Hands on the PlayStation 4

Today I am going to be talking about the PlayStation 4.  Sony's new system is small and sleek, unlike its predecessor and competition.  I haven't seen the all-white version, but the original black does not draw attention to itself.  And it is really quiet, unlike my 6-year-old Xbox 360.

The PS4 controller is wider than the PlayStation 3's, roughly as wide as a 360 controller for comparison.  The "arms" are longer and nestle more into the palms for a sturdy grip.  The bumpers and face buttons are more raised and have a different texture that the rest of the controller.  The L2/R2 bumpers are also more like triggers.  All the buttons are also silent when depressed, not giving a "click" like on the Xbox One controller.  The buttons also seem more responsive than the One controller.  My favorite part of the controller are the new analog sticks.  Sony added a beveled edge to the sticks, doing away with the rounded tops with textures to keep one's thumbs in contact.  The sticks are also spaced wider apart, a complaint I had with the PlayStation 3.

I started playing video games on the PlayStation 1, then graduated to the PlayStation 2.  I really like the Dual Shock controller style, but after 6 years of playing on an Xbox 360 exclusively, I am very used to the Xbox layout.  I felt lost for a few seconds when I took a hold of the controller.  What saved while playing Call of Duty: Ghosts was the option to switch the fire button from R1 (default) to R2 (a trigger underneath R1).  This made the transition a little easier, but I would still want to be able to play a Dual Shock like it was intended.

I also don't know how to feel about the touch pad in the center of the controller.  The games I played never utilized it, so I could not judge its impact.

Booting up the system gives way to a clean home screen.  The background has depth, and flowing lines.  It doesn't seem cluttered with advertisements either.  Categories run across the top of the screen with drop-down options.  Each application has its own section at the top of the screen, so scrolling across could take time.  Despite this, I wish there were more divisions or categories for things such as games, settings and applications.  I actually liked the Xbox One's menu better, even though it was the Panel system from Windows 8.  The One has individual pages for categories.

I have played two games on the PS4, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Call of Duty: Ghosts.  I already reviewed Ghosts earlier, and I felt Assassin's Creed would be a better test of the PlayStation.  I was very pleased with how the PlayStation handled the open-world game, and nothing failed.  The colors were vivid and the edges were clean.  I did not see any screen tearing or loss of frames in the battles, and the smoke effects were handled very well.

Over all, the newest PlayStation is impressive, keeping pace with the newest games and technology.  The graphics are very clean, and the controller is refreshingly new and easy to handle.  I wish I could get my hands on one more frequently to explore all of is options, but it looks like Sony is off to a great start.

Until next time.