Sony prides itself on developing consoles that have the power to ensure that you don’t play a game, you experience it. The PS3 made a quantum leap in the “game” and if Sony wishes to top that, epic evolution is expected.
Firstly, it’s important to note that just like the Xbox One, the PS4 has benefitted greatly from the post-launch updates. But beyond this, there are some worrisome issues.
PS4
Why the PS4 is equipped with a lackluster wireless card is very strange and seems to be a major oversight by Sony. Engadget comments that “doing anything on the PS4 over Wi-Fi is a time-consuming process, be it downloading a game from the PlayStation Network Store or an update for a game or the system itself.” This gives the Xbox One an edge over the PS4.
Another issue is the poor battery life of the controller. A total of approximately 8 hours of gaming time can be expected. You would think that in this age of wireless technology this wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s the unfortunate reality.
The UI is optimal for navigation and, barring its load speed in a few areas, it’s pretty quick. One of the areas in the UI that is troubling is the clutter found in the Library. “The problem is, it’s a pain to navigate, because even if you’ve uninstalled something, it still stays on the list,” says Engadget. So, that game that you clocked a long time ago, will always be there – why?
Online streaming on the PS4 is very disappointing – and this isn’t even through the already-mentioned poor wireless performance. “Even with a solid internet connection, game streams cap out at 720p, audio quality isn’t on par with a disc-based game and there’s lag stemming from streaming gameplay off of Sony’s servers to your PS4 and then returning your controller input to the server.”
What is impressive is that social sharing isn’t limited to posts, tweets and photos; the PS4 allows you to show off your gaming prowess to the world on social media platforms. Simply press the “share” button on the controller and you can configure it to suit your needs.
Engadget explains that “this saved media can be shared in a variety of ways, including as a message or to Facebook and Twitter. That will post the screenshot or video clip to the What’s New activity feed on the home screen.”
You also have the ability to broadcast games through the dedicated Twitch app (it was not native in previous iterations.)
Media streaming services
Sony’s own movie rental platform is available too if you’re looking for the latest Hollywood releases. YouTube is available, as is Twitch game streaming, and a Spotify Connect-enabled version of the popular music streaming service
Without a doubt, the PS4 has problems that will dissuade serious gamers from buying it, but this is a hotly debated issue. The bottom line is that if you’re a PlayStation fan, the pros will exceed the cons.
The pros: Able to swap the internal hard drive (up to 4TB); headphone gaming jack; large exclusive gaming catalogue; streaming to a PC or Mac; Spotify integration; Twitch app; Blu-ray drive; portable
The cons: Poor dual-shock controller battery life; slow speed when connected to Wi-Fi; the Library feature becomes cluttered
Verdict: 8/10
