PS4 Console Review

   

     So, here we are with the next generation of gaming upon us. Sony and Microsoft have put all of their time (and crap loads of money) into making the top notch consoles on the market, but right now I want to talk about Sony's new console: the PS4. Years in the making, the PS4 is a console that has been eagerly waited on by gamers. Hopeful that the next generation would deliver, I picked up my console at the midnight release full of excitement. But DOES it actually deliver?

     I can confidently answer that the PS4 is a true gaming system.

     Let's start with the scepter in which you rule the PS4 with: the Dualshock 4. Remember how awkward playing shooter games with the Dualshock 3 controller was? I'd want to use L2 and R2 to shoot, but the buttons were so uncomfortable that I'd end up using the front buttons instead. Having been accustomed to Xbox 360 controls, I found this frustrating. The Dualshock 4 controller takes some pointers from the 360's near perfect setup and makes L2 and R2 triggers that feel like actual triggers. In reference to the picture above, the handles on the Dualshock 4 are longer than the Dualshock 3 and the extra length feels so much better. It no longer has the awkwardness that the previous console's controller had.

     Several new additions have been added to the Dualshock 4 controller as well. The controller has a light bar on the front of it and is used in multiple ways. For instance, depending on how many controllers are being used the light will be a certain color. Player one's light is blue, player two's red, etc. Sony has also very cleverly used the bar as a health bar in certain games. In Killzone, full health is represented as green, middle health yellow, and low is flashing red. It's one of those things that's not necessary but is certainly a nice touch. Another nice addition is a touch pad that's extremely responsive. In Warframe, you can swipe up, down, left, or right to choose an ability that the soldier will use in combat. I have never had a problem with it misreading any gestures and it is definitely satisfying to swipe down and magnetize my enemy's bones thus crushing them into the ground. It definitely enhances the experience, which is something that has really paid off for Sony.

     Another feature is the newly added speaker on the control. Again its one of those little things that's a cool touch to the experience. Certain games have specific moments where audio will emit from the speakers (i.e. picking up audio logs), causing a greater level of immersion into the game.

Now the sexy part. The console. 

First - look at that picture. Just look at it.

    That is a sexy looking piece of hardware. It's sleek, got a nice rhombus shaped body, and it's actually smaller than PS3's slim console. With all the firepower that's in the new one, it's pretty impressive that Sony was able to still get all of that power in a nice compact box. Best part is that it still doesn't need a power brick (Microsoft you guys need to work on that...).

   PS4's user interface has been greatly updated and improved. I don't think I will ever get over how fast it is. I can be in the PS4's home screen and start up a game of Killzone or Resogun in (and I am not kidding) 10-15 seconds. It's that fast. Also, gone are the days of using a person's account that has PlayStation Plus on it to get free downloads. If one account has PlayStation Plus, all user accounts have it, similarly to that of Xbox One's Live program. All that is required is for the person who gets PlayStation Plus is to make that PS4 console their "primary console", which is easily done in the settings menu.

Last but not least, music and gaming can finally be played at the same time and about time too! Thanks to PlayStation's Music Unlimited app, any song you want can be added to your library or you can listen to one of their preset playlists. (classic rock, pop, R&B, etc.) It was quite satisfying taking out three guys in a row with head shots in Black Light Retribution while jamming out to Foreigner's Juke Box Hero.

Now, let's talk graphics.If I had to describe the sheer beauty of these games with one word, then it would simply be: Amazing. These games run at 60 fps and 1080p without skipping a beat (As far as I have seen). It is truly a sight to behold when playing. With Resogun, literally billions of tiny particle effects spark across the screen without so much as a nanosecond of lag.

   I have a couple of gripes about the console, though. For one thing, there are a lot of bugs at the moment. I understand that it just released, but it was really frustrating having the PlayStation Network go up and down throughout the day. Music Unlimited crashes randomly as well, and I have to put the PS4 in standby mode and start it up again for it to work. One other problem I have is it's sharing setup. Everything from taking a screen shot, to editing a video clip and uploading it to your Facebook is seamless and extremely easy to do, but when it comes to broadcasting,  it doesn't save the broadcast to your Twitch/Ustream account. I went to go view my Killzone broadcast on my computer after I had finished to see how good the quality was, and I was disheartened to see that it didn't show up on the website. I, personally, like to upload my videos to YouTube after for more people to watch, and until (or if) Sony fixes it, the only way people can watch my PS4 broadcasts is if they watch it live.

     All in all, Sony has really out done themselves. I have never been impressed with a console before but I honestly have to say....I'm impressed. Sony clearly listened to gamer's opinions and criticisms and created a gaming device that's user friendly, fast, and can run games with a hundred things happening at once without a hiccup. The best part is that there are so many amazing games coming out for the system in the future. I think everyone wants their hands on Infamous Second Son, and I'm eager to see what The Order: 1886 has to offer. Greatness has arrived, and it's only just begun.

I give the PS4 a near perfect 9/10.

Check back next weekend as I give my review of the Xbox One.