I was going to write up something earlier about my new toy, but didn’t. I apologize. Maybe it was because I was having too much fun to stop and type. I will also try to refrain from smack talk about the Xbone, since it isn’t out, and I know a lot of you guys are actually looking forward to getting it, though I don’t know why… ok, just one quick jab.
The long awaited start to the next generation of flame wars has begun. Fire up those troll generators because it is now time to start comparing systems again. Sony launched their “next -gen” console on November 15, 2013 here in the states. Much has been said about the graphical power of the system, as well as it’s clear focus on games and pretty much nothing else. The PS4 launches a week prior to Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony most assuredly is trying to get a foot-hold on gamers before they take their money to the “other site”.
Being the first guy out of the gate isn’t always the best in terms of electronics, neither is being an early adopter. Last console generation I didn’t get either system until (mostly) after the bugs had been ironed out. I got a 360 about six months after launch and a PS3 about a year after. I did get the RROR once, but never got the YLOD, on what is essentially a launch Playstation 3. However, Sony and I threw caution to the wind and decided to partner up this go ’round. After my first weekend with the new system, I can honestly say that I am happy with my purchase so far.
The internet around console launch can be equal parts fun and nerve-wracking. My first worry was that something was wrong with my system. I heard reports that some of the systems (apparently .4%) were having issues with the HDMI port not connecting securely enough to communicate the data. Once I got it home and plugged it in, that few quickly went away. The little blue strip light up, saw the familiar logo and was all smiles.
Getting it connected to my router, then connected to PSN, downloading a mandatory day one patch, (which you Xboners will HAVE TO download to play games at all) and then connected with my account was basically painless. It takes about as much time as it did to type that last sentence. I was up and downloading my free games from PS+ in less than 20mins, that’s including the 300+mb patch. For a day one download, on Sony’s notoriously (and rightfully so) slow downloads on PS3, this was a big welcomed surprise.
Firstly, the controller feels GREAT. It has a bit more weight to it than the DS3, making it feel less fragile. The L2 and R2 buttons on the DS3 were considered atrocious, again rightfully so. On the Dual Shock 4, they are not only improved, but I think they feel better than the ones on the 360 controller. I heard that some people were having issues with the light on the front of the controller giving them issues with glare. I had no issue. Even purposefully TRYING to make a glare, I could not. The one gripe I have with the controller is that the battery life is a tad short. about 7 hours of constant use. This issue is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the PS4 can now charge your controllers in standby. No more turning on the system to simply charge a controller. The addition of the headphone jack in the controller is very much welcomed as well. The PS4 and DS4 stream full game audio to the controller. I used it most of the weekend so that I wouldn’t annoy my wife and it sounded great. Never had one issue with it.
The system itself runs super quite. In a relatively silent room I could barely hear it was on at all. There have also been reports that when the disc is in, it spins and makes noise like a jet engine. I did not have such a problem. So I am 95% sure that the disc versions of PS4 games just DL all the data to the system and use the disc as a security check. I noticed that when playing off a disc (Like Assassin’s Creed IV) that the disc was spinning when I started then would stop shortly after. This is a bit annoying as I was buying discs to save on HDD space. Oh well. Suspend mode for games is pretty cool. Playing a game and need to check a message? Just tap the PS button and you go out and come back in mere seconds. It’s snappy and works well for people doing more than one thing at once. Let’s see, what else… The friends list cap is 2000, you can “Real Name Request” people so you know who they really are. You can directly stream through Twitch or Ustream. Uploading screens and snips of gameplay is a breeze and easy to set up. Oh! One of the coolest features (for me anyway) is remote play via the Playstaion Vtia. I used to play a lot of games with PIP on so that I could watch football at the same time. When everything went HDMI, I was unable to do this. Now that I have a Vita and a PS4 I can once again watch tv and play games at the same time. It works very much like the WiiU’s second screen except that this is a required feature for ALL PS4 games. I used it to play NFS: Rivals, Assassin’s Creed IV and Resogun. All of it worked smoothly and was a sinch to do from another room.
I also picked up the Playstation 4 Camera. I didn’t spend a ton of time with it, but from the stuff I saw (and heard) this will be just as much fun as the Kinect was for my 4 year old. It has a lot of potential, and I really hope that Sony actually backs this peripheral this time around. Make fun games that use it, and people will continue to pay into the system. From what I know so far, the system itself supports 8 person party chat across games. I have not been able to find an answer on if that includes the camera or not. (I got a tweet back from Shuhei Yoshida saying that the Party chat is only Audio.)
Speaking of games, lets talk about how they play and look. Resogun the downloadable (free with PS+) game looks wonderful. It’s really fast and bright and can be truly challenging to play at times, but was never something I wasn’t willing to just jump into for a quick game. It may not be the technical powerhouse of other titles, but it packs a visual punch that really shows some of what the PS4 can do.
NFS:Rivals is the next gen game of choice for the PS4. If you need a big budget game to get with the system that can show off a lot of what early devs can do, this is the one. Truly gorgeous visually, and runs fast as shit. It’s the first game that I have played in a while that was a “lean forward” game for me. I haven’t played it online yet, but am looking forward to as the install base grows.
Battlefield 4… Holy crap. Let me start by qualifying that I have NOT played this one yet on any device (PS3, 360, PC) so to just jump from BF3 on PS3 to BF4 on PS4… wow. Super impressed. I played through about the first 3 hours of the game and came away super excited and impressed. It looks amazing. Sure there are bits here and there that are probably better on a beefy PC, but the difference between last BF and this one are crazy. I cannot wait to play more of this game.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, well… the environments (jungles, beaches, waterways) all look really lively and detailed. I was not really a fan of the character models, however. The first time you jump out of the Animus, the characters look stiff and just “last gen”. In the other games, BF4 especially, things looked smooth and the characters were life like. They still looked like video game characters, but they looked more well designed than the ones in ACIV. That, hopefully, is just a product of being a split-gen game. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is still a great game to play, so far. Again, this is a title I have not touched on other systems.
The one gripe that I hear more than anything else is that PS4 doesn’t have a truly “killer app” available at launch. I can see that being true if you have already played everything available on the system prior to launch. But titles like Resogun and Need For Speed; Rivals are still great titles to have on the system. Far better than some launch games, more so when you look at what launched the PS3 (Like Gundam… yeesh). Also, as I said before, I haven’t played ANY of the titles offered at the launch of the PS4. All of these titles were new to me, and I am sure that some people out there saved their time and more importantly, money to play these games on the PS4. So to say that there isn’t any games on the system to recommend, isn’t exactly true. There aren’t a lot of NEW games on the system to recommend, sure, but that doesn’t take into account that great games are on the system as well as other platforms.
So there you have it. My first impressions of the system, and the few games I played. So far, I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. PS+ is more than worth the money I pay for it having three systems that routinely get, not only free games, but games that are worth having. I like everything that I have seen and literally felt with the new system. While I have no desire to get a Xbone, I hope it does well. At least well enough to be competitive, that is. Nothing drives innovation like competition.
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