The Playstation 4 has officially been out a week so we thought it would be a good idea for me to give my first week impressions of Sony’s new console and Trey Sterling will be giving his Xbox One impressions next week.
Sony has enjoyed a great 2013 of hype for the PS4 including their E3 presentation which left many floored at the time with their direct response to Microsoft’s Xbox One policies. Microsoft has since backtracked on a lot of the unpopular features so that basically leaves both consoles on equal footing at release time.
How did my first week with the Playstation 4 go? Let’s take a look.
What’s In The Box?
The first thing you notice when you open the box to your PS4 is how small the system is. We aren’t talking Wii size or anything of that nature but the fact that they have fit so much power into a case close to the same size of the PS3 super slim is impressive. Adding to the wonders of the design is the fact that the power supply is contained within the system. No power brick to clutter up the back of your entertainment center. Simply plug in your HDMI cable, your power cable and you are ready to go.
The system’s design is just different enough to get you to notice. Not simply content to being a black box it is, as some describe it, an Xbox One in a wind tunnel. The system can stand up on it own but looks at home sitting flat and adds a nice profile to your other electronics.
The Horror, The Horror
Now it is time to share my tale of terror when I first turned on my Playstation 4. All is well and good. I have taken everything out of the box and set the system on its already pre-cleaned spot and plug it up and hit the power button. The familiar beep of the PS3 rings in the air and the light bar on the top of my console glows blue and I know that I am about to begin the next generation of gaming. The light bar goes white and the system welcomes me. I connect my Dualshock 4 and begin to set up my internet and the screen goes black. Nothing.
I can only manage one word; seriously?
I sit and stare at my black screen and breathe calmly but on the inside I am trying to contain the rage within.
I had read the reports of the problems the PS4 was having before launch. Me in my OCD wonder even checked the HDMI port before plugging in my system to make sure there was no bent prong and yet, there I was, with a black screen and a PS4 with a white glowing bar telling me it was on. I had one final test I would try before completely losing my shit and get on the phone with Sony. I was running the PS4 through an HDMI splitter so I unplugged the cable, did the old Nintendo cartridge blow trick which I doubt works, but what the hell, and connected the HDMI cable directly into my TV.
I prayed all the prayers a man can pray for his system to work which seems selfish with a world full of starving people but I had just eaten and I wanted to play a game. The system booted up and has not given me a problem since. I still get a twinge of worry when I hit the power button but let’s hope all is well on the PS4 front from now on.
I Like The Way You Feel
The Dualshock 4 is, simply put, a godsend. I have never liked the Dualshock 3. It always felt paper thin and cheaply made. The analog sticks were rounded for no apparent reason other than to make your thumbs slip off in the middle of a game. Sony has fixed every problem I ever had with their controllers. The handles have been made larger to make it easier for fat hands, like myself, get a firm grip. It weighs more that the Dualshock 3 so that it feels like I can not rip it in half. The analog sticks have been given a concave ring around them for better grip on your fingers. Likewise, the R2 and L2 triggers have a swept wing design which fixes the huge problem I had with the Dualshock 3 of my fingers slipping off the triggers. The touch pad in the middle has a lot of potential and only a few game even utilize it right now but, if used smartly, could open up tons of possibilities.
It is, quite simply, the best controller Sony has ever made. I always have said that the Xbox 360 controller is the best controller ever. I still stand by that but Sony has closed the gap with the Dualshock 4.
It Works And Is Simple. Is This Playstation?
The new UI on the Playstation 4 takes the XMB from PS3 and simplifies it. No more rows of useless menus and printer settings. When your PS4 starts up you will see a row of your console content. The games you have to play, any apps you have loaded on your system and a What’s New section for PSN. Hitting up on the controller takes you to the more familiar XMB which is where you will access PSN and your options, profile and so forth. It is clean and works at a good speed.
One of the biggest problems hurting Sony was that PSN was never as reliable as Xbox Live. Sony is trying to fix this and it is apparent with the way it works on PS4. The PSN Store loads quickly and while I still am not excited about the way it looks (it retains a lot of the look from PS3), I am glad to say that it actually works. If Sony was going to right the wrongs of the PS3 and give Xbox a run for its money the PSN had to be up to speed. Because even with PS Plus giving me free games, I still dreaded going to the PSN Store. That is not the case now.
Hey, Look At Me
That is Killzone: Shadow Fall. That is an actual shot using the PS4 share button while playing a game. I am going to like this feature way more than I thought. While playing any game you can hit the share button and you will be given the options to livestream your game to Twitch or UStream, load a video or even take a shot of what you are doing and send it to Twitter orFacebook. In this socially connected society it was the next logical step for gaming. Now anyone can show off what they are doing and what they have accomplished without buying costly video transfer products.
For instance, here is what happened in my Assassin’s Creed IV game the other night.
Don’t judge me! I was trying to loot him. I am a pirate dammit!
I will be having too much fun with this. Who knew that a share button could be such a key component of what the future holds?
A New Generation?
My first week with the Playstation 4 did feel like we were in a next generation of gaming. The life cycle of the PS3 and Xbox 360 were unusually long for consoles, but with technology being as it is, many were wondering if we even needed new consoles when we are getting games like The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto V and Bioshock Infinite. I think it is time and spending a week with the Playstation 4 has made me feel even stronger about this. This generation will be the one of social integration. We are always out there online. Telling people what we are doing with Twitter, what restaurants we like with Yelp and making our clear photos look like dirty crap with Instagram. Now we will always be connected with our gaming consoles. It is the next logical step in gaming. Not to mention the ways new hardware will push developers to give us greater storytelling elements and immersive worlds that continue to move their way to photorealism.
