PlayStation 4
This article was copied (instead of imported) from the now-deleted Awesome Games Wiki from the Wayback Machine, with lots of edits. |
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Promised greatness. Delivered more.
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The PlayStation 4, released by Sony in November 2013, is the successor to the PlayStation 3 and was succeeded by the PlayStation 5 in 2020. It is also the fourth home console in the PlayStation family and Sony's entry into the eighth generation of console gaming.
Late 2016 saw the release of two additional models: a "slim" PS4 with the same specs as the original model and a more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro, allowing games to run at resolutions of up to 4K.
Why Greatness Awaits
- Rather than making their own chips for the console as they have been doing for past consoles, Sony decided to use an AMD Jaguar-based architecture, making the console more developer-friendly.
- The DualShock 4 controller is comfortable and ergonomic to hold and use, an improvement from the tried-and-true mold used for DualShock controllers from the original PS1 to the PS3. It's also a popular controller among PC gamers next to the Xbox 360 controller. Certain PC games (including "Transistor" and "Shovel Knight ") even recognize it.
- The console's user interface is very well designed and is easy to navigate.
- Nice selection of games (though most are multiplatform), with more on the way.
- Like the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita before it, the system is region-free, making it a good console for imported gamers. However, it is still best for the console and the game to come from the same region.
- Just like the PlayStation 3, the console is able to play Blu-rays and DVDs.
- Home to many amazing exclusives such as Ratchet & Clank, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Marvel's Spider Man and God of War (2018) among many others.
- Several exclusive PS3 and PS2 games like The Last of Us, God of War III, Shadow of the Colossus, Kingdom Hearts series, .hack//G.U. series, and the Uncharted trilogy have received remastered ports that are either just upscaled graphics or better graphics with added content.
- There also has so many games for third-party and indie games, such as Omori, Grand Theft Auto V, Slime Rancher, Gundam vs. Maxi Boost ON, Resident Evil 7, Dark Souls 3 and many more.
- Has an in-game recorder where you can take screenshots, record gameplay, and/or stream them and upload it on sites like Facebook and YouTube; up to 1 hour can be recorded at 720p, 1080p for PS4 Pro.
- Share play, a mode where you can play local multiplayer games with your online friends, even if they don't own the game.
- Remote play returns again, but unlike the PS3, it works well as long as you have a decent internet connection and a phone or a Vita (doesn't work on games that require the camera)
- It is the first console to get an upgrade. However, the PS4 Pro is optional for those who want a better experience, meaning people who have the original PS4 instead of the PS4 Pro won't feel abandoned.
- The first console to support VR and the first time that it actually works well. This was also followed up with the PlayStation VR2 for its successor.
- It is possible to upgrade the console's HDD (Hard Disk Drive) up to a maximum of 2TB (terabytes). The PlayStation website even has a step-by-step guide (They also have one on their YouTube channel on how to do so). It can even support SATA solid-state drives (SSDs), making the game load even faster.
- The "Boost Mode" included in the PS4 Pro can make games that were struggling to manage a consistent framerate on the fat and slim models much smoother and nicer to play.
- All the models of the PS4 are capable of making use of HDR (High Dynamic Range) modes on supported TVs.
- Includes a streaming subscription service called PS Now, it lets you stream games and download certain games.
- Though a PS Plus subscription is required for online pay does suck, you get monthly games many times worth the monthly subscription fee with it so it ain't all bad and it makes the subscription worthwhile even if you rarely play online. As many people were already paying for PS Plus before the announcement that it would be required for online play on PS4, it didn't affect many people.
- Unlike the original models, the Slim models don't have the "Blue Light of Death" issue or the loud fan.
- The PS4 controller also has a touchpad, making it easier to type on the PlayStation Network. It also has a light bar that can sometimes flash and tell you your status in a game (if you have a lot of health or a few health) and speakers. The light also flashes like a police beacon whenever you commit crimes (GTA V and Red Dead Redemption II).
Bad Qualities
- Due to the PS3 and PS4 having completely different architectures, the PS4 isn't backwards compatible with PS3 games. It also isn't backward compatible with PlayStation 2 games and even loses support with PlayStation 1 games for possibly the same reason. Even through hacking, it's impossible. The closest that we currently have are remasters and PlayStation Now (a cloud-streaming service), the latter of which has its own share of problems, such as botched image quality, small library, and input lag. Sony eventually released downloadable emulated PS2 games for the PS4, though neither PS2 classics nor physical discs are compatible.
- It can't play CDs of any kind, even music CDs.
- Worse, there haven't been any PS1 classics available on the PS4's online store since launch, unlike the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita. Though a few games like Final Fantasy VII, VIII IX, The Crash Bandicoot trilogy, and MediEvil got remastered for the PS4 with improved graphics and features.
- While the AMD Jaguar-based architecture was a step up for developer friendliness compared to the PlayStation 3, sadly, this CPU was already outdated by the time of its 2013 release, possessing less than a quarter the power of an Intel Core i5-3570K quad-core processor. This made certain games like Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep, God of War (2018), and Final Fantasy XV struggle to maintain a consistent framerate - especially in the base version. Thankfully, through backward compatibility, the CPU included in its successor, the PlayStation 5, is a vast improvement and allows many of these games to finally achieve a smooth and consistent framerate in either 30 or 60 FPS.
- Weak durability: consoles suffer from the "Blue Light of Death" issue, which is similar to the Xbox 360's "Red Ring of Death". Some models also suffer from an issue regarding disc reading. After you insert the disc, you will hear it spin for a few seconds and then stop, again and again, then, after a few minutes, the message "DISC IS NOT RECOGNIZED" will appear on your TV screen. This can happen with both game discs and Blu-Ray movie discs. Some PS4 owners have found that tapping semi-hard on top of the console where the disc is situated when it is spinning usually fixes this issue. It has been reported that 1200 and 1215A PS4 models, in particular, can have this issue.
- Similar to Xbox, the disc drive is paired to the motherboard (except for a few models), making repair more difficult if the disc drive fails.
- You must swap the daughterboard from the old drive as it is paired to the motherboard. However, performance issues may occur as there is no way to recalibrate the laser.
- The fan can get incredibly loud, especially with the original PS4 model, and it's also quite prone to failing.
- The Launch Fat model has motion-activated power and eject buttons like the Fat PS3, but it can become faulty with age. The revised fat model instead uses normal power and eject buttons that can be pressed.
- Similar to Xbox, the disc drive is paired to the motherboard (except for a few models), making repair more difficult if the disc drive fails.
- It has no A/V port, which means those in some foreign countries where HDTVs are not common/extremely expensive must invest in an HDTV or an HDMI-to-A/V converter.
- The PlayStation Store is full of shovelware; most of it is so bad that Steam Greenlight could've rejected them.
- The PS4 Pro, despite being able to output 4K in games and streaming video, lacks a 4K Blu-Ray drive, something other consoles like the Xbox One S already have (this, however, made it cheaper).
- Unlike the PS3, you now have to pay for a PlayStation Plus membership in order to play online (except for free-to-play games), similar to Xbox Live (a hint that Sony is copying Microsoft's practices), but they probably did this to regain lost money selling the PS3 and from the 2011 PlayStation Network hack. As mentioned above, it isn't all bad due to monthly games; however, in the early years of the console, it did feel like Sony was abusing the fact that people now paid for PS Plus to play online rather than to get monthly games, as the quality of monthly games dropped notably after the release of PS4, with many of the games being highly obscure indie games. While it is understandable that they wouldn't just give away big AAA games so soon after the release of PS4, this went on for several years after release, though it has thankfully now stopped, and most months come with at least one AAA game.
- After Sony Interactive Entertainment moved its company to California, censorship was introduced. Many fanservice games are now being censored, even in Japan. Fortunately, these games are also available on Nintendo Switch and PC without censorship.
- The DualShock 4 controller still has some issues.
- It has a shorter battery life in comparison to the PS3 controller, and this is due to the light attached to it. The light can be dimmed, however, but never turned off.
- The L2 and R2 buttons are extremely sensitive and can activate with the lightest touch. Same thing with the touchpad. If you want to press, you may make a light swipe and activate the swipe action even if you don't want that.
- The older version of the controller didn't have the light bar on the top of the touchpad, so this made players unable to see their status in-game. The problem was fixed in the newer version.
Good/Decent examples of PlayStation 4 games
First-Party
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (especially because of the VR mode that it supports)
- Resident Evil Village
- Marvel's Spider Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- God of War (2018) and God of War Rägnarok
- The Last of Us (Remastered version)
Third-Party
- Mega Man 11
- Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2
- Mega Man Legacy Collection 1+2
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- Dragon Ball: Xenoverse and it's sequel
- Angry Birds Star Wars (Console ports and this isn't a bad port, it's a decent port, just this port is the only way to play this games)
- Genshin Impact
- Super Bomberman R2
- Sonic Mania
- Sonic Frontiers
- Sonic Superstars
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble
- Ben 10: Power Trip
- Omori
- Yo-kai Watch 4
- Grand Theft Auto V (Enhanced version)
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and it's sequel
- Slime Rancher
- Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
- Among Us
- Pac-Man World Re-Pac
- Persona 3
- Persona 3 Reload
- Persona 4
- Persona 5
- SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Fall Guys
- MultiVersus
- Puyo Puyo Tetris and it's sequel
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- South Park: The Fractured but Whole
- Mortal Kombat X
- Mortal Kombat 11
Bad/Average examples of PlayStation 4 games
First-Party
Third-Party
- Jump Force
- Super Bomberman R
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
- Ben 10
- Dragon Ball: The Breakers
- Sonic Forces
- Skull Island: Rise of Kong
- Nickelodeon Kart Racers
- Life of Black Tiger
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance
- All PAW Patrol games
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle
- Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers
- Balan Wonderworld
- Waifu Impact
- Fast & Furious Crossroads
Reception
The system was well received by gamers and is currently the best-selling eighth-generation console. Sony sold 4.2 million units by January 1st, 2014, and 6 million by March 3rd, 2014, making it the fastest-selling video game console at the time. As of June 14th, 2020, the console sold 106 million units, making it the best-selling console this generation and the second best-selling home console by Sony, behind the PS2.
Trivia
- The console's codename was Orbis, while the Pro version is NEO.