PS4 round-up: what the web thinks of Sony’s big black box

Sony’s PS4 is set to launch 15 November, and a few lucky gaming sites managed to get an early hands-on with the big black beast of fun. There are four areas of Sony’s next-gen console that requires our attention. That includes the design, controller functionality, UI and performance, and then its new features. Below is a round-up of some of the things that stood out most about the PlayStation 4.

Design
The design should be by now, of little surprise to any of us. We’ve practically seen the PlayStation 4 inside out. Literally. Nonetheless, the 11″ wide black box is sleek and actually a handsome piece of engineering. As Gizmodo wrote, “It’s miles and miles more attractive than the weird launch PS3 with its awkward bubble.”

Although not a train smash, Polygon notes that there are some hiccups. In terms of wireless support, the PS4 relies on a 802.11b/g/n radio at 2.4 GHz and there is no Bluetooth headphone audio support. Polygon does say, however, that “the half-gloss, half-matte finish is a pleasant visual compromise. It’s a grown-up machine, designed more like a stylish DVD player than a gaudy video game console.”

Control: DualShock 4

Though overall there are slight changes in its form, the thing that stands out the most about the new DualShock 4 Controller is the clickable trackpad. Engadget paints a detailed picture of the overall design:

“The little refinements, however, are where the controller shines: slightly lower-profile and springier triangle/X/O/square buttons, a squishy d-pad that feels made for fighting games, slightly curved triggers that cradle your fingers and an oddly designer feel to the grips … The DualShock 4 feels natural from the moment you first pick it up.”

As Polygon noted, while there is currently no Bluetooth support for headphones, the controller does have a headphone jack. So gamers can still blast away guns blazing and all without hindering the rest of the house.

In terms of battery life, the DualShock falls a bit short in comparison to its predecessor. According to Polygon’s testing, it lasted just 7 to 8 hours on a charge, compared to about 30 hours for the PS3’s Dualshock 3.

Overall UI and performance
While the selection of games is still limited, it’s too early to tell. Still, the 500GB storage is an issue for many reviewers. As Gizmodo notes, Killzone: Shadow Fall is a whopping 39GB, while Battlefield 4 takes up 35GB and Assassin’s Creed 4 requires 21GB — that’s nearly a quarter of your hardrive’s memory.

The overall setup and user interface is nothing to complain about. Except Polygon pointed out that the menus and navigation should take some getting used to. “The legacy of the Playstation 3′s operating system remains in the PS4′s often confusing hierarchy of menus, sub-menus and hidden options.”

Polygon further states, “After seven or eight years of the Xbox 360 and PS3, navigating the PS4’s menus and UI quickly and with little lag is one of the more refreshing elements of the next-gen console experience.”

The camera
Up until now, none of the above really screams “next-gen”. While the overall graphics are improved considerably, it will still take a couple of years for developers to push it to its limits. The Eye Camera is a US$60 extra accessory that allows gamers to control the console with their voices. As CNET puts it, “It’ll also recognize your face and log you in should you set it up that way. Its functionality is quite similar to the Xbox One’s Kinect, though it doesn’t feature any IR blasting support”

Joystiq is a bit more critical:

“If the PlayStation Camera is meant as competition for Microsoft’s Kinect sensor, it’s not quite there yet. Whereas the Kinect offers almost complete control over the Xbox 360’s UI, the PlayStation Camera’s functions aren’t nearly as pervasive.”

Where about the games?

Most gaming sites pointed out that their biggest issue is that the console doesn’t have enough games available at launch. Engadget says that while the graphics are really impressive, we’ll still need to wait some time for the games to compliment it:

There’s no missing the dazzling shadow and lighting effects, the intensity of detail and contrasting colors — games look significantly better on the PlayStation 4 than even last-gen latecomers like BioShock Infinite and The Last of Us.

Polygon’s remains a bit skeptical:

The emphasis on powerful hardware dedicated to gaming software is already yielding tangible advantages over the competition, with games like Battlefield 4 running in higher resolution on the PlayStation 4 than the Xbox One. However, at launch, the PS4 has failed to muster a software library that sells that hardware

Overall, the real tipping point between the two next-gen competitors is going to be once the Xbox One is released 22 November. Kotaku concludes its review fittingly stating “How good is the PlayStation 4? Ask me in five years.”

Image via Polygon