Playstation 4 PS4 MacRumors Members Reviews

[jedolley]

Been too busy playing to comment in this board. I'm really loving the PS4! The UI is much improved, how quickly the games launch, even the camera stuff is pretty neat and can only get better.

Knack was my most anticipated game, so when I saw it got trashed by reviewers I was worried. I'm not very far in, but I'm glad I got it. The game is just plain fun and IMO beautiful. I think the graphics are under appreciated and I still don't think they could have pulled the game off on a PS3 (maybe the graphics, but not the physics). The game is a welcome relief to a lineup chock full of shooters. My only complaint is that combat is a bit simplistic. It may be due to me not being far into it, but there is not much to it.

Killzone is absolutely gorgeous. Haven't played much of that one either, but from what I have played, I look forward to going deeper into it. So far, I've been sampling each of the games I got and so far I am not disappointed. Some people complained about the launch line up, but I am happy so far. I got 6 games, plus 2 from PS+ and another 3 F2P (5 if you count Playroom and War Thunder coming out in a couple weeks). That alone should keep my busy until the spring when we will start to see the second wave of games.

 

[Tsuchiya]

Picked up my console yesterday afternoon with Knack and AC: Black Flag. Also decided to get a PS+ account.

Console: Really nice and compact (and square). The design is very understated, but the light bar was a stroke of genius. Also reasonably quiet though it does get a bit warm even when nothing is running.

Controller: Much better in the hands then the DS3. Close to the Xbox One controller, but still not quite as good.

Knack: Linear, but it looks like a DreamWorks movie. It's quite fun to play though, challenging but not unforgiving. Controls are simple, throwing Knack around is easy.

AC: Black Flag: I obviously need to play this more to comment, but just wanted to make a note about this whole 1080p business. Played the opening to this and the Xbox One version. Both look great, I reckon the fuss about graphics will die down soon enough.

Sony have really won me over though. The machine is awesome.

 

[MRU]

Knack for me....

Knack - I like the story most about it, though I find Knack's voice acting at odds with the character. It doesn't seem to suit. That bugs me more than the linear paths and combat, it's a voice more suited to a bad ass mofo from GTA V.

It's a pretty game but feels somewhat barren and lifeless, and the secret areas and let's face it about as secret as a celebrity's drug habit.

The biggest problem though is this.....

Skylanders Swap Force is more beautiful on PS4, though it's levels are linear they are packed with secret areas that you genuinely have to hunt down (not just look for the wall with the dodgy texture) and it's combat whilst simple is still far more complex than knack, still poses a challenge on harder difficulty and has a genuinely rewarding levelling up system. Levels are likewise packed with mini games and bonuses and the worlds you run through feel more vibrant and organic than the ones in Knack.

Knack on its own is alright. But after a weekend playing Skylanders Swap Force on PS4 it just can't compete.

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Have barely scratched surface of Killzone, Need For Speed hasn't even been launched, likewise Assassins Creed is untouched and so too is Lego Marvel Heroes. When I get round to them I'll update.

But Skylanders (ps4) and super Mario 3D World (wii u) have been my game addictions so far.

 

[Dr. McKay]

Unbelievable that the PS3 still comes with a RCA cable. Wouldn't be surprised if they did the same with the PS4...

 

[MRU]

Unbelievable that the PS3 still comes with a RCA cable. Wouldn't be surprised if they did the same with the PS4...

No PS4 comes with HDMI only.

 

[boy-better-know]

Knack - I like the story most about it, though I find Knack's voice acting at odds with the character. It doesn't seem to suit. That bugs me more than the linear paths and combat, it's a voice more suited to a bad ass mofo from GTA V.

It's a pretty game but feels somewhat barren and lifeless, and the secret areas and let's face it about as secret as a celebrity's drug habit.

The biggest problem though is this.....

Skylanders Swap Force is more beautiful on PS4, though it's levels are linear they are packed with secret areas that you genuinely have to hunt down (not just look for the wall with the dodgy texture) and it's combat whilst simple is still far more complex than knack, still poses a challenge on harder difficulty and has a genuinely rewarding levelling up system. Levels are likewise packed with mini games and bonuses and the worlds you run through feel more vibrant and organic than the ones in Knack.

Knack on its own is alright. But after a weekend playing Skylanders Swap Force on PS4 it just can't compete.

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Have barely scratched surface of Killzone, Need For Speed hasn't even been launched, likewise Assassins Creed is untouched and so too is Lego Marvel Heroes. When I get round to them I'll update.

But Skylanders (ps4) and super Mario 3D World (wii u) have been my game addictions so far.

Me and my girlfriend played through and completed Knack using the multiplayer mode and we both absolutely loved it. Its beautiful amd the linear gameplay was perfect for some co-op fun.

However, I would have given almost anything for Cerny to have created an open world as beautiful and magical as Spyro 1/2/3 for us to play on out shiny new PS4's. That would have been sweet. However, I loved Knack and plan a second play through.

 

[gkarris]

I finally got to play at Gamestop as they got a PS4 kiosk in.

For me, the controller is tons better than any other PS controller to date (though still not as good to me as the XBox's or the new Wii U Pro controller). Can't wait to try one not attached to a Kiosk.

The design - I got to see the non-working display at Bestbuy the day of launch as they had one by their BR players as an option. The design is beautiful. I think that Sony will undergo only one redesign toward the end of the console's life to make it cheaper by changing it to top-loading (as opposed to the PS3 that underwent 3 - so far).

The only game worth playing on the demo was Knack. It was a lot of fun...

 

[MRU]

I finally got to play at Gamestop as they got a PS4 kiosk in.

For me, the controller is tons better than any other PS controller to date (though still not as good to me as the XBox's or the new Wii U Pro controller). Can't wait to try one not attached to a Kiosk.

The design - I got to see the non-working display at Bestbuy the day of launch as they had one by their BR players as an option. The design is beautiful. I think that Sony will undergo only one redesign toward the end of the console's life to make it cheaper by changing it to top-loading (as opposed to the PS3 that underwent 3 - so far).

The only game worth playing on the demo was Knack. It was a lot of fun...

I actually have 1 problem with the design of it.

I use the vertical stand. Due to the angle of the front panel I have misjudged putting a disc into the slot loading drive a couple of times resulting in me dropping the disc.

When it's horizontal it's not an issue, but vertical it just makes it that bit more difficult to judge.

 

[gkarris]

I actually have 1 problem with the design of it.

I use the vertical stand. Due to the angle of the front panel I have misjudged putting a disc into the slot loading drive a couple of times resulting in me dropping the disc.

When it's horizontal it's not an issue, but vertical it just makes it that bit more difficult to judge.

Yeah, when I first saw the case only at Bestbuy, I'm like, "Where's the disc slot?"

 

[jedolley]

I actually have 1 problem with the design of it.

I use the vertical stand. Due to the angle of the front panel I have misjudged putting a disc into the slot loading drive a couple of times resulting in me dropping the disc.

When it's horizontal it's not an issue, but vertical it just makes it that bit more difficult to judge.

I had that problem the first day, but now it's not even an issue. My only grip with the design of the PS4 is that there are no USB ports in the rear. I use one of the USB ports for my headset and would have really liked it to be in the rear so I could hide the cables better. I was thinking about getting an angled USB cable, but due to the slant i'm limited on my options and i'm not sure it would look that much better.

 

[MRU]

I had that problem the first day, but now it's not even an issue. My only grip with the design of the PS4 is that there are no USB ports in the rear. I use one of the USB ports for my headset and would have really liked it to be in the rear so I could hide the cables better. I was thinking about getting an angled USB cable, but due to the slant i'm limited on my options and i'm not sure it would look that much better.

Yeah USB in the back would have been nice. When I first went to play skylanders I went straight to the back to plug in the USB as I too like to hide cables, only to find no ports. Had to look couple of times just to make sure.

 

[e²Studios]

Yeah USB in the back would have been nice. When I first went to play skylanders I went straight to the back to plug in the USB as I too like to hide cables, only to find no ports. Had to look couple of times just to make sure.

So you like it in the.. never mind..

Love ya MRU, couldn't resist

I think if the PS4 didn't have that AUX port for the camera back there not having a USB port on the backside would have been a huge design flaw. It's a bit annoying to have to plug in the cable to charge the controllers but until a decent charge station thing comes out I'll live with it.

Anyone know if the GT Force wheel works with the PS4? Might make DriveClub more fun once its out....

 

[apolloa]

I have one but it broke and will be replaced later today, so long as the courier turns up..... :roll eyes:

But it was damn good whilst it lasted, on a plus side I ordered myself a Turtle Beach headset tonight the old style Ear Force X-Ray COD2 ones which are pretty much exactly the same as the PX4 ones but cheaper haha. Never had a headset before and didn't want to spend $$$ so will be interesting to see how they sound.

 

[jedolley]

So you like it in the.. never mind..

Love ya MRU, couldn't resist

I think if the PS4 didn't have that AUX port for the camera back there not having a USB port on the backside would have been a huge design flaw. It's a bit annoying to have to plug in the cable to charge the controllers but until a decent charge station thing comes out I'll live with it.

Anyone know if the GT Force wheel works with the PS4? Might make DriveClub more fun once its out....

I got the PowerA station from Best Buy.

http://www.amazon.com/DualShock-Controller-Charging-Station-PlayStation-4/dp/B00ENFVJJO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386303796&sr=8-1

I think it's an excellent charging station. It probably takes up the least amount of space of any of the chargers out there and charging method it uses is effective and simple.

 

[vigilant]

I've had mine since launch. The night of the launch on the PSN store I picked up Knack, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty Ghosts, KillZone: Shadow Fall, Need For Speed Rivals, Injustice, and Assassins Creed 4. Here's an overview of a handful of games so far. With work I haven't had as much time to play everything but the holidays are coming

Battlefield 4 - Game changing multiplayer. Multiplayer levels are massive, and filled with sounds of gunshots and explosions. Conquest gives you the sense of actual warfare happening all around you. I've played other BF games before, and they are very hardcore, but never had this level of detail from the visuals down to the destruction. This game is could be a classic. Could be. Could be because the game crashes if you look at it wrong. I've started single player a couple times, and it crashes. You'd think "No big deal, just go from last checkpoint" but I lost my saves. It's bad. Very very bad.

KillZone - stunning graphics. The campaign has is well done too. The controls can use some adjustments, but it isn't a deal breaker. The multiplayer has tons of flexibility in setting up games. This is an excellent bit if fresh air.

COD Ghosts - this is a Call of Duty game. There's some interesting new mechanics, and if you've played the last generation of this exact same game you won't see anything that changes the overall gameplay. Textures are higher quality, you'll see better lighting. Yes it's noticeable. But it really is the same game on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Playstation 4 - best controller I've used. I've always been a fan of the DualShock line. The system is overall really fast. Going from in game to the home screen and back and forth is instant. Downloading a game from PSN is fast too. I was able to start playing BF4 within about 30 minutes of purchase while the rest downloaded in the background. I don't have any complaints. It is exactly what you expect it to be. It's a next gen game console. It doesn't try to manage my cable box, or watch me or be a Netflix box. It plays games, and it does that one task better then I was expecting it to.

I can post continued evaluations of games if anyone wants.

 

[MRU]

So you like it in the.. never mind..

Love ya MRU, couldn't resist

....

You know me too we'll love ye too Ed

 

[apolloa]

I should have added a review. Right, well I played COD and it looked alright, I haven't played the PS3/360 version, it ran smooth and fast. I didn't like the actual game though, felt the maps are too big?

Then I played Killzone a lot, the graphics are very very very very good, certainly up there with PC's. Runs super smooth, nice draw distances. The touchpad worked great in the game controlling a little drone and is very easy to use. The controller on the whole is excellent, nice solid feel and weight, good vibration and sticks.

I also tried Netflix, had it set up to the US one, and it was without doubt the best, fastest, smoothest I have EVER seen Netflix run on any device including my Mac hands down! If your going to use the PS4 for Netflix, you sill not be disappointed

The console itself is lovely and compact, bit heavy but that's to be expected, the fan can be a bit loud I think and does ramp up and down during games I felt but i won't care once I have my headset. It's not overly loud though.

The OS is great, so so so so so simple and easy to use, but I come from a PS3. The more you use it the more you discover. They have done a fantastic job with the OS.
When you press the PS button on the controller it instantly jumps right back to the consoles main home screen, press it again, or double tap it, and it jumps straight back into the game, and it doesn't matter what you are doing in the game it works just as fast no matter what, but I haven't tried it when loading a game.

So overall a great console, a definite improvement over the PS3 and it certainly feels and appears a solid enough platform for the next few years. I actually hope it goes on for another 7 rather then the 5 being spoken about.

 

[jedolley]

I also tried Netflix, had it set up to the US one, and it was without doubt the best, fastest, smoothest I have EVER seen Netflix run on any device including my Mac hands down! If your going to use the PS4 for Netflix, you sill not be disappointed

I definitely agree with this. Not just the performance, but the Netflix UI on the PS4 is one of the best I have seen. It absolutely boggles my mind why the UI is so different from device to device. Just in my house alone I have used Netflix via Apple TV, Tivo, two different Smart TV brands, 3 game consoles, and that does not even include MacBooks and iPads. The Tivo is the worst and the PS4 is probably the best. You would think they would make the UI very similar... I realize there would have to be some differences due to how each device is interfaced (i.e remote, controller, touchscreen, etc.), but it could really be streamlined to one UI with some minor interface differences.

 

[apolloa]

I definitely agree with this. Not just the performance, but the Netflix UI on the PS4 is one of the best I have seen. It absolutely boggles my mind why the UI is so different from device to device. Just in my house alone I have used Netflix via Apple TV, Tivo, two different Smart TV brands, 3 game consoles, and that does not even include MacBooks and iPads. The Tivo is the worst and the PS4 is probably the best. You would think they would make the UI very similar... I realize there would have to be some differences due to how each device is interfaced (i.e remote, controller, touchscreen, etc.), but it could really be streamlined to one UI with some minor interface differences.

Absolutely agree, I use it on my 2013 Panasonic smart TV and the performance of browsing compared to the PS4 is night and day!

 

[gkarris]

PS4 Noob - HEPL!

Pulled the trigger on a PS4!

Setup was a pain on using an older input (component), as my setup is not wired for HDMI.

I was using my PS3 via HDMI to a converter to Component in 1080i (the converter is the older model that doesn't support 1080p) and Optical to my receiver.

I just transferred the cables to the PS4. Finally got it working after some fiddling (long story).

But, the PS4 won't output 1080i (it is greyed out), nor do BR/DVD movies play in dts/Dolby (but the interface and games do).

Any ideas? dts/Dolby via optical and 1080i HDMI to my converter worked fine on my PS3.

 

[gkarris]

But, the PS4 won't output 1080i (it is greyed out), nor do BR/DVD movies play in dts/Dolby (but the interface and games do).

Any ideas? dts/Dolby via optical and 1080i HDMI to my converter worked fine on my PS3.

Got the Dolby/dts in BR/DVD Movies working. After looking online, users said you have to set it while a movie disc is playing (hit the "Options" key and go to options and turn audio to "Bitstream"). It will work from here on out. Movie disc playback sort of rushed release?

Still looking on why 1080i is greyed out.

 

[MRU]

I still can't believe we don't have 3D BluRay support yet...

 

[gkarris]

I still can't believe we don't have 3D BluRay support yet...

Yes, people online are saying they are still using their PS3 for BR Movies playback.

My XGA projector does a great job scaling and making interlaced sources look superb. I still have to use my PS3 for 1080i playback of BR movies.

Still looking to see why I can't get 1080i on my PS4...

 

[0098386]

I still can't believe we don't have 3D BluRay support yet...

Seriously? It's not like the PS4 can't output 3D since Zen Pinball 2 supports it.

I've been using my PS3 for blurays still because of quieter hardware and remote control support.

 

[MRU]

Seriously? It's not like the PS4 can't output 3D since Zen Pinball 2 supports it.

I've been using my PS3 for blurays still because of quieter hardware and remote control support.

Yeah I know it's super weird especially given Sony being one of the founders of blu-ray and the PS3 always being updated to the latest Blu-Ray feature set, and here we are in 2014 some 8 years later and the PS3 has more blu-ray features ? Madness, and annoying.

That being said XBO doesn't support 3D blu-ray either yet.