By Jennifer Tan AKA Mrs Fett
It has been over 72 hours, since my Sony PS4 has been unboxed and placed in its new GAEMS Vanguard home. I was able to experience everything the new console had to offer.
After turning on the PS4, and signing into PSN, I was expecting some type of tutorial, or at least some nifty little pop ups, explaining new features, icons, etc. But there wasn’t! It was almost as if Sony said “Look, this is our fourth console, if you don’t know what you are doing by now, you shouldn’t own one…” Arrogant, and without merit.
If you are sharing your system with someone else, you are in for a treat. Sony has kept the individual preferences of each profile, and instead of making you a “guest” on someone else’s profile, you still have full control of your own.
The actual feel of the controller is a great improvement. Losing the slight angle of the handles, gives a much desired feel and grip than its earlier models. With your hands now straight, less strain was placed on my thumbs as it reached for both the D-pad, and active buttons. The slightly more defined arch of the triggers also helped “nest” my index fingers, allowing me to rest them there, without the fear of losing grip, or reaction time.
Livestream much? GREAT! Sony has won my heart with their new live streaming interface. On the right, you see your camera (if you connect one) how many people are viewing you, and how many texts are in your chat dialog. On the bottom, the most recent two lines of your chat session, easily viewable while playing your game. Your mic also works with the PS4 controller, so I never had to lift a finger to engage with my viewers, as they watched me rage while playing Knack! The delay was only about 1/4 of a sec, picture quality was flawless, and there was no lag, or falling in and out of the twitch side.
I would not say that this has been an unsuccessful launch for PS4, but it has definitely not been successful. There were no demo units allocated to a majority of retailers before its launch date, no festivities planned, just… lines. Get your number, have your receipt ready, and get out. This I fear, created more irritation and impatience, than excitement and anticipation. The PS4 is a great console, and offers new and exciting experiences for veteran and beginner gamers alike.
