Straight out of the box, the PS4 is noticeably smaller than the Playstation 3. It comes packaged with a 'Dualshock 4' controller (more on that later) and all the necessary cables required to play games on a HD TV. It also comes with a small, uncomfortable microphone ear-piece which I have unfortunately been using due to the fact that my already-owned headset will not fit in the singular head-phone jack the PS4 controller comes fitted with. It's also displayed on the box that you get 14 days free of Playstation+, the service which is now required to use several of the online features available such as the ability to play multiplayer games.
As the PS4 comes with a 500GB hard-drive, my initial goal was to double the size of the memory my console would be capable of storing. It seems that Sony is well-aware many people will want to do the same, as the process of removing the HDD has been made even simpler than the PS3. You simply slide off the panel on the top of the console and remove a handful of screws. Then, all that is left is to slide-out the current hard-drive and slide-in your new one. It should be made aware however, that all necessary updates must be downloaded onto a memory stick if you choose to instantly start replacing things.
Obviously the controller is the main thing you will be using when playing games on the PS4, so it's important that it is up to scratch with all of Sony's previous attempts. Thankfully, the Dualshock 4 Controller not only functions just as well as the PS3 controller, but it surpasses many of it's features. The analogue-sticks now curve inwards; allowing for a comfortable rest for your thumbs. The back-triggers have also been improved, now feeling not too dissimilar to the Xbox 360 in that they curve up; creating a place to rest your fingers. Gone are the consistent 'Start' and 'Select' buttons, which have now been replaced with 'Options' and more noticeably, 'Share.' The Options button functions exactly like the Start button, but the newly-introduced 'Share' button allows gameplay or images to be shared straight from your console to Facebook or Twitter. There is also the option to stream gameplay live straight from your PS4 to either Twitch or Ustream, which is a nice addition. There is also a touch-pad placed in the centre of the controller, but I am yet to play a game which utilises it in an innovative way. Other than these tweaks, the Dualshock 4 is recognisable as a Sony-branded controller, it just feels far more comfortable than previous iterations when playing games for long periods of time.
When it comes to games, there aren't really many 'must-haves' currently released. The most praised game seems to be Assassins Creed: Black Flag, but as I don't own it I can't comment. I do however, own a copy of Battlefield 4, which personally amazed me with it's graphical presentation. The frame-rate is now double what it was on the PS3 thanks to the PS4's new, updated hardware, and it really is very apparent that this is a next-gen console. Colours are more vivid than ever, and everything runs far smoother than it did on the previous generation of consoles. I'm very excited to see what talented companies such as Naughty Dog and Rockstar can bring to the PS4, and there's already several titles which have been announced such as Thief or Infamous: Second Son which look promising.
As Playstation+ is now required to play online, the PS4 is based around it more than ever before. The ability to put the PS4 into a 'stand-by' mode (shown by the orange light-strip down the centre of the console) allows for automatic updating of games and the console itself, which is a very welcome feature. The improved hardware also allows for improvements such as the ability to play certain segments of games whilst other parts download, which saves lots of time waiting around for things to load. It all accumulates into a much slicker, smoother experience.
Overall, the PS4 is a very welcome addition to the Sony family, but one which still has a lot of room to develop and expand. Games will obviously improve over the coming years, but the current offerings are still fun to play, if a little lacking in the innovative department. Ideas yet to come such as the strong support for Indie games and the ability to purchase games from the entire Playstation back-catalogue are exciting to say the least...but that about sums up the Playstation 4 as it stands today: exciting. I personally bought a console on release day because I wanted to guarantee I had one before the rush for Christmas, but if you choose to wait until there are many more games available, that is understandable.
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