces a total of 1152 Cores (64 cores per CU).
AMD made some adjustments to the GCN architecture so that the GPU now has an additional dedicated 20GB/s bus which avoids Level 1 and Level 2 GPU cache for direct system memory access. This makes the overall system smoother during intensive graphical usage.
They also added Level 2 cache support for many graphical and single compute tasks. Reducing graphical strain and general compute operations.
The chip is clocked at a 800MHz frequency clock speed.
Peak performance of 1.84TFLOPs / 1843.2 GFLOPs
Can perform 25.6GP/s Pixel Fillrate
Produce a Texture Fillrate of 57.6GT/s
Compare these numbers to a technical spec of an AMD R7 260x if you want to get a rough idea of what power the PS4’s graphical chip has to offer.
If people want to argue that the graphic card is weak. PLEASE just take a look at the price range that this console is fighting in compared to other Desktops and Laptops at this price. It’s honestly the best you will get in a sub 350 PC build.
This also means don’t expect 4k gaming on a PS4. You need a 1500+ Gaming Desktop to even run 4K gaming.
*Memory / RAM (Random Access Memory)*
Now this is a really smart move from Sony. Instead of having a dedicated graphic memory which many graphic cards have they decided that the GPU and RAM should be shared. Average graphics card now have a standard of just 2GB DRAM which is more than enough for all the latest games out on the market. However higher end GPUs for PCs have 4GB DRAM which only really the higher texture games make use of. Such as 2k and 4k gaming.
Incase people don’t know, the GPU’s DRAM is a lot faster than your typical system RAM. Modern GPUs use GDDR5 which is based off DDR3 SDRAM Memory. They have a much higher bandwidth compared to DDR3 because the GPU’s GDDR5 needs to transfer data a lot faster to display the graphics.
This also improves general loading times if data was to be pre-loaded into the GDDR5 RAM.
GDDR5 works with 2 different clock types. A differential command clock (CK) and a forward differential write clock (WCK)
The PS4 uses 16x 512MB GDDR5 Memory Chips to make 8GB of GDDR5 RAM which produces 176GB/s of Bandwidth.
A CK of 1.375GHz
A WCK of 2.75GHz (5500MT/s)
It also features a 256 Bit Bus Width.
The APU also benefits from higher clock speeds (I have read reviews and benchmarks for the AMD’s A10 7850k in comparison to using standard DDR3 1600MHz and 2133MHz RAM) The faster RAM allows the APU to produce higher FPS in games due to bandwidth limitations.
This being said, the combination of GDDR5 RAM and an APU creates an extremely powerful setup for gaming graphics at a cheap cost. “The most powerful APU built to date”.
Thanks to Sony’s move on the RAM they have corrected the issues of the previous generation console. The PS3. Which believe it or not only contained 256MB of RAM. 8GB of RAM makes for future proofing. Though in my experience a maximum console’s life expectancy is only about 7 years before they need to replace it with the next generation console.
Unfortunately there is a drawback of using GDDR5 instead of DDR3 for system ram. Its because of the higher latency compared between the 2. This might explain for the 2nd processor they had installed for the console (Mentioned in the Additional Hardware Info).
I have been also informed that the PS4 is set up to have 4GB dedicated for system memory. Which leaves the developers to have the other 4GB to work with for the games.
*Additional Hardware Info*
The Audio Processing Unit shares the same die as the rest of the APU components. It is a Digital signal processing SIP Block so it’s pretty much the same as AMD’s TrueAudio offered in their latest GPUs.
Memory Controller is found on the die of the APU. As mentioned earlier is it shared by the CPU and GPU. It contains features similar to the Heterogeneous System Architecture resulting to a non-partitioned system memory meaning a portion of it is exclusively available to the GPU however its Unified allowing Zero-Copy hardware (another power saving feature).
Auxiliary Processor. This is a secondary ARM Processor which is in the PS4. It contains a separate 256MB of DDR3 RAM to assist with the PS4’s OS features and other background functions. Overall it adds smoothness to the interface of the PS4 making it a more fluent experience.
*Storage and Optical Drive*
The PS4 has a read-only optical drive which reads Blu-Ray at a speed of 6x with has a maximum read speed of 27MB/s (PS3’s Blu-Ray drive only had a speed of 2x which capped it at 9MB/s)
PS4 also has a hardware feature called a “on-the-fly zlib decompression module” which quickly decompresses the data on the Blu-Ray Disc which has been compressed to save space and bandwidth
This module allows higher bandwidth whilst at the same time the console caches the data onto it’s HDD (Hard Disk Drive) also buffering unread data when a game is not accessing the Blu-Ray Drive.
The Console’s Hard Drive is a 2.5 inch HDD running at 5400RPM. Contains 500GB of storage. You can change this just like in the PS3. Due to how the game load onto the PS4 (Installation process)
I can advise upgrading to a SSD (Solid State Drive) if you intend to benefit from the PS4’s performance. It will offer you shorter load times, faster texture loading (the shift from the hard drive to the RAM) and overall a general smoother experience. It could improve any possible lag. However I don’t advise having less than 250GB of storage since modern games eat up a lot of memory. However if you don’t fancy spending much money even a 7200RPM HDD or a Hybrid HDD will be good enough. Might as well shove 1-2TBs in there whilst you’re at it.
This also improves the boot up time of the console.
*Other additional stuff*
The PS4 has a 802.11 b/g/n Wifi connectivity, a huge improvement over the PS3’s G limited bandwidth. Thanks to this move you can now download all your games at maximum fibre optic speeds and make the most out of your super fast internet. If you don’t have internet faster than 10 Mega Bits then you will see no difference other than slightly lower latency during online gaming aka reduced lag.
An Ethernet port – For those who prefer a more stable and faster connection to the router.
An Auxiliary port for the Playstation Camera.
HDMI & Optical Audio port
2x USB 3.0 ports (faster than the PS3’s USB 2.0 ports) USB 3.0 is 10 times faster than USB 2.0. It can transfer up 4.8 Gigabits per second (480mb/s). Offers up to 900mA of power, at the same time as better power efficiency with even less power at idle states per port.
2.1 Bluetooth connectivity + EDR.
The console does not support analog audio/video outputs (You will need a new TV if it doesn’t support HD)
I am probably missing a few other stuff however this is all i can remember off the top of my head for “Other additional stuff”.
*PSU (Power Supply Unit) and Power Consumption + Cooling*
The PS4 has an internal universal 110-240v AC power supply. It offers a maximum of 250w power rating. Which is your average power supply limit from a standard desktop.
AMD manage to make the APU of the machine a pretty low power efficient one especially since it contains 8 physical cores.
Depending on what you’re doing on the console the power consumption will vary. Of course it will consume more during gaming compared to idling on menu. However rest assured, the PS4 can only consume up to 250 watts a second.
The PS4’s cooling system is a single centrifugal fan. It draws air in from both sides of the console, then splits the flow above and below the Motherboard before going into the fan from bottom to top. The exhaust fan then calls the main APU which is connected to a heat pipe from the heatsink. The exhaust passes to the main power supply before it blows out of the rear of the console.
#Added 09/03/15 – Mind you this is one quiet piece of hardware. It does produce a bit of heat whilst gaming (So don’t shove this in a confined space if you care about its longevity) however causing a speed up on the fans regardless this console’s noise peak is still quieter than my desktop on idle (My gaming PC is very loud. During gaming it sounds 3/4 as loud as a hoover due to not using liquid cooling and heavy overclocks + one fan is a Noctura 3k RPM Fan which is known to be loud) So as a standard noise to me this is extremely quiet, footsteps are louder. However people have different noise opinions when it comes to loudness so I’ll just say its alot quieter than the PS3.
#Added 15/03/15 – Also forgot to mention that the PS4 vibrates and does make some noise (nothing unreasonable of course) when the disc drive is in use however when it turns off the console is next to silent.
Features? – Less technical now shall i say.
The PS4 offers a lot of new features. Its using an OS called “Orbis OS”
I must say the new user interface is some what of an improvement over the PS3’s XMB Crossbar interface. Overall more fluent and certainly easier access to social media. It is possible to multitask during gameplay too unlike on the PS3.
The interface is also customisable.
The PS4’s DualShock 4 Controller offers a new share button, a touch pad, a built in motion sensor, mono audio speaker and touch controls. Also the quality feels some what stronger and more sturdy as to the PS3’s DualShock 3 Controller.
DualShock 4 also uses a micro-USB, All the same buttons as the the PS3’s Controller but with an added Share button. Options button has Select and Start merged.
There is a light bar with colours to measure battery life, and can be used with the Playstation camera. The light bar isn’t just for show by the way. It changes colour during in game situations for example. In Tomb Raider, when you light up a torch it turns bright red.
The battery is a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1000mAh (1210mAh less than the PS Vita’s Battery, 200mAh less than the PSP Slims)
You get approx about 7 hours of battery life before having to recharge.
The Share feature lets you “share” your gameplays as video content or even screenshots just by pressing that share button (P.S. This is the best feature for me since i have an addiction of spamming Screenshots of my favorite Final Fantasy or Video game characters during PC gaming – getting video content is a huge bonus, i might need to upgrade to a 2TB HDD just for this.)
You can also stream your gameplay just like everyone else does on Twitch with PC games. (Gaining popularity is a pain, so unfortunately just an added attraction for people)
The thing is so great it lets me edit the clips too using the “SHAREFactory” app.
I don’t know if you got a PS Vita but I do. Lets me do Remote Play over Wifi so if i am feeling lazy instead of sitting at my PC desk i just play the PS4 on my PS Vita in bed. HUGE Bonus.
Due to being accustomed to cheap games on sale on Steam for PC I also like the idea of how you can get some games on both the PS4 and PS Vita for just one price. Somewhat like a bargain.
PS Vita can be used as a controller as well.
Voice Control. Personally i find this very tedious and useless just like in all other mobiles. Though I guess its fun to play with for a bit.
Many other apps such as Twitch, Facebook, Youtube, Amazon, iPlayer, Netflix etc… Personally i don’t use these at all thanks to my PC. Though the apps are optimised for easy use on the console. But if there isn’t something you’re looking for you can just use the internet browser implemented on the console.
The PS4 browser uses a WebKit based web browser. (Improvement over PS3’s browser which uses NetFront) WebKit is the same stuff which is used to make Google Chrome, and Apple’s Safari. Which excels in HTML5 making it the best out of all the consoles. Unfortunately PS4 does not support flash player.
Due to no backward compatibility (Hardware and reducing cost) , Sony has attempted to counter this with a “PlayStation Now” cloud-based service which offers certain titles on PS3 to be played on the PS4 via active internet connection. Though I don’t know how this will perform on slower internets. I have not used this feature yet. So I can’t give any experiences on lag etc…
Can’t forget that the PS4 is pretty much a blu-ray player too. The successor of DVDs.
Irrelevant to non-PC gamers however thanks to using computer like hardware in consoles. This will allow developers to make better and easier optimisation to Console Ports for PCs. Thus improving the overall gaming industry.
PS4 is region free just like the PS3 so you can get a game from the US or Japan and it will work in your PAL/EU Console. However DLCs won’t due to law etc… An example will be a Japan game will only work with Japanese DLCs. Not too sure about multiplayer.
You can still copy your game saves on to USB! Useful if you fancy going around a mates house or something.
There is a standby mode as well which you can still download games with. Ultimate power saving feature.
#Added 09/03/15 – Basically on this mode the PS4 leaves a yellow standby light line on the top side of the PS4 as opposed to no light when properly turned off. On this mode the PS4 makes no sound as if it was off. Only difference is that its like in a hibernated state, the stuff you was doing is stored on to the RAM so then you can continue the downloads you was running in this mode. So if you’re downloading a game and you want to leave the house. This is the best time to shove it on standby mode to allow the game to download in a very low power consumption state. Also you can charge your controller during this state so you can download your game and fully charge the controller in preparation for when you arrive back home to continue gaming. One of my top prefered features for sure.
*What’s in the box*
PS4 Console Unit
DualShock 4 Controller
Mono Headset
Cords and cables, Standard AC Cable, USB Cable for charging the controller and a HDMI for the TV.
Instructions and Manuals
*Summary*
Great for value console. Definitely exceeded my standards for the “best bang for buck”.
I extremely like the design of the PS4’s case. The glossy finish black on the topside of the PS4 and how the console is shaped. Very attractive and space saving “computer” shall i say 🙂
Definitely performs better than its price offered. I can assure you that graphical wise you won’t find anything prebuilt from another company offering this much power. (System Builder for Desktops for over a decade) The AMD’s HD 7850/7870 graphics cards was the best for value in 2013 offering decent performance at an affordable price. They was capable of running PC games on high to max during those days. At the very worst PC games was ran at medium high, 1080p for those cards. So i can assure you you’re getting your money’s worth from the PS4 from a technical perspective.
Don’t be put off by the lack of games which was out for the consoles. The game Developers are much more familiar with working on a PC x86/64 based hardware. Consoles moving on the PC like hardware is to show attraction to developers so that more games will be created on the consoles. So expect many many more attractive games to arrive on to the market to the PS4.
Thank you for your time and reading my review, It took me about 3 and a half hours or so to write this up.
My aim was to inform you, the readers of what exactly is the PS4, what it contains inside the console, and what it is capable of doing. Making sure you get the full description of what the PlayStation 4 actually is.
The PS4 is everything you want from a gaming console. That’s not an overstatement, it was very clear that Sony wanted to make the next generation console about games and that is absolutely what they have achieved here. Apart from a few minor issues, I would recommend the PS4 completely if that is what you are looking for.
Design;
The PS4 console is a bit smaller than you would expect. It has a tilted design that makes it look very stylish and modern. You have two USB ports which, for me, was enough though others may find issue with that. All the buttons and ports are nicely positioned and don’t stand in the way of the design which is, in my opinion, very good and a lot better than the tank of an Xbox One. The fan inside the PS4 is noticable, but not too loud to cause any issue. The console also never gets too heated up, it’s only ever slightly warm to the touch after extended gaming sessions.
Controller;
I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of last gen’s Dualshock 3. It had terrible thumbsticks and triggers that simply didn’t work that good compared to the 360’s controller. The new Dualshock 4, however, is a great improvement. It takes the same design of having parallel thumbsticks and keeps the main buttons and triggers, but it has greatly improved on their individual design. The thumbsticks have a lot more grip to them and feel quite sturdy in your hands. The triggers have also been reshaped to fit your fingers properly and actually feel very responsive. All the buttons feel smooth and have the feeling of response you need from a controller. The main addition of note here is the touchpad in the centre of the controller. To be honest, it’s really not been put to much use at the moment, but when it can be used, it feels accurate and responsive. Hopefully more games find ways to utilise this in the future.
The controller also has a light on the back of the console. Unless you’re getting the camera, however, it serves no purpose but to tank the battery, so I recommend you go into your settings and turn the brightness to dim to greatly extend battery life. After doing that, I was getting through an average gaming session without any need for a charge any time soon. To me, that’s all that matters. Another issue I did encounter with the controller, I might add, is that the triggers started create squeaking noises when used, an issue I am not alone in having. After applying some WD40 they were smooth and soundless, but it’s still an issue worth noting.
The system itself;
The PS4 system is similar to the PS3, but has changed to a more simple approach. The menu is easy to learn and navigate, though everything on your PS4 is displayed in one long row which I can imagine can get quite heavy down the line. It’s not bad, it’s just lacking in organisation which hopefully will be added. You have basic functionality in terms of media, with Netflix and Amazon Prime ready to be downloaded and the ability to watch steam’s on Twitch and play Blu Ray DVD’s. You can also browse the internet (though the browser is terrible and not worth the effort) and play music. None of this is too developed, as gaming seems to be the main push here, but Netflix works well on this system as does streaming and watching DVD’s. The rrest I haven’t really bothered with too much. The friends system is simple yet effective, everything you need is once again here.
The store, whilst also having some layout issues, makes buying things simple though you’ll need to pick up a PS Plus subscription to really do anything online. It’s annoying to have to pay to play multiplayer, particularly when it was free for us last generation.
The Games;
The system, at the time of this review, has some good games. There aren’t a massive selection, particularly in the area of exclusives, but there’s some descent enough games to play. You have your Call of Duty and Battlefield offerings as well as the port of The Last of Us along with games such as FIFA and Killzone Shadowfall. There’s no real system seller here, but they all play well on the PS4 and I have no complaints about either the system or the controller when it comes to playing games. There are some good upcoming games for the PS4 and it looks like they will not only look great on the system but play great too. If you’re expecting to buy right now and be treated with a wealth of amazing exclusive games, you’ll probably be disappointed as there simply isn’t that right now.
Conclusion;
I’m glad that I have a PS4. It keeps the focus firmly on the games which is what I wanted from it, but there’s still some good functionality for watching movies and streams. The system itself is well presented, and the controller is a great improvement that I personally really like. There are some good games, but the system could use more of them to really justify a purchase right now. Whilst I have some concerns, they can be addressed and hopefully they will. The system is still great and if you need a great platform for playing games then this really is a console worth investing in for the future.
For those of you who don’t know the modern 4K HD image is only displayed through 4 commerical products, Youtube, Netflix, PS4 and Xbox One. (Source, The man who sold me the TV = Great Guy)
So i then went about spending like many people reading this now, reading lots of amateur and high end tech review companies comments on both the Xbox One and the PS4. From what i gathered and what i have clarified playing the PS4 the reviews are concluded to this.
If you are buying either the Xbox one or the PS4 just because one or the other has better games, DON’T,
Eventually most games will be on either console especially the more popular outfits once the developers have strongly got to grips with the new software.
From the reviews and my own judgement, if you want an entertainment experience and are keen on the gaming factor but not overly worried about it Buy the Xbox One,
However if Amazing graphics and awesome processor speed, with a much nicer controller is more important buy the PS4.
In many of the tech reviews they have very few negatives about the PS4 and commonly it is just related to the ‘Lack of Games’ Which i have commented on above. However if you are looking not just for a next gen gaming console but also a media and social device then the Xbox One might be worth considering.
However the ps4 is currently cheaper and ,when i personally buy a console built by gamers and people who have designed previous gaming products i expect to have a mind blowing GAMING experience with a great ergonomically designed controller (Which i think was a negative of the PS3, being a large chap with XXL hands i sometimes got very angry with the small scale of the controller, another problem which has been dissolved in the PS4 design.) And to be honest it really isn’t that bad at the media shabbles either and PS + is great value.
To conclude GAMER looking for a Next Gen Console = Must Have
Doubting because of not currently lots of games or not Great games = Maybe wait/look at upcoming release dates/But not a huge issue in my opinion.
If you are looking for predominantly a media device = POSSIBLY not for you however try it first.
Oh, 4K TV’s are incredible, got a designated football mode and watched the World Cup Final with it, Truly the best couple of hours of my life in front of a TV Screen, after using the PS4 obviously.
Incredible value with PS+.
You get free PS4 games every month with PS+. You get nothing on XBO.
PS+ costs less than XBL Gold.
Basic features such as Netflix/Internet browsing NOT locked behind a paywall, unlike XBO.
You can download any picture off the internet and use it as your Avatar/Theme.
PS4 supports mouse and keyboard. XBO does not.
Playstation Move controllers are compatible with PS4.
Touch pad on PS4 controller.
Nearly all PS3 headsets work on PS4.
Far more Indie support than XBO.
XBO game install times are much longer than on PS4.
XBO takes 17 seconds to boot up to the dashboard. Much longer than PS4.
If XBO gets banned the entire console gets locked down, not just the account.
PS4 controllers are rechargeable. XBO requires a controller add-on (sold separately).
XBO operating systems amount for 140GB of total data, leaving your hard drive with 360GB free space.
XBO does not support surround sound.
XBO does not take voice messages.
On XBO it is harder to join parties than on PS4.
On average PS4 saves more electricity than XBO.
PS4 controller works on a PS3.
Has a transferable hard drive.
More Social/Facebook integration.
Extremely quiet while running.
Occasionally games on Xbox one have huge mandatory install sizes.
Must manually clear cache on XBO.
XBO moderators ban people on twitch, unlike on PS4 where twitch bans players.
Do not need a camera device to use voice commands, simply a headset.
Has a built in microphone on the controller.
XBO games have a lower resolution compared to the PS4 version.
XBO will not work on TVs if they are not HD, PS4 works just fine.
PS4 controller works with XBOX 360
PS4 doesn’t have a large external power brick. XBO does.
Far larger variety of first party games than XBO.
Exclusivity deals signed with numerous game developers.
Online games will still be relevant months after release due to unrivalled popularity of PS4.
All cords from older playstation systems work on PS4.
Unlike PS4, XBO will not work without the Day 1 update.
XBO does not support 3D Blu ray.
XBO owners forced to buy Kinect even if they have no intention of using it.
PS4 controller has an advanced light bar which has a variety of uses in games.
Confirmed that Microsoft will sell its video spy recordings of you to hundreds of thousands of companies in an attempt to tailor their ad’s towards you.
PS Vita can play almost any PS4 game through remote play.
XBO can not do any type of 3D or virtual reality, unlike PS4.
Allows you to tag real names to people at launch.
Allows you to switch out the main hard drive.
Allows you to use SSD hard drives.
PS4 has 2 motion controller devices as oppose to one on XBO.
Able to stream PS3/PS2/PS1/Vita/PSP/and other PS4 games.
Better selection of movies.
Can upload to YouTube.
Can upload to Facebook.
XBO built largely around advertising.
Indie developers are not allowed to use full system specs when developing games on XBO as oppose to PS4
Even though it is drastically underpowered compared to PS4 as it is. 10% of all system specifications are reserved for Kinect tasks.
Factoring in how Xbox one gives 10% of its resources to Kinect, XBO is officially closer to Wii U in terms of power than PS4.
Playstation app more advanced than XBOX smart glass.
PS4 controller redesigned and developed by shooter studios.
8GB DDR5 RAM.
1.84 TF GPU.
2.6 GH CPU.
Smaller console size.
Far more Japanese support and game variety.
Runs cooler than XBO.
1 more USB 3.0 port than XBO.
Far more trustworthy company.
PS Vita Cross-buy games program.
Cross saves across PS Vita platform and PS4.
PS Vita can be used as controller for several games.
Will NOT spy on you.
PS4 is more powerful than XBO yet it costs less.
Can have more recording time on share button.
2000 friend limit cap.
Far better graphics on nearly all games.
Can be sat down horizontally or vertically.
More TV options.
More PC/Steam integration.
More free 2 play games.
Has Bluetooth unlike XBO.
Out of the box extremely easy to set up, plug to the wall and an HDMI cable to the TV, job done.
The initial account set up screen was easier than the PS3’s torturous process and connecting to the internet through wireless was done without any problems.
Which lead to the first annoyance, doing a huge update on Christmas morning is not good for an eleven year old boy. so if you are buying this as a gift do your child a favor and set it up, test it and allow it to update itself. It will likely save you a lot of earache.
The games line up was a little disappointing, as there were few family games, but the ones we did try look and play very well and I’ve yet to experience a crash while playing either on or offline.
Apps are reasonable but for some odd reason the PS4 continuously asks for you to download the license to use them over and over again.I’v searched its a common issue but not a show stopper.
The controller is better than the PS3 but still not as good as the Xbox pad in my opinion. The touch pad seems a little gimicky at this point but will likely come into its own later as developers take advantage of it. The speaker adds a few nice moments and it still seems novel when it sparks into life mid game to send a messages from AI characters, I hope this is used with every game where it can add to the gameplay.
The “share” ability, where you get to record gameplay and post online is novel but doesn’t appeal to me. seems to work well.
The console itself looks good and is easy to clean, the gloss part shows dust constantly, It looks good next to your black tv and other items on a no doubt black TV stand. It’s very quiet and you will rarely notice any noise.
Things I don’t like? Too few games are being released to keep the console busy. If you are on online gamer then you’re fine but if you’re a story mode devotee then there isn’t much else to play when you’ve completed the game(s) you bought on opening day. Appreciate this is a developer issue and the same for the Xbox One but it is still annoying.
In summary, a good console which will be playing even better games in the future when they learn to squeeze out every drop of power it has to offer.
Amazon successfully delivered it to me on the day of release and I was lucky enough to get a perfectly working console.
Hardware
My first impression when unboxing the PS4 was “Wow”. It truly is an amazing piece of hardware, pictures do not give it justice. It is fairly small and lightweight and has a very premium design and feel to it. I also like the fact that it is very quiet when running. The power supply is built in so you don’t have to worry about a power brick taking up unnecessary space. The hard drive is user removable so you can easily upgrade it if you need more space.
As of right now the PS4 does not support external storage although it might in the future you never know. Anyway for now we have to make do with internal hard drives. The only other issue I have is the fact that the PS4 does not support wireless 802.11ac 5G Wi-Fi and it’s not dual band. What this means is that it won’t support ridiculously fast wireless connections, better range, improved reliability, and improved power consumption. Although it does support 802.11n which is still very fast but not as future proofed. This is strange considering the Xbox One has 802.11ac 5G Wi-Fi built in. Nonetheless it is definitely not a deal breaker.
Software
Before you can do anything you are prompted to download a necessary update which makes the PS4 completely functional by enabling all of its features. It is a fairly straightforward process and does not take too long. Sony have been telling everyone that the PS4 is #4theplayers and primarily a games console. You can tell just by looking at the interface that it was created with that mind-set. My first impression was that it looked a little bit too bare bones compared to the Xbox One interface which I had been using for a week prior as it launched first here in the UK. However now I have got used to it and I find it really intuitive and appealing. My opinion is they are both different but they both work well for what they were intended to do.
Game installations are required for every game. The installations are very quick when compared to that of the Xbox One which is surprising. Sony have created a PlayStation App which works with the PS4. It can be used as a remote for the console and it allows you to use almost all of its features too! I think one of the most useful features is being able to use your phones touchpad keyboard instead of a controller. It is considerably faster!
There are also quite a few apps available like Netflix, BBC Sport and IGN which gives the PS4 more media playing capability in addition to the Sony features available which is great.
Controller
The new DualShock 4 controller is leaps and bounds better than the old DualShock 3 controller. They are worlds apart. It just feels so much better in your hand now and the thumb sticks have been redesigned. They are now more or less concave, with a recessed centre giving them better grip and a more natural feel. The controller feels like it is designed more for first person shooters now with L2 and R2 triggers at the back. I have come from using an Xbox 360 controller so it just feels natural to me. The touchpad is a new addition which works as advertised and has the potential to be great if utilized right. The other significant change is the share button. It works exactly as you would expect it to. Streaming video to Twitch or Ustream is so simple. I like how easy everything integrates with each other.
Sony have also integrated a light bar at the back which is similar to the one on a Move Controller. Some people have complained that it can be a distraction and causes reflection in the dark. I have not experienced this issue at all. The other issue is that it might drain the battery in the controller faster. Well in my experience the battery life seems to be ok at best. It lasts for about half a day before it needs a recharge. It isn’t really a major issue for me because charging it via the cable is simple although I have had the battery die on me during gameplay though that was because I decided to put off plugging in the cable.
I have spent hours playing with both the DualShock 4 and Xbox One Controller which I think gives me the experience to make a fair comparison. Here are my thoughts. I can’t pick a winner in my opinion they are both equal. The Xbox 360 controller used to be the best and these two both surpass it in my opinion. I think the Xbox One controller has slightly better build quality than the DualShock 4 because my controller seems to have a L1 button that sticks a little when pressed and the R2 trigger feels looser than the L2 trigger although that could just be in my case. Either way I would rate them both on par with each other.
Games
We all know the launch line-up was underwhelming which is to be expected because the best games always come later down the line. I bought Battlefield 4 and Assassins Creed 4. The graphics look absolutely stunning! I also downloaded Resogun, DC Universe and Warframe which were all free. It is still very early days we can expect things to greatly improve once everyone has got used to the hardware and more games come out.
Conclusion
If you are a gamer then the PS4 is a must buy! I have decided to make it my main console in my bedroom. This is an evolving machine which is only going to get better as new games come out and the software is refined and updated. As of now Sony are working on updates for MP3 playback and other features. Streaming games via PS Vita and the PlayStation Camera are also very cool features which I am yet to test because I don’t own them right now. This console has so much future potential that it would be hard for me to not justify recommending it!
Now for a few criticisms. The controller great as it is in my opinion has a poor battery life.. I could have 2-3 days out of it playing for just 3-4 hours a day maybe and have to charge it again after that. The ps3 lasted much much longer. This I’m sure is down to the always on light on the controller, I like others am hoping for an option to turn the light off in the future.
Console quality, The design is just OK to me, it doesn’t stand out as quality, this may be down to the materials, the plastics used look and feel very cheap in my opinion and show varying finishes when hit with light at different angles, best way to describe it would be being able to see different density or heat levels during the moulding process, just looks cheap to me. The glossy black portion of the console too is a dust magnet and just wiping it with a microfibre cloth WILL scratch it! really seems like they saved money on the casing I hope the inside does not suffer from poor materials..
In summary I love my ps4, I just wish it had a better finish on the outside! but at the end of the day it’s what’s inside the console which is most important and how it performs and it does that marvellously.
Firstly I would like to thank Amazon for getting my console to me on release day, something which they have struggled with before. Ok back to my review.
The console looks ok, but nothing special and the same can be said for the controller. But thankfully what Sony have done is invest there time and money in how they both work. After setting up the console the 1st thing I can remark on is how quite it is compared to its predecessor. The controller is well waited and slight adjustments have been made to how it sits in your hand, which I feel is an improvement. However there is on drawback to the controller, the start button (now options button) has been moved and I struggle with its new location, I hope that over time I do become use to this though.
So after setting up the console it was time to download some games. Easier said than done. Now at this point I must clarify that my fibre speeds are 40 down & 8up, however it took nearly 9 hours to download Call of Duty upgrade. I initially thought this might be release day overload for psn but I was wrong. As 2 weeks in downloading anything from psn is still measured in hours. A real shame as the console/sony are really pushing digital downloads etc.
Release titles are pretty low but this will be rectified over time. When 1st playing COD there wasn’t really a step up in graphics from the ps3. But when I played BF4, WOW!!!! The 1st look at what this machine can offer. Full 1080p running at 60fps. It’s just mind blowing. And I can’t wait to see what developers can produce over the coming years.
I would love to give the PS4 5* but it just doesn’t warrant it. When they fix the store it will get another * from me.
It takes only two or three settings to load and shows one epilepsy message before sending you straight in to the extremely user-friendly interface.
Account set up is quick and simple and the DUELSHOCK 4 feels brilliant in your hands.
I also receive three games with this Playstation and the game feels a lot nicer than it felt on old-gen consoles.
The only problems I would add is that for players you used to play Playstation 3 might have a slight difficulty getting used to the triggers being swapped and that the Share button, Options button and they Touch pad are too close together on the controller.
There is no delay between the controller and console on Wireless mode and the thumbsticks and buttons are very responsive and easy to use.
The games I’ve played with are: Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassins Creed 4 and FIFA 14
and the only problem I’ve had is the inability to connect to the EA server and FUT on FIFA. Other than that the games run perfectly.
As a 360 player I can assure you that you will be able to adjust extremely quickly to the new controller if you previously played Xbox. It is a much nicer controller and it feels a lot smoother in general.
Some features will be inaccessible without the Playstation Eye but that is mainly just parts of the playroom
The two free PS4 exclusives that you receive with PS Plus (new users get a 14 day free trial)are Resogun and Contrast. Both of these games are nothing special but are fun to play when bored or waiting for game updates to finish.
If you’re worried about slow internet and being unable to download the updates you can still play the game whilst you wait but will be unable to go online.
Thanks
~Lloyd
It’s a lovely shape; slightly smaller than the pictures suggest (in my opinion), and looks modern, in half gloss/half matt finish separated by a thin strand of light running through the top (or side, if stood vertically). It’s so good looking, in fact, that it niggles even more that they still have not put USB ports at the BACK of the playstation, so the view is spoiled somewhat by the wires hanging out the two at the front. If only they could have squeezed an additional four at the back…
It also runs very quietly; I’d gotten so used to the hairdryer that was my PS3’s cooling fan that the virtual ambient silence comes as a very pleasant factor (especially to the other half)
Well that’s the exterior. More importantly – operation. Well it’s fast, and the next gen games that take advantage of its power are breathtakingly brilliant. There’s some free games available on the PS store to PS+ members (which will be anyone wanting to play online anyway). I’ve played Resogun which is a side-scrolling shooter akin to the old “Defender” arcade game of the 80’s, brought up to date. The PS3 was already so capable in full HD, but it’s really the high framerate (when so much is going on) that makes it stand out as a new generation. This is perhaps more apparent on the proper third party titles. Playing Battlefield 4 for the first time, I had a jaw-dropping moment. I was playing multiplayer on a little pacific island archipelago, when suddenly the weather turned, it went dark and rainy, and the waves started battering the beaches. Water, fire, smoke – that can be the tricky stuff for GPUs but on here it looks incredible. It’s so immersive, and all thanks to the power of the next-gen console.
Storage-wise you are given 500Gb (less OS), which isn’t huge (considering game and HD movie sizes), but should give the majority of owners plenty of time before it becomes an issue. I’m quite pleased to know, however, that the drive is easily upgradable, and by the time you need to do so, a major upgrade will be very affordable (even SSD, which will not only add space but also improve performance in boot and load times).
Controllers have also undergone an upgrade – and a more significant one than the Dualshock 2 -> Dualshock 3. They feel more comfortable and ergonomic, especially after a long gaming session whereas on the older consoles I’d have started getting a bit of cramp (and the triggers are better designed). They come with inbuilt speaker, and headset jack, and they have a new touchpad control (which I must say I’ve not yet seen used to much effect other than like an additional D-pad). There’s now a “Share” button, which allows you to upload a screenshot or video snippet of your latest bicycle kick wonder-goal or 500m sniper shot. Last of note is a lightbar at the front which is used, like the touchpad, for some gimmicky things so far – hopefully some potential can be realised with this. With the camera (separate purchase) it can be used to track who’s holding what controller, and used in conjuction with facial recognition – this is neat, if a little “show-off”. It is, however, surprisingly reliable. Again, I’d like to see the camera used to better potential – at the moment it’s not doing anything particularly impressive.
I have to say I don’t quite get the same battery life out of the Dualshock 4 as I did out of the DS3, but I can’t say for sure – it’s just a gut feel, given that I’ve got 3 controllers and cycle through them quite a bit.
The OS GUI is neat enough – I find it’s not unlike the X-media-bar, but now with two levels – one horizontal with your day-to-day easy-access stuff, and another horizontal with the deeper and “behind-the-scenes” options… if that makes sense. And naturally the whole visual aspect is improved. It’s intuitive, and puts contextual information in front of you – like for example recent game achievements from not only you, but also your friends.
Video/TV on demand are slick, HD, and of decent performance, are now just as feasible an option to watch via Playstation as previously on Sky or Smart TV.
One last feature of note – you can put the PS4 into standby, as well as completely powered off. Interestingly, this appears to have little effect on “wake-up time” (I’ve found it to be about 30 seconds in both cases) but what’s useful is that you can maintain power to the USB ports while in standby – so you can leave your dualshocks charging. (NB – You need to set the option to enable this)
As they did with the PS3 I have no doubt that capabilities will be continuously added through updates, and this console is going to get better and better.
In conclusion – this is without doubt a recommended purchase
What a breath of fresh air. I was a PS3 owner and loved it. The PS4 though is a huge step up in terms of functionality, UI and overall design. The speed of navigating is leaps and bounds ahead of the PS3. Games install super quick and everything is organised in an uncluttered manner with things easy to find. The console is super quiet, and while it does generate some expected level of heat this is by no means concerning with the fan only coming on intermittently.
I am currently playing Battlefield 4 and despite some of the issues with that game across all platforms, Battlefield 4 really showcases what the PS4 is capable of. The campaign is visually stunning, quite literally jaw droppingly beautiful. The multiplayer is a massive improvement over previous console iterations. I am blown away with what developers have done so far and with the prospect of what they will be able to do in the future with this wonderful and powerful gaming machine.
The future of console gaming is looking very healthy in my opinion, and from what I have seen of sales numbers globally, the future of gaming is looking a very healthy shade of Sony blue.
I unreservedly recommend the PS4. For those waiting for stock to replenish before you can buy my sympathy is with you. One thing I can guarantee is that the wait will be worth it.
The first thing I did was download the full update onto a USB drive. The reason for this was because I had ordered a larger drive for it and knew that the standard 500GB would not last very long as the games take around 20-30GB even the disk based games. So I ordered a 1TB from Amazon. So before I even plugged in the wires I had it open. Build quality seems good and the console itself feels strong and has some weight to it. The install was a true breeze and was completed within minutes.
I then hooked it up making sure to check the HDMI port and such after the news of (very small) failures. All was good and I switched on and watched my screen with excitement. went into safe mode to install the software after he drive swap and I honestly thought it would take a while but it only took about 5 minutes and then was ready to set up. Boot up takes a little longer then the PS3 I would say about 30 seconds. Set up was easy and network connection was fast and strong. No need for the patch though due to the fresh software.
Once in I set about getting to grips with the system and settings. The UI seems a little bare at the moment but it’s still brand new so I knew this. It only took about an hour and I was navigating the system with ease. I already had plus with the PS3 and my profile transferred over without any problems. The store opens fast and downloads are really quick. (I’m on fiber) I was playing Resogun within minutes and was actually blown away!
I actually really like the UI, the fact that you can just press the ps button in game and be at the main screen is great and its super fast at doing this. Nice feature for me.
I had Assassins creed for the launch and I am loving the game. Super smooth game play and frame rate really shows what the console can do and it’s the first line up of games too so can only get better. I have a friend who has the PS3 version and the difference is obvious. I have still to get Killzone which I knew was made for next gen so I bet it looks even better.
The social features are awesome. I am uploading clips and screen shots all the time and I’ve checked out the streams from others. This is a cool feature but still needs some work I think.
The pad is also very nice and I think it’s the best sony pad yet packed with features. The speaker was a surprise. Nice and loud. resogun uses the speaker. The touch pad feels nice and has a good click to it. the sticks feel firm and smooth. The only thing I will say im a little unsure about is the triggers, however this I found after playing Battlefield. The L2 and R2 are used for aim and shoot. I prefer L1 and R2. This is of course my preference and is more down to the game not the controller. I can not find any option to change this. On assassins Creed I do not have any issues at all so It’s something I may just have to get used to.
The ear piece you get in all honesty is horrible! But you can use the ear buds from an Iphone/pod with an inline control. No big deal.
Now I have noticed a few crashes while playing games. The console crashed to the home screen and does not freeze and I can open the game again. Something for Sony to work on for a patch and I can let it slide.
The console runs nice and quiet and only gets a little warm after hours of play. Runs a little louder when spinning a disk. About on par with the PS3 slim.
I have no complaints at all and can’t think of much more to say. I’ve had the PS4 just short of a week and I’m looking forward to some happy times.
I say get one for sure.
I will update if anything else comes to mind.
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To start, I’m largely a PC gamer who enjoys a side of Nintendo and Playstation exclusives. I buy most multi-platform games on PC, with over 300 games on Steam. I have owned every Playstation Console and Handhelds, every Nintendo Console and Handhelds since the SNES. I have never owned any Microsoft consoles.
I am extremely happy with the PS4. There was a slow start where the PSN servers were difficult to connect to however since then it has been awesome. I bought Knack, Killzone Shadow Fall, Battlefield 4 and Need for Speed Rivals. They are all great games and as expected they look vastly superior to the previous generation.
Installing games is surprisingly quick considering it stores tens of gigabytes of data from the blu-ray disc on your console’s HDD. Killzone and Battlefield are around 40GB EACH, so that’s 80GB taken up of my 500GB HDD already. The good news is that the install can be done in less than a minute each.
The console itself is around the same size and weight as the PS3 Slim. The console is surprisingly quiet when playing games, much quieter than my PS3 slim. The only time i notice noise is when it’s reading the disc, which can be when playing a blu-ray movie or installing a game. When actually playing games, I hear nothing from the PS4.
The controller is fantastic, the analogue sticks are incredibly precise and perfect for Killzone Multiplayer. The controller has a audio speaker built in and I have noticed that Killzone has used it for couple of things. You can also plug a 3.5mm jack in the controller, this is how the mono headset provided with the console is supposed to be used however I have yet to come across a multiplayer online game where more than 1 person is actually using it…
A few small issues to keep a note of; there is no option to share video content to youtube at present, no option to put video content onto a usb stick and the system itself isn’t as music or video media friendly as the PS3 – don’t expect to hook up a media server or read video or music from a usb stick.
For my basic technical image quality evaluation, I compared the games on PS4 to their PC counterparts or similar. There is good use of static anti-aliasing at 20 metre distances (estimated in FPS games), further than 20 metres is some noticeable aliasing (similar to Beyond: Two Souls on PS3 but better quality). There seems to be an absense of temporal anti-aliasing in all of these games (especially noticeable in BF4) however this is a feature found only recently in PC games so not surprising. Distance texture filtering is good, detailed high resolution textures are being used thanks to the many gigs of GDDR5 RAM.
Overall it’s a great console, a few much needed features should be patched into the operating system and then it will be fantastic. It’s well worth what I paid for it myself however if you are tight on cash then it’s worth waiting up to another 6-12 months when more high quality exclusives are out.
Unlike Microsoft’s all-in-one entertainment machine approach for the Xbox One, Sony has very much put emphasis on games for the PS4. Everything from AAA titles to indie games have been well catered to with the latest Playstation. That’s not to say PS4 is solely for games; BBC IPlayer, 4oD, Netflix, LoveFilm, ITV Player, IGN and services such as MusicUnlimited are all built in to offer more as well as DVD and BluRay playability and mp3 playback to come in a later update.
Sony has kept the menu layout of the PS4 ridiculously simple this time around – the menu is little more than a row of installed games and applications with network features in a toolbar above – and while this is extremely easy to navigate it can feel a little bland after a bit of time (given I already feel this way after the first weekend I hope they update it to add customization later). Voice control is a very cool new addition and works surprisingly well. Simply saying Playstation brings up a list of command words such as home screen, log in or turn off. You can also open games this way and while occasionaly non responsive it worked genuinely much better than I expected.
As for the social side of things, PSN ID’s and achievements from the PS3 all carry over; the PSN ID’s on the PS4 can now be integrated with Facebook or Twitter and this allows you to share posts about achievements and you can instantly share pics and videos of gameplay from within your game with the new share button featured on the Dualshock 4. The share button is one of the key differences between the PS3 and PS4 allowing players to share videos and pictures with their friends or even stream gameplay via Twitch the social potential of this is huge. One downside to PS4 is now you have to buy PS+ to play online. While this wasnt a problem for me as I already had it long before and find it to be worth every penny I can see this being an issue for some.
The Dualshock 4 is a huuuge improvement over the Dualshock 3. It is somewhat chunkier to comfortably fit in most player’s hands and it also features grip making it much more comfortable than the DS3. The analog sticks are now inclined which feels like an improvement in terms of movement especially in racing games and the triggers have also been improved upon which is most noticeable in Killzone Shadow Fall. The light bar is a great feature too as in Killzone it represents your health bar; get shot once, it turns yellow, get shot again red; low health. flashing red and then you die. Meanwhile in other games such as Sound Shapes it is used to further enhance the experience by pulsing to a rhythymn or emitting colours that surround your player. Where as in Resogun, the DS4 emits sounds that further makes it feel like you are in the game and this was a great new feature. The touch pad is very cool, however, outside of the playroom I haven’t had a chance to use it much.
Then there’s the library of games available. While the PS4 doesn’t exactly have a great deal of games at launch it certainly has a good variety. FPS fans will have plenty to like with Killzone, Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty all available, sports fans have FIFA and NBA, racing fans get NFS, fans of retro games have Resogun (possibly the PS4’s strongest title at the time of writing) and Sound Shapes, action fans have Assassins Creed, War Thunder, War Frame and DC Universe Online, puzzle fans have Contrast and then fans of platformers have Knack and Lego Marvel which would both be highly suitable for younger gamers too. Add to this Infamous Second Son, Driveclub, a confirmed Uncharted title, Minecraft, Watch Dogs, Destiny and Metal Gear Solid V, not to mention countless others in the years ahead, PS4 seems set to have a very, very strong catalogue of games.
First impression of the physical unit – like the size of it – much smaller than my original large PS3 (not seen PS3 slim to compare with) other than that it’s quite a boring little black box
The cable connections are okay but not great for connecting to if you have an enclosed cabinet, no huge power adaptor though just a simple cable (unlike the Xbox 1) which is great – tidy
There are no visible buttons, or any indication at all in fact, of where the power on and disk eject ‘buttons’ are – they are touch sensitive parts of the case near the vertical detail line as it turns out
The USB cable connection are smack in the middle which is okay unless your USB cable happens to twist to the left and get in the way of disc slot.
Now the new dual shock controller is something worth talking about – it is far far superior to the old dualshock 3, the size, the weight, the control sticks, the triggers have all been improved from the old design
I would say it is beyond recognition from the old controller it is THAT much better but the thing is you completely recognise it as the sony playstation controller you are used to (apart from the select and start buttons missing)
The control sticks are further apart, firmer/tighter more accurate, the contoured top is perfect.
The triggers are much better – I didn’t really think I had a problem with the old ones until I used these
The centre touch pad is okay and may be of use if the game designers are clever (you use it in Killzone but only feels like a gimick rather than essential and can actually not work that well)
The option button replaces the start/select buttons – shouldn’t have much to say but actually I find it too close to the touch pad and can actually press both at the same time or just the touch pad – just need to train the thumb I guess
The extended grips are perfect.
I would say it is now better than the xbox controllers – no batteries for starters
Speaking of power – the charge doesn’t seem to last that long and unlike the dualshock 3 there is no visual indication that it is charging or fully charged on the controller itself.
The new home screen interface is cleaner and easy to use – didn’t take long to find my way about – especially as there aren’t that many extras on there yet (NOW TV ASAP please??!!) – it certainly didn’t take me long to switch off the annoying music and I assume I will be able to change the theme soon enough
PSN was impossible to connect to at first but I kind of expected that – once I did it was issue free – similar interface to the PS3 – just less on it for now
Now I had a choice of 3 games to start with – Killzone, COD Ghosts and Battlefield 4
I have naturally dipped into all 3 and I won’t say I was disappointed but I wasn’t blown away either – yes the graphical detail is brilliant – COD Ghosts detail is out of this world compared to the xbox360 version my son has – the only trouble is the game itself is not great
Same with Killzone – looks good but not the great game I was hoping for
Battlefield 4 is probably the best of the 3 in my opinion – BF4 multiplayer is definitely the best of the bunch
The trouble is – when it boils down to it – it doesn’t matter how good something looks the substance is actually more important than the style.
If you remember when Resident Evil 4 was re-released in HD for the PS3 then this feels a bit like that – same old games just better looking
Clearly the PS4 is a very powerful machine and I hate to say it but far superior to the PS3 but desperately needs some standout games.
I think once the games makers start by building a game around the PS4 rather than upgrading PS3 games we will really see how awesome it is
Am I pleased I bought it – absolutely
Will I ever give it 5 stars – maybe after The Order, Evil Within and Dying Light are released.
Design-
At first glance the PS4 is a sleek, small machine which takes up little room and features no power brick so no fussing around. If you have other consoles and were worried about space, you needn’t worry, this is smaller than a PS3 slim.
The playstation 4 in terms of design is a a stunning object using a matte finish alongside a cool glossy front which you can take off to upgrade the hard-drive, meaning you can install larger ones, plus SSD’s which can make games load and install even faster and thus making it more future-proof.
The console is one appealing object which others will compliment. It’s something which you want to show off, rather than hide. The fact the power brick is built-in is a nice plus, as it means no figuring out where to place and means no taking up even more space.
The console features two touch sensitive buttons, off and on switch and eject button. The PS4 has one HDMI port two USB ports on the front, ethernet port and a port to plug in your playstation camera.
Overall the console is dressed to impress and the design is future-proof meaning you don’t worry about how large the hard-drive is as it is upgradeable.
UI-The UI is improved and has a what’s new section which is similar to the facebook homepage where it pulls new things such as, what is happening with your friends, making is more sociable when compared to the PS3. The new Dynamic menu reminds me of the XMB but more simplified and easy to get to things you want. For example when you load it up, you’ll be taken to a page where it shows all the stuff you last used and stuff you want-Such as games installed and features TV apps such as BBC iplayer and Netflix.
Where it impresses the most is how fast and slick it all is, not to mention seamless, for example, you could be playing a game and feel a sudden urge to want some tv, but are annoyed how you’d have to quit and go all the way back to the Dashboard or XMB and all the way to Netflix and back to the game after you’ve done. Well, not anymore! Now you can seamlessly pause the game, press the home button on the controller and load up netflix and guess what? You can go back to the game, where it paused and resume, vice-vera with Netflix. The seamlessness is useful and intuitive. The new Dynamic is also intuitive, with a press on the d-pad up, you can access settings and party chat quickly and and social features.
Social features and integration-
With a simple but powerful click on the new ‘Share’ button on the Dualshock 4 you can share edit and share videos or screenshots on facebook or PSN. With the PS4 continually recording the last 15 minutes of gameplay, you can edit and share it with your friends on PSN or Facebook. With the new Playstation app you can even message your PSN friends on the move, got a Vita? Well, you can hook it up to wi-fi and speak to your friends on the move, if they are on PSN, with up-to 8 player party-chat.
Another feature that you can access once you clicked on the mighty share button is broadcast, it is how it sounds, enabling you to broadcast live gameplay on Twitch and other services. There is also a playroom feature where you can broadcast you and anyone in your room and people have used this to talk about video-games and even a show where people can call in! It’s Rad!
What’s even more awesome is you can place your console in a standby mode to charge the controller and get automatic updates and download games while in this state, something which you couldn’t do on the PS3! You can also connect a bluetooth keyboard if you can’t be bothered to type using the controller, you can disable vibration in your controller if you want too!
Overall, the social features are heavily integrated into the experience and UI, with the UI being simple and unobstructive it makes it easier to use and faster than the old XMB.
List of common social features on PS4-
15 second voice messages
Text messaging
2000 friend limit
8 player cross game party chat
Games, games, games-Did I say that enough?
Yes, the PS4 is a gaming machine first and foremost, however there are TV streaming services, should you want or need them.
Whilst the Playstation 4 lacks a killer launch title, the launch titles do fine at demonstrating the future. With simple games like Resogun representing the commitment to indie games and developers and AAA games such as Killzone showing the power of the PS4 and Knack showing the commitment to family friendly platformers. The PS4 has gamers covered. The future is bright, with over 170 games in development and 67 being exclusive, you won’t have a gaming draught anymore! Every significant third-party developer is supporting the PS4, so rest assured your investment is safe. With games such as Uncharted, The order, Infamous, Driveclub and indie-gamers on board the library has potential to be even larger than the PS2!
The Power of the PS4-
There is no denying the PS4 is the most powerful and future proof console, where games will run at 1080p with some even running at 60FPS a second, there is denying the beauty and awe of next-gen games and with the PS4 being such a powerful object it’s amazing how small it is! The PS4 is using off the self pc parts, such as a X86-64 8 core AMD processor which means the PS4 is easier to develop for and easier to juice all the power out of the machine. Game development times will be shorter, Knack would’ve taken an extra year, if developed on another system.
Given how notoriously hard the PS3 it was to develop for, because of the complex cell processor, it meant multi-format games looked worse and exclusive games took longer to come out and with some rushed horrible looking ports, it put off developers and meant that the PS3 had rocky few years with lack of titles as developers had to get their head around the processors design.
It’s nice to see the PS4 is more approachable and easier to develop for. Meaning more games, shorter development times and ease of use for indie developers-Put it this way, you’re going to see loads more games than were ever possible with the PS3. And another plus-Multi-format games will look the BEST on PS4, due to being more powerful and easier to develop for!
Technical specs-
PS4 has 10 times more processing power vs the PS3 and includes unified 8GB of high-speed GDDR5 RAM, an eight core X86 CPU and a 500GB hard-drive
Other specs- Console Hardware Specifications
CPU
Number of Cores/Threads: 8/8 [1]
Frequency: speculated to be running a base clock speed of 1.6 Ghz on a 2.75 Ghz capable chip
Shared L2 Cache: 2 x 2 MB [2]
Manufacturing Process: 28 nm [3]
Custom CPU for background processing such as downloading and recording gameplay.
GPU: AMD next-generation Radeon based graphics engine
Peak Shader Throughput: 69.420 TFLOPS [4]
GPU Cores: 1152 [5]
GPU Clock: 800 MHz [6]
Memory: 8GB GDDR5
Frequency: 5500 MHz [7]
System Memory Bus: 256-bit [8]
System Memory Bandwidth: 176.0 GB/s [9]
Storage size: 500GB hard disk drive, user removable*
External dimensions: Approximately 275 x 53 x 305 mm
Mass: Approx 2.8 kg (6.2 lb)
BD/DVD drive (read only): BD x 6 CAV, DVD x 8 CAV, Blu-ray and DVD playback, no audio CD support
Input/Output: Super-Speed USBx (USB 3.0) port x2, AUX port x1
Networking: Ethernet x1, IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz only), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
AV output: HDMI out port, digital out optical port. SD output is supported for lower-resolution displays. HD output at 720p, 1080p and 1080i.
Included Peripherals: PlayStation 4 system x1, Wireless controller (DualShock 4) x1, Mono headset x1, AC power cord x1, HDMI cable x1, USB cable x1
Stereoscopic Output: Hardware supported
Source IGN
What’s in the box?
PlayStation 4 System (Jet Black)
DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller
HDMI Cable
Power Cable
Wired Mono Headset
USB Charging Cable
Playstation Plus-
For 39.99 a year, you will be able to access multi-player games and play games such as COD with friends. Whilst, this may sound seem steep, Sony has given us value out of this service. Playstation plus features a instant game collection where you are able to download free games. At the moment the free games are Contrast and Resogun, but expect this to grow every mouth. Playstation plus will save you hundreds of pounds on games which further enhances the value of the service.
Other features-
The Playstation will support your blu-rays, not 3d blu-ray though, promised to be patched however. It supports DVD’s game discs obviously. However there is a lack of MP3 and CD support, but these have been promised to be patched in.
Playstation Camera and playroom-
The Playstation Camera may or not be essential to you. If you want to broadcast gameplay, it is, as without it, you won’t be able to display your face alongside gameplay nor will you be able to play playroom, which is simple and fun and will be updated in the future.
Playroom is a augmented reality games which demonstrates the features of the playstation camera. Basically playroom features a floating robot which you can interact with. It can also interact with the controller, as little robots will infect your controller and you press buttons and tilt to give an impression they are living in the controller. It’s a game you will show off to your family and friends as a gimmick, some needless fun.
Is it worth investing in the eye? Maybe not, if you don’t want to broadcast live gameplay.
Voice commands can be used with the mic provided, so it only matters if you want to broadcast gameplay with your face alongside the gameplay.
Dualshock 4-
The new dualshock is a massive improvement from number 3. This time the design has been given an overhaul, it still features sixaxis so you can play Flower. However this time it is different, as it includes a touchpad, which basically allows you to swipe on the pad, similar to a touchscreen, but with no screen. Your swipes will allow you to interact with games and has huge potential for indie games, the touchpad is the same one, as featured on the vita, but on the front rather than back. The new controller also has a loudspeaker, like the wiimote, so you can hear audio-recordings from games, which is awesome, as sometimes you can barely hear those in some games. It also adds to the immersion.
The new dualshock is slightly bigger and more ergonomic in terms of user comfort. It has elongated, enlarged grips which fits the entirety of ones palm and is covered with a matte finish which allows the controller to feel more comfortable in ones hand, it just feels right. It is maybe the most comfortable controller I have ever used.
The D-pad and and face buttons are perfectly spaced and this time the triggers actually feel like triggers making FPS games more enjoyable. I no longer feel discomfort in using the pad when compared to the dualshock 3.
The dualshock 4 is rechargeable via Micro USB and so you can hook it up to any USB port and charge it. Very useful.
The thumb sticks are the best on any pad ever made. They have a matt/rubberised finish which is comfortable and the shape is smaller than the 3’s which means there is less of a slip and less of a deadzone, making your actions more precise and not needing auto-aim…In-fact this motivated Guerrilla games, the Killzone developers, to turn auto-aim off.
Overall, the PS4 controller is one of the most comfortable gamepads I’ve ever used and is a huge improvement over the dualshock 3, which I didn’t like. It is definitely one of my all time favourites and has potential to become even more awesome when developers start to utilise the touchpad more, given it is intuitive in killzone, it is just the start.
In summary, the PS4 is 4 games and is the most powerful console this generation. The PS4 is focused around gaming with strong social integration. It has an intuitive UI which is further enhanced by a strong-set of social features. The PS4 has an awesome controller and is a small machine which has a sleek design and will compliment your living room. The PS4 might sound like a gaming machine, but has on demand services which includes Netflix, BBC iplayer LoveFilm and so on. The PS4 has a bright future which will be further enhanced by updates which will make the software even stronger. Whilst it might lack CD and MP3 support at launch these things are promised to be patched in the future. Overall, the future is bright for the Playstation 4.
– Looks the part, surprised at how compact it is.
– It’s quick (compared to PS3), you can navigate with ease, PS Store opens like lightning a vast improvement on PS3. You can come out of a game with absolute ease without closing it down.
– Set up is quick, picked up my wifi and PSN account without a problem, from box to playing a game I reckon 20 minutes
– During set up by the time we got to the 1.51 update it had already downloaded in the background so all we had to wait for was install
– You can download in the background whilst playing a game…..awesome
– The controller is ‘sick’, it’s so much better than PS3. Better to hold, better triggers, lighter and above anything analogue sticks are perfect (for me). Not sure on the blue light being constantly on, surely a drain on battery, however after a 5 hours session I can’t say it appears to be an issue. It feels very much like a serious upgrade too.
– PSN subscription required to play online but I guess it was always going to happen, if anything I suppose it means they will have to improve servers etc….and at a few quid per month I guess it’s time I stopped moaning about it (as I was), to really take the sting away though Sony gives 2 free games to start with and Resogun is a fantastic game – it’s an absolute must, seriously addictive (i’d happily pay 20 for it).
– Graphics are major improvement, Battlefield for example blew our socks off (as good as we’d hoped). Resogun couldn’t be any better. Looking forward to playing the other titles we have (we just need to put Resogun down)
I’ve only ever had a PlayStation, 1, 2, 3 and now PS4. Is it better than Xbox, honestly I seriously don’t know OR care….i made my choice years ago. I just love gaming and thats what I have a PS for, there are features i’ll never use i’m sure (videos, music etc)
No regrets with my PS4 purchase and that’s coming from someone who was forced to buy a PS3 slim in January as my original PS3 died……….time to box it up and sell it.
It has many new features whilst still providing a solid gaming experience. The communication system has had an overhaul since the PS3 and now includes a party chat similar to that of the Xbox.
The camera addition enhances the system further, providing face and voice recognition to give basic voice commands to select and launch games without needing to pick up the controller.
Sony have made it easy to replace the hard drive within and provides step-by-step instructions on how to do it. It was also the first thing I did with my PS4 and I was surprised at how accessible the hard drive bay is. All it takes is to remove the panel by pressing down on it, sliding it off and unscrewing 5 easily distinguishable screws. Installing the system software was very simple and you just can’t go wrong.
PSN was down for a few hours on launch day but due to huge demand I think its completely understandable and forgivable.
The controller completely blew me away. I was slightly unsure of it beforehand but it fits very well in the hands and is a massive improvement. It is as comfortable as the Xbox 360 controller and in my opinion much more usable.
The light bar is a interesting addition and seems to be only used the The Playroom. I think it also changes in some games but I’m not sure.
What I found really great was the headphone jack on the bottom of the controller. You can plug in almost any 3.5 mm headphone/headset jack (I used Astro A40’s) and you can configure the PS4 to output all sound to the headset/headphones or just player chat.
The PS4 also comes with a basic earphone + microphone so everyone can talk to their friends right out of the box.
The PSN Store has limited selection for now but it will no doubt grow rapidly. I can’t wait for more to be added. Currently, RESOGUN is free to all PS Plus members and its a great side-scrolling shooter.
Currently the PS4 has iPlayer, Demand 5, IGN, LoveFilm, Netflix, BBC Sport and BBC News Apps along with Twitch.tv and Ustream integration. I believe YouTube will be added eventually.
I would highly recommend this to people of all ages. The PlayStation 4 is great now and will only get better as time progresses.
P.S When reading other reviews, be sure to check that they are Amazon Verified purchases. Otherwise, they could just be people lying.
Thank you Amazon. I ordered this quite a time after August 6th, never got a confirmed delivery date, yet my PS4 was waiting on my sofa when i got home from work on Friday afternoon. Shocked and suprised. Setup was painless (apart from PSN, will mention that in a bit), i plugged it all up, powered it on and began entering my network details (i don’t use DHCP in my house, fixed IPs for me). As soon as the network settings were done and the PS4 had auto connected to the web, a notification popped up for the 1.51 update. OK, i clicked that and already 300mb of the approx 350mb was downloaded… I think i was downloading the patch at about 3mb/sec on my 60meg BB and thats the best it could have been. Thats fantastic. Went to get changed, by the time i came back down it was installed, rebooted and ready to go.
So then came time to enter my user account details. This was frustrating. Simple enough to do but day 1 and the Sony servers were getting hammered. So between 2.30pm and 8.30pm i had little luck registering my account, linking up my friends list, trophies and getting onto the store. The network even went down during this time for maintenance. But when it came back (i kept trying), my login worked, friends appeared, trophies all showed up from ps3 and the store loaded. I quickly got Resogun, Contrast, an AC4 freebie, a Playroom addon (picture thing for second screen) and popped in the Killzone SF disc. One thing i really liked was how as soon as you slot in a new game it begins installing. No clicking anything, no loading the game first and choosing to install, it just gets on with it.
In my limited space living room with poor lighting the camera performed just magically. The dual cameras perform so much better than the previous PS3 camera. Playroom was fun (although its a limited thing really to show off the camera and controller motion stuff), it worked perfectly, picture was bright and clear and the kids really loved getting their hair on fire.
So… Without rabbiting on about the games (you can read reviews for those elsewhere) and the unfortunate PSN outage, i just thought i’d say that setting up, updating and getting into the action was painless to do and very intuitive. I’m loving the speed of everything, i have no trouble finding particular options, everything just flows and works great. Massive thumbs up, gonna really enjoy this PS4 for years to come.
Oh, its super quiet too compared to a PS3, looks stylish, its smaller, no external power brick and the upgraded controller is simply perfect. I liked the dualshock but this is better in every way.
I can think of 2 extremely minor niggles which in no way can deter you from purchasing. The earpiece is extremely cheap tat. Its just a starter until you buy a decent one, its big and uncomfortable but its functional till you replace it. And the damn controller charger cable… Wow, that’s short. I’ll be investing in a longer one for sure but wish i didn’t have to buy one for the sake of 20p worth of wire.
5 massive stars.
The console looks good, harking back to the PS2 in some ways and is very light compared to the original fatboy PS3. However, the build quality appears excellent and the size is surprisingly compact. The console looks ‘designed’ and by this I mean that it feels to me a great deal of thought went into how it should look. It certainly is very modern but it is also attractive and eye-catching. It isn’t just another box like my receiver or my dvd or blu-ray players although not as formidable. The disc slot is harder to see and the Eject and Power buttons are narrow and thin but require just a slight touch. The console, remarkably, is not generating anything like the heat the PS3 did and was not too hot even after 10 straight hours of gaming (ahem!) due to those really large vents on the back. I am amazed that Sony managed to integrate the power supply within the case considering how small it is compared to the previous PS3 and Xbox One, especially when it is supposed to be more powerful. It all suggests that a great deal of time went not only into the design but also into ensuring that the PS4 runs cooler, quieter and more efficiently than any console before. The console is not at all noisy and seemed whisper quiet to me, something I did really appreciate last night. The Dualshock 4 is excellent and in my opinion the best controller out there at the moment. It feels good, slightly larger than the 3rd version but appeared more finished. The response is as one would want and within an hour it was like I had been playing with it all my life. I like the new functions and even though the ear-piece supplied is basic, one can use a better one instead and it is a really useful inclusion nevertheless.
Yes, there are few AAA games available at the moment but there are at least six such games out now that you can enjoy on the PS4 and more are on the way, from Sony, second and third party studios and independents. By next summer there will be many games out and in the interim enjoy both your PS4 and PS3! There are still many games being released on the PS3 and more to come so don’t abandon it yet!. I personally have six major releases I want to catch up on so far.
If you area PS3 user, I can assure you that you will appreciate the PS4 even more and there is just no reason not to purchase it if you can afford it.
The console itself is stunning and is very small. I actually haven’t heard that much noise out of mine as I have my volume on when I play games. I’m guessing those complaining about sound issues either have issues with their console, or have their TV muted. The controller is lovely too. The light on it isn’t too distracting and it feels great in the hand. I really didn’t like the last Dualshock controller (for the PS3), yet the improvements on this one are great. It just feels nicer in my hand and the grip just sits right. The triggers have are much improved on it too and have a nicer feel. It’s really difficult to get across how much better the controller is so I would advise popping in to any local gaming store and teasting out the controller.
The UI (dashboard) of the console is very simplistic and snappy. It really does want you to share your gaming experiences with friends and is done in a very effective way. My one gripe is with sharing footage. I would like there t be an option to share to YouTube and not just to Facebook. The fact that you can share it at all is a good feature though, although adding YouTube uploads would be nice. I’m a big fan of how fast you can jump in and out of a game at any point too. It just feels nice being able to hop around the dashboard at speed, with every being so repsonsive.
When it comes to the games I have been very impressed so far. I have only had chance to play Fifa 14 and Resogun, with both being a lot of fun. They are both visually impressive and I’m sure they will both suck a lot of time out of my life. I haven’t played Killzone on the system yet, although I will hopefully get chance over the weekend.
Now, I am only giving the console four stars because it is early days. Despite the games being visually superior, there really aren’t enough games out for the console yet. Plus the studios haven’t mastered the system yet and probably won’t for a while. I also had issues getting onto PSN, although this was to be expected on launch day. Having played many MMO’s in the past I’m well aware that servers come under extreme pressure from so many people attempting to do things at the same time. I’m convinced the PSN issues will ease off after a week or two (probably sooner actually).
Anyway, to sum it up I’m loving my PS4 so far. I’m sure that whichever console people buy (PS4 or Xbox One) they will have great fun. The best games will be coming in the years ahead but the early signs are very promising.
First impressions were that the pad was a big improvement over the old one. The triggers are much improved but I still prefer the triggers on the Xbox pad. The sticks have definitely improved in terms of positioning and feel. I’m not a fan of the built in battery on the pad as the packaged USB charging cable is too short to charge and play. With AA batteries being so cheap I prefer the Xbox’s system where batteries last a month and take all of 10 seconds to swap out.
The console itself doesn’t seem as small as the pre-release hype had made out. Maybe it is because I had a PS3 super slim so of course it seems large compared to that.
I do however have an Xbox One and I feel professional reviewers were totally misleading in claiming that the Xbox One was a lot larger. I have them both side by side and the difference wasn’t as dramatic as I was expecting. Being able to stand it vertically is a bonus though although I had to buy the additional stand.
The UI is very clean and straightforward. I actually prefer this look to the metro style system on the Xbox. Big thumbs up for the interface.
A big improvement is in the store….when it works you can now seamlessly and instantly go to the store and check out what games are free to PSN subscribers etc. On the PS3 you had to wait for it to load up for what seemed like an age. This integration is fantastic as it no longer seems like you are loading the store as an app.
As much as I criticised the Kinect on my Xbox One it does seem weird to have to press buttons on the pad to get the PS4 to do things that would otherwise be controlled by voice commands on the Xbox. So it is a shame that they didn’t integrate their camera too. The Xbox voice control despite being a bit unreliable has grown on me.
The graphical capabilities of the PS4 are well known so there is little point me discussing that.
I have been thoroughly disappointed with PSN. This was always Sony’s weak point and Xbox Live has always been far superior.
On the launch day for Xbox One their online service worked flawlessly despite the console launching in both the US and Europe at the same time. I was able to get my Live account set up on it and held up a QR code before the camera and Forza flawlessly downloaded.
Yesterday the PS4 was an utter joke in comparison. Their network collapsed under the load. Trying to activate my PSN account was nothing short of a nightmare. I then tried downloading games and whilst the download speeds were quick when I managed to get them downloading, just activating the purchase of one game took hours. Getting their shop to charge my credit card also took another hour on top of that.
It is clear that Sony’s infrastructure behind the scenes is still not on a par with Microsofts network. Even certain account management tasks required that it connected to your centrally held profile so 10 second tasks on Xbox Live took hours of non-stop error messages on PSN.
I never played online with my PS3 and when games were released where I planned to play online I always bought them on the Xbox 360. At this rate this generation won’t be any different. Watch Dogs etc might have better graphics on the PS4 but if I want to play online with family and friends I will likely buy the “inferior” Xbox One version.
However as a single player system this system is great. It is cheaper than the Xbox but as I bought the camera, camera TV mount and vertical stand it actually cost as much as the Xbox One but has less functionality from that camera/mic.
So I’d say this system is good but falls just short of being great.
HARDWARE
Sony has always known how to design a beautiful piece of hardware. Even though ‘Sony style’ is no longer the pinnacle of consumer electronics design, PS4 is still a beautiful and well-crafted machine: sleek, unobtrusive, well-built. Very silent.
Even though I prefer slightly how Xbox controller feels in my hands, the PS4 one is excellent. The controller has a much better feel than before, it still includes rechargeable battery pack like the ps3, which unfortunately Xbox one does not include.
A big drawback for me is the lack of Blu-Ray 3D support, albeit temporary as it will be added with a firmware update.
SERVICES
By ‘services’ I mean primarily PSN and Store, I don’t have that much interest in 3rd-party apps.
No disappointments here – everything works better than before.
Just remember that to enjoy multiplayer gaming, you will have to pay for PSN Plus subscription, similar to Xbox gold. However, with all the freebies Sony is throwing in with the subscription, there’s really no sense in avoiding it.
GAMES
Now comes the most difficult part. With the delay of Driveclub and Watch Dogs, and Knack getting miserable reviews, the only significant exclusive PS4 has is Killzone. However, great graphics and presentation aside, there’s nothing truly captivating about this game if you are not much into multiplayer. A solid game – definitely; mind blowing and a ‘must-have’ – hardly.
The only other worthy exclusive is Resogun, a PSN title. Though not an ‘AAA’ game, it’s still great fun and has good graphics. Icing on the cake is that it’s currently free for PSN Plus subscribers.
Apart from that there are solid 3rd party games like Assassin’s Creed 4, a new Need for Speed, best console versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4… but as I have a high-spec gaming PC, they are of little interest for me on a console.
CONCLUSION
If you are a console player and are buying a new gaming console this season, buy a PS4, it wins hands down over Xbox as a gaming machine.
If you have a good-spec gaming PC, there’s little sense in buying PS4 right now: with multiplatform games looking better on PC, there’s no game that justifies having a PS4 at this point. HOWEVER, that should change in 3-4 months with the release of Driveclub and Infamous: Second Son. And do I have to say more if Uncharted 4 has been announced?..
If, like me, you like buying new gadgets and love to see how they ‘mature’, don’t constrain yourself, go and buy it, you will not be disappointed.
PS4 is still in its early days – but games will come, services will mature and features will be added, just look at how much PS3 has changed over it’s lifetime! The key thing for a console from this perspective is to have a solid foundation (great hardware) and the right focus (gaming) – and compared to any other ‘next-gen’ console, PS4 is in MUCH better position.
UPDATE 03/12/13:
Amazon have sent me 7-off codes for PlayStation Plus 365 Day Pass, Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack. Not sure if those buying PS4 NOT on pre-order will get them, but something worth asking Amazon customer support about before ordering any of the above in addition to the console, as you might save a few quid in the end.
EDIT – PS4 has since been returned and refunded. I got another one and it works perfectly. As a gaming console it’s awesome. It’s really focused on games. With many running in native 1080p and a few in 60FPS. It could have more features though as they are minimal as of now. You don’t have some features that you’d find on a PS3 or 360. Though for gaming it’s a true next gen gaming console that is great to own. The DS4 is a great controller with a touchpad that works great in some games but is absent in others. A built in speaker is cool for game feedback and you can plug in many different kinds of headphones to the controller itself. The triggers have been improved as so have the thumbsticks. Though the battery life is worse than the DS3.
It’s got a 500GB memory which can be upgraded to a 1TB. It’s got twitch and Ustream, you can upload your gameplay easily to them and things like facebook. You can do the same with screenshots also. There is now party chat whih is a great plus to have. The U.I of the PS4 is smooth, slick and easy to use. It much better than the PS3’s XMB. The PS Store is better now than it was before also.
If you’re going for a next gen console I’d recommend this one for sure. I’m sure that with time it will get even better with possible things like VR and PS Now. With more fe4atures to be added also. 4/5.
To start I’d like to say how sad it is for me to see people bombing the product page of these consoles with fake 1/5 stars AND fake 5/5 stars. The human mind is a curious thing and for some people the success of the console they chose is, for some inexplicable reason, linked to their perception of their own self worth. They are so focused on this that they throw their allegiance in with huge multinational companies whose main goals are to, at the end of the day, make money – instead of throwing their allegiance in with other consumers/gamers.
To those people – shame on you.
As for the PS4, I will be brief and concise as the review by MrE is already a great read (go check it out).
1) The PS4 is small and light – surprisingly so for a “next-gen” console, especially next to the, comparatively, gargantuan Xbox One (yes I have one of those too). Both run relatively quite and cool, which is reassuring after the Xbox360s overheating issues last gen.
2) The PS4’s shape looks nice but can make changing wires at the back difficult if it is already in place and you are viewing it from a top-down view. The two tone is pleasing enough and the blue light is… a blue light, also pleasing enough.
3) The PS4 includes the following ports: Ethernet, HDMI out, PlayStation camera port (proprietary), 2x USB 3.0 ports and a optical audio out. For those concerned this optical audio out port does output in surround sound (unlike the XB1, although Microsoft has said they will patch this in).
4) 3rd party headsets are supported, via USB, optical out or even through the 3.5mm jack in the controller itself (which is very cool). I plugged in my MDR-1R headphones into the controller and was pleasantly surprised at the audio quality.
5) PS4 supports upgrading it’s hard drive, which can be done with any 2.5″ SATA drive – I placed a 1TB hard drive in under 10 minutes which may be a requirement eventually for both consoles as games are so large now. Note that said drive needs to be no bigger than 9.5mm thick (deep).
6) It does support external hard drives BUT not for installing game data, only for other files – which is baffling as currently there is no support for MP3s or certain video types (Sony has stated they will patch this in due to consumer demand). This differs from the XB1 as they do not support replacing your internal harddrive but have stated they plan to patch in the ability to install to external harddrives (note that currently the XB1 doesn’t support external drives, that support will be patch din shortly).
7) The controller (DualShock4) is a marked improvement on the DualShock3. The shoulder buttons (L2/R2) are a very big improvement on previous iterations and fingers should no longer slip off easily during intense gaming. The 3.5mm jack is welcome, so if you have a favourite pair of 3.5mm jack headphones you won’t have to run them all the way to the TV. Some features are still to be proven useful, i.e. Lightbar is fine and not distracting but IMO should only light up if it’s a specific game mechanic or if you’re using the PlaystationCamera, the minispeaker in the controller is interesting in KillZone Shadow Fall (used for audio logs) but that’s it so far and the touch pad, again, has an interesting use in KillZone Shadow Fall. Battery is built-in and this poses two things, 1 it’s easy to recharge (even when the console is off/in standby) BUT you can replace them which isn’t great as the battery life is average.
8) The UI a large improvement on the XMB from the PS3. Quick and sleek it’s no longer laborious to navigate. Suspending to it and resuming gaming is fast with the PS button.
9) Download speed is no longer capped, thank god. I have fibre-optic and when I went to download games off of the PSN the PS3 would only ever hit a peak of 1MB a sec, which was utterly frustrating. That is no longer the case with the PS4 and this pleases me greatly.
10) Setup was fast and updates download in the background, which is nice. One thing I noticed was the HUGE difference in install times between the PS4 and XB1, under a minute typically for PS4 (till playable point), sometimes upwards of 5 minutes on the XB1 (till playable point).
11) PS+ is no required for online play – for me this is fine as I already have it and can’t tell you how much value for money it is. Every month I get a new set of games and thanks to PS+ I already filled the 500GB hard drive of my PS3 with them.
12) PlaystationCamera – can’t comment as I didn’t get it, though I do appreciate the fact that I can choose to adopt it when it’s functionality rather than be forced to before it’s proven as viable tech.
13) Headset is very basic, fine in a pinch but I plan on ditching it asap.
14) Current games are fine, on par with the XB1, difference is focus but different strokes for different folks and all that.
tl;dr
POSITIVE:
Looks good, both externally and UI
Controller is much better, has some good and some unproven features, charges while console is “asleep”
Updates and installs are fast and don’t hinder you getting to gaming
Suspending and resuming gaming is easy – I switched from Killzone to Netflix and back again with no problem
Easy to swap hard drive and increase storage space
NEGATIVE:
Headset is basic
PS+ required for multiplayer (but free games so, eh)
Low multimedia support
VERDICT:
The PS4 is a good console, far better than the PS3 at launch, but it’s not quite 5 stars yet – it is 4 stars, the last star being held back until multimedia functions are included. For gaming, I would definitely recommend it.
VS XB1:
As for how it stacks up against the XB1, does it really matter? In theory if you like multiplayer get whichever console your multiplayer partners play. If XB1 features speak to you more as a consumer get it, if the PS4 does then get that – don’t get caught up in, what is quite frankly, the stupid console war between two multinationals and their rabid fans.
I will say this though; the PS4 is more powerful than the XB1 (sorry it is a fact so don’t get angry) now whether or not this is a big deal is entirely down to you, 1080p vs 720p is only as important as you think it is. Also you should note that the XB1’s TV functions ARE NOT available in the UK yet, if that is one of the deciding features of picking one over the other you should wait off getting either and decide when both are more complete packages. Also the idea of remote play, playing the PS4 on a Vita while my wife watches movies/etc, is more enticing (for me) than Microsoft’s SmartGlass integration.