The PlayStation 4 is the eighth-generation home video game console which was developed and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The PlayStation 4 is the eighth-generation home video game console which was developed and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Its predecessors include the PS1, PS2, PS3, PS Vita and PSP. It was announced during a press conference on February 20th 2013 and launched in America on November 15th, on November 29th in Europe, South America and Austrailia and on February 22nd 2014 in Japan. It currently competes with Nintendo’s Wii U and Switch and Microsoft’s Xbox One.
The PlayStation 4 offers gamers a better processing unit; the ability to play games that are graphically high in quality and allows streaming platforms, television platforms and social interaction through the consoles Share Play ability and PS4 party. The controller has different abilities as well with the new share button which replaced the old “select” and the options, with a touchpad in the middle which could be used on the console’s UI platform and some video games. It also supports 4K resolution which is a huge bonus for those who are really into having their gameplay on high resolution.
The PlayStation 4 really integrated the whole social dynamic of video games. Gamers were blown away with the graphic capabilities and how fast the game console could run them. Players of the PlayStation do have issues regarding upgrading the measly 500 GB hard drive Sony Interactive Entertainment provides. As games now have better quality and graphics this has meant a massive download size comes with them. An example of this is the combined Call of Duty Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remasterd game, as it ended up taking up a massive 120GB of your storage. This has been one of the most annoying things about the console but it can be swapped with simple external hard drives.
The ability to suspend applications was a great addition, where gamers could press the PS button which allowed them to return to the PS home screen and to go onto for example Netflix – the game would still be running in the background in the same spot so you could easily pick up where you left off. Another great addition to the gaming console was the ability to go into “rest mode”, where gamers could essentially put their console on a lower power mode (almost like turning it off but not). This allowed for any updates to be downloaded and installed or if you simply wanted to go into rest mode and pick up where you left off the next day. It meant that slow internet connections could download game updates whilst people sleep.
There have been some comments or gripes with the PS store as it will crash constantly and won’t play game media i.e. a trailer for a game or load the images for that game on the store because it is so slow and doesn’t respond very well. It has caused some gamers to be disgruntled and they avoid buying games through the store altogether. However, the app has been a shining light for some who just can’t wait to buy a game. The app corresponds with the console. So, if players are away somewhere and there is a great deal on and they purchase a game – they can then buy it using their PS gamertag and have it downloaded to their PS console ready for them to play when they get home (providing that the console is on rest mode).
It’s been 5 years since the PS4 was released and for the many original consoles, Sony is still going strong and provide an amazing machine for gamers to gain entertainment from. The PS store still has its moments but it is over shadowed by its console’s excellence. The PlayStation 4 will remain a highly recommended gaming console for years to come.