I was one of the lucky ones who got a PS4 a few days earlier because of the Taco Bell promo, so I've had a few days prior to launch to mess around with it. I was able to get a copy of COD Ghosts, so please take that into account when I discuss the PS4 graphical capabilities. Also, I could not play online yet so I won't be talking about online gaming in this review.
The PS4 is Sony's 4th generation console, and they've been successful in every generation since their first. I think you're going to see history repeat itself with the PS4 launch...... off to a slow start, but by the end of the generation it will be on top. With a fairly weak lineup, there was honestly not much I was excited about, besides the fact that it's Sony's new console in 7 years. Hooking up the device is a breeze, you just plug the power cable (no power brick required!) into the PS4 and into the wall, and the HDMI (included) from the PS4 to your TV or receiver, and you're set to go. First thing I did was pop in COD Ghosts, installed it onto the HDD, and started playing the campaign mode. I have this game for the 360, and comparing the graphics to the PS4, it was only marginally better. The game looks very pretty, don't get me wrong, but it just isn't that big of a jump in graphical power from last generation to this generation (nothing like how when the Sega Dreamcast first came out and blew everything out of the water). Now for the game play itself...... there was some lag during some of the more intense parts of the game. The 360 version definitely handles COD better than the PS4, which makes sense because the PS4 is a brand new system, but then again, it is using an x86 architecture which is theoretically "easier to program" for, but I guess they had some trouble porting COD Ghosts.
Now let's talk about media capabilities, or lack thereof. Blu-Ray movies play fine, just as you would expect from Sony, however...you cannot play 3D movies! Sony will probably enable this feature later, but for now you can't do it. The PS4 is a 4K capable device, but only for movies and photos, not video games. One of my biggest gripes about the PS4 is that it can't play audio CDs and mp3s, or stream media from your computer....WTF Sony? The PS3 was a great media center, and I hoped the PS4 would be too, but these lack of basic music features is going to make me knock one star off of my rating. I've heard rumors that Sony will enable this feature later, but we will have to wait and see. I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled a 180 like Microsoft did earlier this year.
Pros:
-sleek product ID (smaller than the ps3 slim!)
-quiet design
-500 GB Hard Drive
-Ability to upgrade your HDD to a larger HDD (or SSD)
-controller is a Dualshock 3 on steroids (it's better in everyday)
-built in power supply (no brick!!!)
-USB 3.0 ports
-iPhone and Android app
Cons
-No Audio CD playback
-No MP3 playback
-No DLNA support
-No media streaming from a computer (no mp3s, no movies...)
Overall I give the PS4 4 out of 5 stars.
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Add me to the list of bricked PS4s. Preordered from Amazon. Out of the box, it worked fine...installed update 1.50 without problems. I began making PSN sub-accounts for one of my kids, and when trying to log onto PSN, it hung on the "please wait" screen forever. No problem, I thought, figured PSN was getting hammered since this was launch day. Well, eventually the screen went black and the PS4 led started flashing blue. I wasn't sure what to do, no amount of button pushing did anything, so I eventually unplugged it. Restarted it and it went into safe mode and then rebooted without problem. I downloaded "Resogun" off the PS Store and played it for about 10 minutes when it abruptly crashed and the unit again started with the flashing blue LED. I got on the web and searched and found a lot of reports of the same. I rebooted the machine into safe mode and re-initialized the system, as one forum poster suggested. The system booted back up fine but, of course, had lost the game I downloaded and my logon info. I put all that back in and fired up Need for Speed. My son played about 10-15 minutes and the system crashed again. This time, however, I cannot get it to go back into safe mode, no matter what I do. All it does is shut back off. Seems completely bricked now.Heard that the Sony Stores are accepting returns from Amazon and replacing machines on the spot. I called the only place remotely close to me (Dallas Galleria) and the only stock they have are for preorders...can't do anything but take the machine from me and send me a replacement at some point. I may end up doing that as it seems even getting a return box from sony will take at least a week or more.
Have a frustrated dad and son here in Fort Worth. My advice would be to wait a while before buying.
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Sony looks like it has another solid system with a lot of potential, that has yet to be utilized. It has the hardware and the ability to really bring next generation gaming, but I don't see it being utilized much at this point now which is why I only gave it 3 stars:Pros:
Unlike others so far the system was a breeze to set up. (I did wait until Saturday afternoon and upgrade went smooth)
I like the menu upgrade and the ability to watch others play the game
I like that the power supply is built into the unit
Controller feels solid, I like it much better than the PS3 controllers
Slim form factor makes it easy to integrate into my home theater
Killzone is a fun game, but wouldn't say it blew me away graphics wise
30 Day trial of Online Service is nice
Just starting playing AC4 which is great and looking forward to next uncharted
Cons:
The system looks cheaply built in the back (HDMI connectors),
It is very loud loading in the disc (at first I thought my system was defective) but Blu-ray runs pretty quiet when playing
The earbud thing that comes with it
My unit gets pretty warm (upper middle of right of unit right side) which concerns me a bit
Game titles are pretty run of the mill, which is to be expected at launch, but still disappointing.
Seriously not being able to stream from my PC is a little disappointing
the VUDU player only streams in 720P not HDX 1080p 7.1 (not a huge deal)
Seriously no Dual Band Wireless N 5Ghz band, even the WiiU has this, not sure why they skimped on the wifi
Overall I know that the PS4 will deliver when it comes to gaming, with improved multi-player and cross game chat. I know it will be a great system for years to come. My only concerns are if build quality and the lack of any really "must have" game right now, which is why I will not be an "early adopter" if there is a next generation after this.
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