Ps4 Review (Updated)

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The Good The PlayStation 4 serves up dazzling graphics, runs on a simplified and logical interface and boasts a fantastic controller. It has the upper hand on indie and digital-only games and can stream legacy titles via PlayStation Now, too. The PS4 makes it super-easy to capture and broadcast gameplay online and generally delivers zippier performance than its direct competition. And it doubles as a Blu-ray player and solid streaming box.


The bad PS3 games aren't compatible and PlayStation Now streaming isn't a flawless experience. The Xbox One (and even the older PS3) has a slight edge on nongaming entertainment features such as network media streaming (DLNA), media app support and remote-control compatibility.

The bottom line The PlayStation 4's beautiful graphics, smart interface, blazing performance, near-perfect controller and better indie offerings give it a slight edge over the Xbox One as both consoles enter their second year.

CNET REVIEW

We're coming up on an entire year since Sony and Microsoft both released their latest video game consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. That's a perfect time to reevaluate where each console stands and -- more importantly -- how their respective game lineups shake out.

When they were first released, we gave the edge to the PS4 over the Xbox One. And at this point in time, the PS4 is still looking good. It continues to improve thanks to regular system firmware updates and a consistent stream of console-exclusive independent games. Exclusive AAA-titles are more infrequent, but the PS4 has some promising titles coming down the pike, including Bloodborne and The Order 1886, both scheduled to arrive in February.

A year ago we recommended holding off on the new-generation gaming systems. The PS3 and the Xbox 360 still present compelling values, but as 2015 progresses, you'll start to see major titles (such as those listed above) only available on the newest consoles. With that in mind, we now think PS4 and Xbox One are finally ready for your living room.

To be clear: the PS4 and the Xbox One are very closely matched. Both offer a growing library of third-party games -- mainstays like the Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Madden series, as well as newer titles like Destiny. And both double as full-service entertainment systems, with built-in Blu-ray players and streaming services like Netflix, YouTube and Hulu Plus.

But even with Microsoft's tempting holiday-only price cut on the Xbox One, we're still partial to the PlayStation 4. Our reasoning is below -- along with a few caveats where we'd like to see the PS4 improve.

No matter how you purchase a PS4, it'll ship with an HDMI cable, a DualShock 4 wireless controller, a USB charging cable and an earbud headset for game chat. The standard console goes for $400. It seems like at almost any given time a PS4 bundle is being offered by Sony or another retailer. These usually provide the best overall value if you're looking to get started from scratch. Currently, the only one offered is a white PS4 with the Destiny game for $450, but you might find other retailer-specific bundles (or holiday deals, where a store will throw in a game for free).

Major PS4 exclusive games (available now or soon):

- Infamous: Second Son
- Driveclub
- Killzone: Shadow Fall
- Knack
- LittleBigPlanet 3 (November 18)

Major PS4 exclusive games due by the end of 2015:

- The Order: 1886
- Bloodborne
- Uncharted 4
- Deep Down
- Let it Die
- Wild
- Ratchet and Clank reboot

PS4 ecosystem

The PlayStation ecosystem includes various products that all share functionality. For example, the PS Vita can stream PS4 games. The PlayStation TV (PSTV) can also stream PS4 games as well as play Vita games and legacy PlayStation titles. Select phones from Sony's Xperia line can also stream gameplay from the PlayStation 4.

Firmware version 2.00/2.01

The latest PS4 firmware (released October 28, 2014) introduces various new features to the console. Here are the major improvements:

- Players can now upload video captures straight to YouTube (in addition to Facebook)
- Music can now be played during gameplay from a USB drive
- The main interface now supports themes
- New voice commands are available and can be activated through the PlayStation Camera or an attached headset
- Players can now pause and resume downloads (instead of just having to cancel and restart them)
- Share Play: Now PS4 owners can "host" a play session and "hand off" the game controller for up to 60 minutes to one of their friends on the PlayStation Network. At the end of the session players can simply restart. Share Play can also work with co-op games that let two players engage at the same time. Share Play works with any PS4 game and only the host player needs a copy of the game and a PlayStation Plus membership.

The 2.00 firmware had some notable bugs, but Sony has addressed them with a recent 2.01 update.

PS4 pros

Here are the areas where the PS4 excels -- and where it has an edge over the Xbox One:

PlayStation Plus

Compared with Xbox Live's Gold membership, PlayStation Plus still makes it out as the better overall value. The Instant Game Collection titles that come with the subscription can be played across various PlayStation platforms and the quality of these titles tends to be higher. You need PlayStation Plus to play online, and it also offers discounts, exclusive betas and demos, cloud save storage, game trials and automatic system updates.

PlayStation Plus is $50 a year, while Xbox Live Gold is $60 per year.

System interface

Overall, the PS4's interface feels zippier than the Xbox One's. Games install quicker and moving around menus is a much more seamless experience. It's by far an easier system to navigate, as opposed to the Xbox One's sometimes confusing presentation.

Game streaming

Sony's answer to backward compatibility is PlayStation Now, a service still currently in beta that allows PS4 owners to stream a game over the Internet. That said, your experience will vary depending on your Internet connection. Suffice it to say, playing shooters and other "twitch" games on PS Now isn't great. We're also not in love with its current pricing structure.

That said, while it's far from perfect, the Xbox One doesn't have an answer to PS Now.

Performance

Aside from a zippier all-around experience in the system software, the PS4 tends to install games quicker than the Xbox One. There's also some evidence that multiplatform games play better and run in higher resolutions than they do on the Xbox One. In some cases, the PS4 will also play at a higher frame rate than the Xbox One.

Game broadcasting and social sharing

The DualShock 4 controller has a button dedicated to broadcasting and sharing options. The whole feature set is wonderfully tied into the fabric of the system and makes doing so fairly painless. Players can instantly snap screenshots, tweet photos and broadcast gameplay to Twitch (a free online streaming gaming video service), all within a few clicks.

PS4 owners can also save these videos and screens and put them on a USB drive, edit them on the PS4 or upload them to YouTube (thanks to the aforementioned 2.00 firmware update).

Unfortunately, publishers can block the ability to share content -- something Activision is doing with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Independent games

Sony has committed to bringing popular independent games to PS4. While a lot of these titles have previously been available for PC, games like Nidhogg, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Broforce (among many others) will only see console debuts on PS4.

User-accessible hard drive

The PS4 ships with a 500GB 5,400 RPM hard drive, but users can easily swap it out for a 2.5" SATA drive with a larger capacity or a SSHD or SSD for potentially increased performance. The Xbox One, by comparison, doesn't allow user-upgradable hard drives.

DualShock 4 controller

The DualShock 4 is the best PlayStation controller yet and features a front-facing touchpad that can also be clicked. Players can bring their own headphones and plug them directly into the controller so they don't disturb the neighbors during nighttime gaming.

The controller is very comfortable and can be charged with a Micro-USB cable. The only real downside is the battery: unlike the Xbox One controller, the PS4's can't be replaced.

PS4 cons

Here are the areas where the PS4 could use a little work:

Media apps: Good, but slightly lagging behind the Xbox One

The PS4 offers mainstay media and entertainment apps like Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and Hulu Plus, but is

noticeably missing apps that the Xbox One does have, such as ESPN, Comedy Central, Fox, Fios and others. And weirdly, neither the Xbox One or the PS4 have HBO Go, even though the older Xbox 360 and PS3 do.

There is support for sports, though -- PS4 owners can use MLB, NBA (only on PS4), NFL Sunday Ticket and NHL apps.

Sony has also teased an online TV service, which we've yet to see, though it was promised to hit before the end of the year. Details are vague, but it looks to be a cable-like video streaming app -- think Netflix or Hulu, but with live TV channels.

Media playback: Not yet as good as the PS3's 

Aside from the built-in video and music apps, PS4 owners can't play their own video media on the console, unlike the media player capabilities now featured on the Xbox One. They can, however, play music from an attached USB drive and listen to it while playing games.

Unlike the PS3, the PS4 has no support for

DLNA -- which means you can't stream photos, music or video from a PC on your home network.

PlayStation Plus: Worthwhile, but not as good as a deal as on the PS3

While PlayStation Plus gives PS4 owners a decent game collection out of the box, it's much more expansive on the PS3. This will likely improve as the PS4's library continues to grow.

PS4 vs. Xbox One

There's not likely to be a definitive winner in the new generation console wars. While the PS4 had a clear advantage at launch, that edge is slowly evaporating as Microsoft has worked feverishly to undo most of the Xbox One's original missteps. Both consoles are now similarly priced and offer a lot of the same features.

While the Xbox One has had to play catch-up for the last year, it's entirely possible the pressure will eventually get to the Sony camp as well. The PlayStation 4 has yet to see a price drop, whereas the Xbox One has tweaked its pricing structure a few times.

Right now the PS4 and the Xbox One are neck and neck with exclusives -- though the PS4 also has a better range of digital-only titles. But taste in games is always subjective; either those games will appeal to you, or they won't. Each console manufacturer has made exclusivity deals with various developers, so the sad reality is you're going to miss out on something great no matter which platform you choose.

You might read about the PS4's specs trumping those of the Xbox One, but it's important to keep in mind how that translates to actual results. You'll remember that the PS3 was originally poised to be a massive powerhouse that would leap past the Xbox 360, but in reality it didn't perform much better. You could even make the argument that most multiplatform games played smoother and looked better on the Xbox 360. That said, at the time of this writing (and having considered most of the multiplatform games currently available), the PS4 does seem to perform slightly better than the Xbox One.

CNET