Strong, but needs time, content to grow
Sony has redesigned the PlayStation from stem to stern, seven years after it released its last new console. The PlayStation 4’s makeover brings with it new processors, software and even a total overhaul of its controller.
The result is a stellar new system that takes the PlayStation brand in a good direction. But the PS4 platform still needs time to mature before we can declare a winner in this generation of console wars.
With the PS4, Sony has fixed some problems with its previous console. For example, the system, while far from silent, is quieter than PlayStation 3. It also doesn’t get too hot in the course of play. The console can stand horizontally or vertically, though anyone who prefers the latter orientation should probably pick up Sony’s $15 optional stand. Sony also included an HDMI cord in the box, fixing one of the most annoying parts about the PS3 launch — having to go out and buy an additional part.
The console is sleek and surprisingly light, and it upholds Sony’s reputation for snazzy hardware design. Everything on the PS4 fits within the console’s clean lines, to the extent that it’s actually a little difficult to find the power button. Once you find it, hitting it lights up a thin blue line that conveys the feeling of hitting the ignition button on something powerful.
A console, of course, has to do more than just look good on your TV stand. New software revamps the PlayStation’s menu design, allowing it to flow a bit better and making the options easier to read. Sony has also included a number of social features so that players can upload screenshots and video clips to Facebook and opt to stream their games live over UStream or the social gaming community Twitch. You can post your content online with the “Share” button.
That is one of the many changes Sony’s made to its controller, which also sports a large touchpad. Sony has improved the responsiveness of the new controller as well, making for better gameplay. Play-
PlayStation exec Adam Boyes (second from left) watches a gamer play Dying Light at the PlayStation 4 launch event in New York. ers also have the option of sending audio through the controller’s headphone jack — a good option for latenight gamers who don’t want to wake the rest of the household.
Sony has emphasized features that benefit players, such as introducing a much-awaited option for voice-chat regardless of what game they’re playing.
Many additional features, such as online play, require a subscription to Sony’s online service, PlayStation Plus, which costs $5 per month. A free 30-day trial is included with every console and will also give players access to free games, free storage for on- line game saves and game discounts. While it’s possible to enjoy the console without the subscription, the system will feel a bit incomplete without it.
The review unit Sony provided to The Wash- ington Post included the quirky action platformer “Knack” and “Killzone Shadow Fall,” a first-person shooter. Both games are published by Sony Computer Entertainment and provided good testing grounds for the PlayStation’s slick new graphics and central processing units. There is a marked improvement in the fluidity and quality of how the games look, and that hints at a lot of potential for developers to make complex, visually stunning games down the line.
Still, the game selection at launch is a bit light on blockbuster exclusives. (Unfortunately for gamers who’ve spent the better part of a decade building up their game libraries, similar to the Xbox One, the PS4 will not work with older games.) The lack of big titles will likely be the PS4’s greatest weakness against the Xbox One in the early days of this headto-head matchup.
Overall, Sony has 23 games available at launch, but many of its exclusives are offbeat titles such as “Knack,” which may not hold the wide appeal of Xbox One exclusives such as the racing game “Forza 5.” That is, however, something that will fix itself over time as more developers finish their first games for the PS4.
The PlayStation 4 went on sale Friday for $399.