Author: clappingfetus

Well the time has come for my review of the Playstation 4. Honestly I meant to have this thing out a long time ago but I got tied up during the holidays and honestly forgot about it. So, now I am back from all the holiday madness and I’m ready to rock.

As I said in my Xbox One review, Sony fuckin rocked E3 while Microsoft was busy taking a metaphorical shit on its dedicated fan base. In the following months Sony was given most hype they have had for a console since the PS2 and we all waited in anticipation to see whether or not they would deliver on all of their promises. Now that its out in the hands of consumers,  I believe I can finally give my opinion on it. Read on for my review.

The System:

The hardware for this generation is very surprising on both consoles. Microsoft decided to make a giant $500 VCR-like box and Sony decided their $400 PS4 was going to be the smallest console they have released since the original grey Playstation (of course we are not counting all of the tiny re-release versions). Not only does Sony have the smallest  and cheapest console between the 2 but they also have the highest specs in their hardware as well thanks to the upgrade to 8gb of DDR5 ram normally used in graphics cards compared to the much slower 8gb of DDR3 in Xbox One. On top of that the hard drive is still removable so that once all of these huge 16-30gb games start showing up you will be able to upgrade it with no hassle. Now if all that wasn’t enough it seems to me after spending some time with both consoles that Sony’s machine actually puts off less heat even though it has higher spec hardware and a smaller design. You can definitely see Sony’s extensive background in hardware engineering behind this beast and that makes it the clear winner in the hardware front even with out the TV capabilities. After all this machine is for video games and games is what it does best.

The User Interface:

Being a graphic designer myself I have a great appreciation for a good looking UI but I have an even greater appreciation for one that is easy to use and good looking. With that being said you might cringe when I tell you that the “XMB” interface from the old PS3 has made the jump. But I wouldn’t freak out yet because they have made significant improvements this time around. Gone is the long archaic row of icons from the PS3. Now we have big beautiful artwork representing all of the content you have been using recently so that every time you sign in you are greeted with all the things that you do most often on the console. However if you miss the clear simplicity of the old icons you are in luck. Simply press up you are now greeted by a new sleeker version of the old XMB mainly used for flipping through settings and friends lists and basically anything that isn’t directly tied to consuming content. Everything is fast and easy to find. Social features are another big improvement now that you can link your Facebook account and see what games your friends are playing and even stream or watch game play from Twitch. Granted you may have to turn some settings off so that you aren’t constantly spamming your friends but the social aspect is a fun addition considering how popular online multiplayer has become these days. On top of all these improvements are fixes to old problems like the slow ass PSN network which is now incredibly fast and the ability to have patches and games download and install automatically without you even being on the console. But with all these improvements there is still very little customization on the new UI and the home screen with all of your recently accessed content is still a little overbearing when you have to scroll ALL the way to the end of it to get your game library. I still can’t pick a clear winner in the category but I will say that PS4 had the most room to improve on its old UI and it delivered.

The Camera:

There isn’t much to say about the PS4 camera other than it is mostly trying to copy the Kinect. The greatest thing about it is that it isn’t mandatory,  however if you do get one there are some neat little things they give you to play around and it shows that there might be some untapped potential to this thing. The camera is surprisingly clear compared to the grainy old PS3 camera and it runs at a decent FPS. The Playroom game that comes with the PS4 is the major area where this thing shines and it is a good representation of what kinds of things you will be doing with it. For instance, it sees the lights on the top of your controller and a menu projects out of your controller and into the augmented 3D space you see on the television. Then you can fling little robots out on to your floor and kick the shit out of them. When your done playing you can suck them back up with the controller Ghostbusters style. The camera also has some very limited voice control but it clearly has not been fully developed because there is only a small handful of commands that do very basic tasks like powering on and off and signing in. It is pretty much just a novelty item at this point but I definitely expect we will be using it quite a bit in the future.

The Controller:

This is where the PS4 really innovates. The new DualShock 4 does everything right. It has motion sensors for all your motion gaming needs. It has a multi-touch pad that clicks in like an extra button which has been cleverly used to navigate things like maps in some games and in others you can swipe different directions to send commands to your AI companions. There is also a speaker on the bottom for random gameplay scenarios like phones or walkie talkies. There are also new improved sticks and triggers so that your fingers aren’t slipping off the back of the controller anymore and your fingers rest more naturally on the thumb sticks. They also added a better dpad, colored lights on top to identify players, and even a super convenient audio port on the bottom that you can use not only for chatting but for routing all of the consoles audio through the controller to any pair of head phones you have lying around the house. Also they removed the start and select buttons and replaced them with Share and Options buttons for sharing content on the PSN with your friends and getting to in game menus. I can not brag on this controller enough. Sony knocked it out of the park on this one and it will most definitely win some awards.

The Games:

Sony has really pushed the indie games movement lately and in return it seems like they are giving the better value so far. Once you get your PS4 you will have a code for a free month of PS+ which will get you free games for every month that you are a member. So right from the start you get 2 games free plus whatever game you happened to purchase. Then once you dig into the PSN you realize that there are several free to play games already available. You can honestly just get a PS4 with no games and simply hook it up, put in the coupon code, and now you already have access to 2 PS+ game and 4 free to play games. I think this is going to be a major thing moving forward when it comes to buying decisions between the 2 consoles. However I will say that this console is lacking a truly awesome next gen exclusive like Dead Rising or Killer Instinct. Instead we get another entry in the lackluster (personal opinion) Killzone franchise and a charming but overly simple platformer with Knack and the rest is kind of just mildly enjoyable. Honestly the best games are on Microsoft’s side but there are less of them and you don’t get shit for free except one playable character in Killer Instinct. So I guess you could say PS4 has the better value and Microsoft has the better lineup.

Overall I am going to have to give it Sony so far for leading the pack this gen. They have come a long way since the dark days of the PS3. Things can always change down the road but as long as they stay so consumer minded then you can expect to see Sony make a big comeback this time around.

Okay, so this year I decided to do something crazy and I purchased both of the new “next generation” gaming consoles and holy shit does my wallet hurt. But now that I have finally sat down and really drilled into the heart of both consoles I would like to give my unbiased opinion of both consoles.

So I guess we can start with the Xbox One.

So this generation you could have called me a dedicated Xbox 360 fan boy. Well, you could have until these past 2 years which I have spent playing mostly on PC and PS3. However up to that point, nearly every single multi-platform game that I purchased this generation was on 360. I have dedicated hundreds if not thousands of hours to consuming amazingly crafted stories and game play. There just simply wasn’t anything like it before 2005, the totally unmatched quality of xbox live, the indie movement, the rise of the downloadable games, it has been a great time to be a gamer. Of course I have been distracted from time to time by the newest Mario or Zelda games on the Wii and even Diablo 3 for PC and Last of Us on PS3 but my 360 always found a way to bring me back. So once the rumor mill started up about the new consoles I was as giddy as a school girl at a fuckin Beatles concert to hear any kind of news. Well Microsoft came out of gate with a absolutely terrible reveal event full of TV promo shit and pandering to sports fans and COD fans and then proceeded to constantly shoot themselves in the ass every chance they got afterwards. But to my surprise, over the next several months they have managed to completely flip their image, although I am sure the face under the mask is still the same and they will butt fuck us the next time they get a chance. So now here we are 8 years after the launch of the 360 with the new console hooked up in my living room 69ing with my cable box and I am happy to say this is a great system with some minor kinks that need to be ironed out with patches in the very near future.

The System: 

The design of this system is very reminiscent of the original Xbox with its big black bulky VCR like structure. Its like the Mr.T of game consoles. I guess they decided they didn’t want to pander to the tastes of the Japanese market anymore like they did with the small sleek shape of the original 360. But I think this airflow friendly shape will save Microsoft from another red ring debacle. As far as inputs and ports go, this thing has everything from HDMI, USB and Optical Audio ports to IR blaster and proprietary Kinect ports. They have done away with the SD support it seems as they do not provide any cables to hook this thing up to a older SD sets, which I believe is a good thing and will hopefully get more consumers to buy HDTVs. My only few complaints are that its huge size severely limits the places it can be stored in a small entertainment center shelf and it has really created a pain for me when I need to switch things around and unhook stuff (I tinker with shit alot). Secondly the weight of this box is nothing to ignore, you could literally crush a grown mans skull with this thing, it is definitely a “go to” weapon in a pinch if zombies invade but it is a bummer that all of this creates very intense situations when holding this box overhead and trying to disconnect and reconnect wires from it.

The User Interface: 

The new UI is very nice and responsive. It has a distinct Windows 8 feel to it but in much more user friendly way. Gone are the slow loading times of the 360 dash board UI and now your screen is filled with tons of boxes varying in size displaying a myriad of content. Your games are much easier to find this time around and its easy to jump in and out of game play and back to the dashboard at a seconds notice without ever having to completely close out your game. The next huge leap this system takes is in the Watch TV activity, the console lets you pipe in your cable signal into the Xbox and it is awesome! Though it cannot control your On Demand menus or DVR im sure those capabilities are not far away with all the patches they are planning to roll out over time. The biggest gripes that I have with the Xbox One’s UI are the sorting options just simply aren’t up to standards whether you are looking through your own games list or the market place, there is a lot lacking in this department. Also the inability to simply add a person you just met online to your friends list is a shocking revelation. You literally have to back out to the dashboard go to your friends list and dig into those menus where you can manually add a friend and then you have to type in their full gamertag. This is a major over site for them to make. While it may not seem like that big of a deal to some people, we should all fight for a seamless, quick, and easy experience. Also their is just a little too much going on in the menus and their are times you will spend an hour trying to figure out how to do one simple thing.

The Camera: 

The Kinect seems like it has some improvements as well but I have yet to put it to the test beyond simple voice commands which the Kinect has always done fairly well with because it is too sensitive. I moved my Kinect twice and re-calibrated it several times and I could never get it let me try out the one Kinect demo available on the Marketplace and I have PLENTY of room space. But in its favor there is nothing like walking into the room and commanding your Xbox to turn its self on and your TV on and then telling it to tune into your favorite show and you having never touched a remote. I was also able to catch a glimpse of the camera quality which has majorly improved and the gestures still seem to work very well. Once Microsoft get the sensitivity issues under control I will be able to give my opinion on the Kinect game play.

The Controller: 

This is an amazing controller, it has so many improvements but they are not all perfect. First off it is very similar to the 360 controller so it would be safe to say if you like one then you will like the other. They removed the back and start buttons and replaced them with Menu and View, it seems both consoles removed these buttons this generation but I believe it is all of the better because who the fuck uses the back/select button? Also gone are the loud clickity clack sounds of the triggers, now they have some type of pad underneath that keeps it from making that noise but doesn’t hinder the feeling of the triggers themselves. The analog sticks have also been improved with better gripping heads and rumble motors under each stick. The biggest and best improvement is the d-pad, holy shit this is an awesome d-pad, it reminds me of the good old NES d-pads but improved even further. My only real complaint is that the LB and RB bumpers are in terrible spots now and it makes my fingers sore to push them a lot. Also for some reason the PC connectivity is not working at launch which is a total bummer for me since I do have a decent gaming pc.

The Games: 

Killer Instinct.. that is all. Just kidding they really do have a great line up of games at launch but it is sadly lacking a really badass must have game. Yeah Killer Instinct is a really really great game but fighting games can only hold your attention for so long before the blisters on your hands make you move on to something else. I also purchased Dead Rising 3 as well and it a fantastic game but it does little to show off your new hardware beyond the massive number of zombies on screen which are all rendered well below 1080p. The only other game I tried was Kinect Sports Rivals which I never got to work because Kinect is too sensitive. I was just hoping their would be this big Halo type game that would blow my socks off and sadly their isn’t one but I am more than happy to console myself with Killer Instinct and Dead Rising 3 until the next big Bethesda game or the next Bioshock. As for all the other launch titles I have been keeping track of the reviews and for the most part their are some very good and interesting games but nothing that seems to stand out.

To wrap things up I will say that I am very impressed and excited to see what is in store for us down the line. Too bad we are about a year or 2 away from really seeing what these consoles are capable of.