The PlayStation 4 has currently been reported to have sold as many as one million systems in the first 24 hours of its release. This is no fluke, as it is the premiere gaming next-gen gaming console this season. Microsoft has gone into full-fledge gimmick mode (does it really save time yelling at the Xbox to do stuff when you could do it manually?) while Sony has gone the route of elegant, technological advancement. While it isn’t just another black box, (more of an obelisk, really) its inner-workings are of great stride in the console gaming world. The AMD x86 graphics-processing unit is the same as Xbox One, but it is used more in favor of gaming than Xbox One. Whereas the One has 12 compute units, PS4 has 18. Also, it’s been reported that 10% of the GPU is set-aside for the Kinect. Sony is using all it’s got to give you the best graphics possible; even if those games don’t come out for a few years anyways.
There are a slew of advantages that Sony is also using to entice potential buyers. Upon opening the box for the system, you get a free month of PS-Plus, the equivalent to Xbox Live. However, if you buy a one-year membership for $50, it is cheaper than the $60 for Live. Also, you get $10 of credit for the PlayStation Store, as well as a one-month trial for Music Unlimited. A giant catalog of music that you can play over any game you desire. If “Battlefield 4” is not quite epic enough, feel free to blast Iron Maiden while you conquer the landscape. After activating the PS-Plus membership there is an enjoyable catalog of free games to play. “Warframe” is free on its own merit and at its most basic level is a game where you play as futuristic-space-ninjas. Also in the library is “Contrast”, which follows a girl and her imaginary friend using multi-dimension physics as you use the friend to shift in and out of the shadow world and reality. Anything is left up to the girl’s imagination. However, if you can’t figure out the puzzle-like way to reach the top of a building, be prepared for the girl to constantly, repeatedly say “Hurry up! We need to get to the theater!”, over and over and over. But, it is free so you can’t complain too much. “Resogun” is another free title that is quite simply the 3D love child of “Asteroid” and “Centipede”. The game has so much replay-ability and for being free, it is leagues ahead of any other free downloadable content. “Blacklight: Retribution” is a “Killzone”-like game that lacks because of its similarity.
The next-gen controller alone is something of a marvel. Like most controllers, it is deemed more ergonomically fit for use, but it is the features within the controller that catch your attention. The new Touch Pad adds a more in-depth quality to the system to aid in the immersive gaming experience. You can even control on-screen characters through the use of Sony’s motion-detecting PS4-Eye. Other features of the controller are its Dual Motor vibration system and Speaker. Some games allow for verbal queues to be directed right from the controller. Also, there is a microphone system, which allows for voice-chat in games. Just plug in any headphones with a microphone and a microphone jack into the controller and voila, chat away.
There is also a Live-Streaming feature that allows the viewings of friend’s games and others who allow the viewing of their gameplay. Also, if you own the same game as someone who is playing, you can jump in to their game and help-out if need be. Cross-Application chat is a new installation, allowing a group of friends to be talk to each other while one is surfing the internet, playing “Resogun”, watching Netflix, searching the music catalog of Music Unlimited, etc. Possibilities are abundant for the system.
The look and feel of the new system is truly what one would expect with a new generation. Games load incredibly fast, the system loads all of the talked about features fast, the graphics are great and the price is prime. $399 is one hundred dollars cheaper than the Xbox One and you get all of the same, if not more features, as well as a greater value.