Hello everyone.
Well, I have officially began my entrance into the next generation of console gaming, I entered in last Thursday, December 19th, my little brother's birthday. It was also the last day of finals for college, so not only did I get to celebrate my little brother's 17th birthday, wrap up the Fall 2013 college semester. I also got a brand new PS4.
I've been using it a lot since then(of course) and by now I have my final word on the console.
Before I actually give my final word on the PS4, let's take a look at what it's bringing to the table.
Forgive me, but I'm not really all that tech speak, so I'm just going to jump straight into the consoles design. Also, I have a last generation iPod with a poor camera, so a lot of the pictures you'll see are going to be grainy and nothing special. Also, this is my first console review, so if I miss a few things, I apologize, please fill in some of those aspects of the PS4 you think I should have covered.
Console Aesthetic
The first thing you are going to notice about the Playstation 4 as soon as you take it out of the box, is the design. The Playstation 4 is sleek and slim, with sharp angles on the console, instead of the curved designs we saw on the Playstation 3 when it first launched.
Like many memes on the internet might suggest, the design does look like a giant eraser.
If there are those of you out there that remember the Playstation 2 design. The Playstation 4 some what resembles the slim, small design of the Playstation 2.
When you're placing the console to take a spot in your shelves, you will notice just how sleek it looks and how it might actually save some room for putting a smaller console, or something important like a router or a Turtle Beach Dual-Band Wi-Fi stand.
I personally was able to fit my Nintendo Wii right next to the console, previously, I had stood the Wii on top of my 360. My entertainment center is cramped with DVD/VCR players, a DVR box, internet router and my consoles. So being able to sit my Wii right next to the PS4 was nice.
Controller
If you have heard anyone saying how great the Dualshock 4 is, how it's ten times better than the Dualshock 3.
Believe them, it is really good.
I've mostly used the 360 controller for all of my gaming, rarely did I ever use another controller and think "It's just as good as the 360 controller," the DualShock 4 is the only controller that has a run for the 360's "Best Controller in gaming" title.
It fits right into your hand, you don't need to adjust your hand placement so you can have a more comfortable grip on the DualShock 4. It's comfortable as soon as you place it in the palm of your hand.
What's different about the Dualshock 4 from the Dualshock 3 is the addition of a built in speaker, a touch-pad in the middle of the controller with two small buttons at the end of the left and right of the touch-pad. The 'Share' button and the 'Options' button.
The triggers of the Dualshock 4 are also concaved then convexed than the Dualshock 3, to translate. The triggers are actually designed like triggers that you would see on the 360 and not round like the Dualshock 3 triggers.
The analog sticks are also more concaved than the Dualshock 3 sticks, you won't feel like your thumbs are slipping off of the sticks, you'll feel like you have strong control over the sticks.
What you will also notice about the Dualshock 4 is an LED light at the front of the controller. This light will glow different colors to either indicate which controller is Player 1 or Player 2, or will indicate your health in games that take advantage of the LED light.
If you play a game like Killzone Shadowfall, while you're playing the campaign, you're controller will glow green to indicate full health. If you're injured to about medium health, the controller will glow yellow. If you lose a lot of health, it will glow red.
I personally didn't find the controller glowing blue to be a problem, so much as I found it a really cool design of the controller.
User Interface(actual photos from my dashboard and personal gameplay)
The Playstation 4 user interface is simple and easy to navigate. All your applications and downloads can be easily found in the dashboard by maybe moving to the left or to the right 1 or 2 blocks.
I can turn on the PS4, take only seconds to get to Resogun and begin playing Resogun.
Other functions and important things you need to use like finding messages from friends, seeing friend requests, looking at trophies you've earned and going to the Playstation store to see what's available, is as easy as hitting up on the d-pad.
When you're looking over games you've installed, certain games will have their own background and details pertaining to the game. Either the number of trophies you've earned or latest news on game updates or DLCs released to download.
The controller is also a factor you consider when interacting with the interface. The Share button as mentioned earlier, can allow you to navigate the menus with the touchpad and even take screenshots and capture video clips of gameplay to post to Facebook or Twitter, or you can broadcast your gameplay live to Twitch or Steam.
Like my screenshot of 'No Man's Land' from COD:Ghosts and the mountains of Singapore from Battlefield 4.
It's a really nice feature.
Software Performance
What I have noticed with the games I have played on the Playstation 4 is how crisp and clear the games are.
Battlefield 4 was the first game I saw and it was astonishing to see Battlefield 4 in 1080p, running at 60fps.
Today, I got Killzone Shadowfall for Christmas and it blew me away how good the game looks.
Any doubts I had about the PS4 graphics capability was shot down when I saw Shadowfall.
When it comes to comparing some of the multiplatform games like Battlefield 4 from PS4 to Xbox One or Xbox One to PS4. The differences are honestly very small. The Xbox One multiplats looks brighter than the PS4 multiplats, it doesn't necessarily look better. It's just a matter of brightness.
Which is something easily changed on both consoles in the game display settings.
If you really do care about graphics and game performance between the consoles, numbers wise you would be better off buying the Playstation 4.
It is technically better than the Xbox One in terms of power.
The Verdict
Here's my final word on the PS4.
If you are a gamer that is looking for a console that is primarily focused on giving you the gaming experience you want in a 'next-gen' title, the Playstation 4 is for you.
If you are looking for a console that is priced to a point where your wallet can take the hit and can still be in a healthy state. The Playstation 4 is for you.
If you want a console with an interface that is simple, easy, and allows you to share snapshots or video clips of games you like to play and it show it off to your friends on social media without the need for a capture card. The Playstation 4 is for you.
The one thing I will warn anyone about the PS4 is the relatively small library of games.
You won't have that much to choose from when you're buying the PS4, but then again, this console, along with the Xbox One. Launched with Battlefield, Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed.
Past console launches have not had these hit multiplatform titles available right away, so have some perspective when buying the console.
The one thing that the console is lacking at the moment is exclusive titles and certain entertainment apps like HBO Go and Youtube.
I will not say whether the PS4 is better than the Xbox One, or Xbox One is better than the PS4. I haven't had the chance to experience ANYTHING on the Xbox One.
For the moment though.
I give the Playstation 4 an 8 out of 10.
Thank you for reading.
Well, I have officially began my entrance into the next generation of console gaming, I entered in last Thursday, December 19th, my little brother's birthday. It was also the last day of finals for college, so not only did I get to celebrate my little brother's 17th birthday, wrap up the Fall 2013 college semester. I also got a brand new PS4.
I've been using it a lot since then(of course) and by now I have my final word on the console.
Before I actually give my final word on the PS4, let's take a look at what it's bringing to the table.
Forgive me, but I'm not really all that tech speak, so I'm just going to jump straight into the consoles design. Also, I have a last generation iPod with a poor camera, so a lot of the pictures you'll see are going to be grainy and nothing special. Also, this is my first console review, so if I miss a few things, I apologize, please fill in some of those aspects of the PS4 you think I should have covered.
Console Aesthetic
The first thing you are going to notice about the Playstation 4 as soon as you take it out of the box, is the design. The Playstation 4 is sleek and slim, with sharp angles on the console, instead of the curved designs we saw on the Playstation 3 when it first launched.
When you're placing the console to take a spot in your shelves, you will notice just how sleek it looks and how it might actually save some room for putting a smaller console, or something important like a router or a Turtle Beach Dual-Band Wi-Fi stand.
I personally was able to fit my Nintendo Wii right next to the console, previously, I had stood the Wii on top of my 360. My entertainment center is cramped with DVD/VCR players, a DVR box, internet router and my consoles. So being able to sit my Wii right next to the PS4 was nice.
Controller
If you have heard anyone saying how great the Dualshock 4 is, how it's ten times better than the Dualshock 3.
Believe them, it is really good.
I've mostly used the 360 controller for all of my gaming, rarely did I ever use another controller and think "It's just as good as the 360 controller," the DualShock 4 is the only controller that has a run for the 360's "Best Controller in gaming" title.
It fits right into your hand, you don't need to adjust your hand placement so you can have a more comfortable grip on the DualShock 4. It's comfortable as soon as you place it in the palm of your hand.
What's different about the Dualshock 4 from the Dualshock 3 is the addition of a built in speaker, a touch-pad in the middle of the controller with two small buttons at the end of the left and right of the touch-pad. The 'Share' button and the 'Options' button.
The triggers of the Dualshock 4 are also concaved then convexed than the Dualshock 3, to translate. The triggers are actually designed like triggers that you would see on the 360 and not round like the Dualshock 3 triggers.
The analog sticks are also more concaved than the Dualshock 3 sticks, you won't feel like your thumbs are slipping off of the sticks, you'll feel like you have strong control over the sticks.
What you will also notice about the Dualshock 4 is an LED light at the front of the controller. This light will glow different colors to either indicate which controller is Player 1 or Player 2, or will indicate your health in games that take advantage of the LED light.
If you play a game like Killzone Shadowfall, while you're playing the campaign, you're controller will glow green to indicate full health. If you're injured to about medium health, the controller will glow yellow. If you lose a lot of health, it will glow red.
I personally didn't find the controller glowing blue to be a problem, so much as I found it a really cool design of the controller.
User Interface(actual photos from my dashboard and personal gameplay)
The Playstation 4 user interface is simple and easy to navigate. All your applications and downloads can be easily found in the dashboard by maybe moving to the left or to the right 1 or 2 blocks.
I can turn on the PS4, take only seconds to get to Resogun and begin playing Resogun.
Other functions and important things you need to use like finding messages from friends, seeing friend requests, looking at trophies you've earned and going to the Playstation store to see what's available, is as easy as hitting up on the d-pad.
When you're looking over games you've installed, certain games will have their own background and details pertaining to the game. Either the number of trophies you've earned or latest news on game updates or DLCs released to download.
The controller is also a factor you consider when interacting with the interface. The Share button as mentioned earlier, can allow you to navigate the menus with the touchpad and even take screenshots and capture video clips of gameplay to post to Facebook or Twitter, or you can broadcast your gameplay live to Twitch or Steam.
Like my screenshot of 'No Man's Land' from COD:Ghosts and the mountains of Singapore from Battlefield 4.
It's a really nice feature.
Software Performance
What I have noticed with the games I have played on the Playstation 4 is how crisp and clear the games are.
Battlefield 4 was the first game I saw and it was astonishing to see Battlefield 4 in 1080p, running at 60fps.
Today, I got Killzone Shadowfall for Christmas and it blew me away how good the game looks.
Any doubts I had about the PS4 graphics capability was shot down when I saw Shadowfall.
When it comes to comparing some of the multiplatform games like Battlefield 4 from PS4 to Xbox One or Xbox One to PS4. The differences are honestly very small. The Xbox One multiplats looks brighter than the PS4 multiplats, it doesn't necessarily look better. It's just a matter of brightness.
Which is something easily changed on both consoles in the game display settings.
If you really do care about graphics and game performance between the consoles, numbers wise you would be better off buying the Playstation 4.
It is technically better than the Xbox One in terms of power.
The Verdict
Here's my final word on the PS4.
If you are a gamer that is looking for a console that is primarily focused on giving you the gaming experience you want in a 'next-gen' title, the Playstation 4 is for you.
If you are looking for a console that is priced to a point where your wallet can take the hit and can still be in a healthy state. The Playstation 4 is for you.
If you want a console with an interface that is simple, easy, and allows you to share snapshots or video clips of games you like to play and it show it off to your friends on social media without the need for a capture card. The Playstation 4 is for you.
The one thing I will warn anyone about the PS4 is the relatively small library of games.
You won't have that much to choose from when you're buying the PS4, but then again, this console, along with the Xbox One. Launched with Battlefield, Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed.
Past console launches have not had these hit multiplatform titles available right away, so have some perspective when buying the console.
The one thing that the console is lacking at the moment is exclusive titles and certain entertainment apps like HBO Go and Youtube.
I will not say whether the PS4 is better than the Xbox One, or Xbox One is better than the PS4. I haven't had the chance to experience ANYTHING on the Xbox One.
For the moment though.
I give the Playstation 4 an 8 out of 10.
Thank you for reading.
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