PS4 Owner Impressions

By trooper11
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Grand Master

trooper11

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So I'm going to share my early thoughts on the console covering the hardware and software.

If others want to share their experiences in this thread that's fine, we can make it a sort of community thread.

So this is based on my first 4 hours or so of usage:

Hardware Wise:

Seeing the console in person is just great. The profile of the machine and the black color make it disappear into my home theater. I still don't like the glossy bit, but its a small annoyance. I have already wiped it down a couple times after handling it :laugh:. I will be laying mine down flat, but it looks fine standing up.

To get this out of the way, yes mine does wobble. It only does that if I happen to push down on that side of the console. I have tried a couple bluray movies and I have not seen any movement from the vibration of the drive, but I don?t have a game disc, so I don?t know if vibrations might be triggered when accessing a game at the full 6x speed.

Regarding sound levels, I wasn?t able to do exact measurements or anything, but to my ear, the ps4 is louder than my ps3 slim or 360 S. Its not 'loud' as in annoying like that video that was posted. I would still call it quiet, but you can hear it if you try to listen for it. I would have tested the bluray drive sound, but again, I don't have a game disc. Movie playback was fairly quiet, but that is only at 1x speed.

The console definitely is pushing hot air out the vents, which is a good thing. I haven't felt any extreme heat from the console itself, just the warm air from the vents. So far so good on that point. I'll keep an eye on that when I'm really taxing the system.

So unfortunately I ran into a bit of an issue right off the bat. I had already downloaded the patch to a flash drive, but when I went to use it, the drive wouldn't fit. My flash drive isn't the smallest in the world, so I was worried about that after hearing some comments about the usb port placement. Sure enough, mine wont fit. Still, not the end of the world, I just pulled out a usb extension cable and pushed forward.

Then there is the controller. Wow, just wow. I can't get over how much better it is over the DS3. I've always had an issue with that style of controller, but Sony has been able to tweak the design just enough to really improve it for me. I don't feel cramped at all (thanks to the greater space between the sticks and the overall size increase vs the DS3), its just very comfortable to hold in my hands. I'm still not sure about the touchpad usage wise, but as far as all the traditional controls are concerned, I have no complaints at all. I can't wait to actually jump into more games with it (Infamous!)

The packed in mono headset is honestly rubbish, but that really shouldn't be a surprise. I have a nice set of Sennheisers and plugged it into the controller, which worked fine. I'm going to compare the audio quality of this vs plugging my head phones into my receiver like I usually do because I have a feeling that your going to lose a lot transmitting it all over Bluetooth.

Software Wise:

The setup process and patch install went on without a hitch, nothing exciting to note, just your standard setup of personal settings, psn id, etc etc. I was done with all of that and place on the dashboard in about 10 minutes (I didn't have to dl the patch, so that saved some time of course)

My experience jumping through the UI is one of love/hate kind of thing. On the one hand, jumping around was fast and reliable, just like what I saw in demos, on the other hand the navigation is still a pain in some places thanks to a mix of deeply nested text menus and strange 'styles' for lack of a better term, as if parts of the OS were built by different groups. You can use the old style xmb menus for various settings just by flicking up, so if you prefer that style, at least the options if there to use it. The activity feed is especially annoying. There was little populating it when I started up of course, but it hasn't taken long to grow. I can only imagine how much worse it will be after weeks and months of use. If only there were filter options or an option to disable it completely.

The PSN Store is probably the biggest improvement for me personally. They really have made it better vs the ps3. It can get better though since it lacks much in the way of options to organize what your looking through. Still, I'm happy to see it getting better.

I'll be testing out stuff like adding friends and messaging later. I did try out apps that are out so far. For some reason, while the rest of the OS is fast and reliable, apps are noticeably slow to load and I have even had apps freeze or just close, especially the Music Unlimited app. As I played with the apps, I also tested out the switching ability by using the button on the controller and at least that function worked quickly, allowing me to jump between two apps.

Overall, I would say I'm happy to see mostly smooth performance, but not so happy about some of the ui design itself. Thankfully, this is part of a console that can improve over time, so hopefully Sony stays on top of that.

Game Wise:

Well unfortunately I'm not going to be very helpful regarding the games. I just don't have interest in Knack or KZ, even though KZ certainly has its merits. So my gaming has consisted of the indie games, specifically Resogun :laugh: Boy what a treat, its just a visual overload. If you are a fan of these 'bullet hell' type games, this is a great example of one.

I really wish I could play my own audio tracks during the game though. The soundtrack is fine, don't get me wrong, but I know that after a while I'm going to want to load up my own playlists. I hope that next firmware update comes soon. I would use that feature a lot.

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So what's the conclusion? Great system really. It has its issues, but most of the issues I have are in software, things that can improve over time. I'm happy with the hardware so far. It seems to be built well and the DS4 is a standout. We all know its has the grunt to support some great games.

Once I actually get more of the games I want, I'll be much happier. What I do know is that the games will come, its just a matter of when.

Did I need to buy this day one? No, not really. Since the game selection is low for me, I'm not going to get a lot of use out of my ps4 until games like Infamous come out. So if your not thrilled about the lineup, just wait. The ps4 will still be there when the games you want get released. If your a tech enthusiast like myself however, its sometimes irresistible to have the latest thing day one :laugh:

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Grand Master

Showan

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Thanks for the information. Solid reliable info, that isn't tainted by blindness. The DS4 is a joy to hold finally, without feeling cramped.

I couldn't buy it day one this time (not a single must have games for me, nor enough tech goodies on it to fiddle with. I've always gotten every PLAYSTATION day 1 except for the PS4. But part of me doesn't regret it... Infamous will be my target date for the ps4...

How long does Resogun take to download?

Grand Master

trooper11

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How well does the voice control work? Or did you not get the accessory?

I didn't get a ps eye.

I was tempted, since I am a fan of things like voice commands, but all of the reviews I have seen say its just a poor experience.

There are too few voice commands and its not integrated nearly deep enough with the OS to make it worth it just for navigation purposes. Maybe if they improve that over time I would pick one up. Right now it just seems like Sony isn't putting much effort into that stuff.

Grand Master

Showan

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I didn't get a ps eye.I was tempted, since I am a fan of things like voice commands, but all of the reviews I have seen say its just a poor experience.There are too few voice commands and its not integrated nearly deep enough with the OS to make it worth it just for navigation purposes. Maybe if they improve that over time I would pick one up. Right now it just seems like Sony isn't putting much effort into that stuff.

So Sony basically went back to being more of a dedicated games machine that can do some media stuff outside of gaming?....

Grand Master

trooper11

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So Sony basically went back to being more of a dedicated games machine that can do some media stuff outside of gaming?....

Sort of.

Their lack of focus on the ps eye is really not that different from how they treated the whole Move release on the ps3, so I can't say its different now.

To me, I get the impression that the software was rushed. Just from using the system, checking out all the menus and the apps. There are media apps, but they all have issues at the moment. It just seems like they ran out of time and decided to get certain things done first and then add more later. The shell or base is there for a system that does more than just game, but they haven't filled in those holes yet. If this was truly a dedicated gaming machine, the software/OS would not be as complex as it is.

Grand Master

trooper11

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for me i cant get one cause  i am broke  i  am  low income so yea not able to but  i hope to next year somtime  . unless someone get me one for christmas this year  so  i am glad tho you  gave your impressions of the system thanks

 

 

I wouldn't feel bad about not having one yet honestly. Wait until the games you want are out and then get it, maybe after a price drop even. The thing is, these consoles are going to be around for a long time, so you have lots of time to save up and get a console with a much larger library of games.

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hdca18

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I am very impressed with the new Playstation. I especially like the seamless flow of the social features, and being able to view other people's gameplay and chat at the same time. Everything is nice and responsive, and it runs BF4 just like a charm. Very impressed! I have my Apple wireless keyboard, and HTC one connected to it. The Playstation network APP lets you  use your smartphone touchscreen as an interface for controlling your Playstation, if they (your mobile phone and PS4) are connected to the same wireless network. 

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Nilus

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Nice balanced review. I am honestly surprised that they have made the console wobble and that they haven't made the ui more cohesive, but in the grand scheme of things they are quite minor and not cancelling my pre order over them.

My main concern was that these things would be dropping like flies due to heat with the integrated psu but so far sounds like they've done a good job.

Grand Master

firey

Posted
Posted

Excellent, congrats! You will be very satisfied :)

Now you just have to suffer through the weekend :laugh:

I expect a report on Monday.

 

luckily it is a fairly busy weekend.  But as soon as I get a couple hours with it (either monday or tuesday night) I will definitely get a review up.

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Grand Master

trooper11

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Well after seeing AB's post about using the mono headset with voice commands, I decided to give it a try.

I've already mentioned that I don't like the earbud style of the headset. I certainly would not want to use voice commands like this, its just too uncomfortable and unreliable. But, putting aside that, what about the controls themselves?

Well reading through the commands that are available, I quickly confirmed that its fairly limited in scope. You can shut down the system, but not turn it on for instance. The limited controls also mean that your basically still using the controller for most navigation. Plus, the controls don't seem to work at all in any of the apps I tried, even Sony's own apps. I don't think there is any kind of voice processing going on, because it does not seem capable of identifying between multiple people and no software mechanisms for switching users just based on that voice.

How about responsiveness? Well part of the problem maybe the low quality mic in the headset, but I had to repeat commands for nearly all attempts. When a command did register, the system was fairly quick to execute it.

Overall, a lackluster experience at best. The PS eye mic must be higher quality than the headset so that could fix the registering issues. The main problem is that the system for voice control just seems sort of 'dumb', for lack of a better term. Its barely integrated into the system and features what seems like an incomplete command list. Now its completely possible they could overhaul the software end and really take advantage of voice controls, but right now, there just isn't much there.

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Grand Master

trooper11

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I would like to add that the voice control issues are not surprising to me. By that I mean I did not buy a ps4 thinking that I would be using voice control. Sony barely touched on the subject, so its not like they pushed it as a big deal or promised functionality that isn't there.

So finding out that the controls weren't that great isn't really a knock against the ps4, more just pointing the reality out to anyone that may come into the ps4 expecting it to be different.

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