The PS4 thread

[Tanooki]

That's good to know. I was big on racing with the N64 and also RR4 on the PS1 around 2000 too, but I got so burned out since that was mostly what N64 had in large number other than 3D platformers so I find it almost impossible to play a racing game anymore other than a few hours of time into it, and usually then on a portable. If the plus version really sucks me in I can see maybe committing, so whenever they get their act together is fine by me as I'm in no rush. I'm in the process of selling off a supply of my old games as it is so I'm putting out far more than taking in right now.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Looky what I just got

A week early too. My family is awesome.

[dsheinem]

nice!

now…Destiny!

[RyaNtheSlayA]

nice!

now…Destiny!

I think I'll pass. Not that my satellite internet could handle it anyway.

I can do turn based multiplayer.

Shadow of Mordor and Alien Isolation are in the mail. Probably going to pick up Injustice and Wolfenstein tomorrow since both are cheap (and I love Injustice a lot).

[RyaNtheSlayA]

So, now that I've had some hours to spend with it I think I'll share some thoughts on the PS4.

First off, the speed of the thing is refreshing. Like the Vita, being able to instantly drop in and out of your applications and talk with friends, view trophies, and change settings is super nice. The activity feed interface is a bit of a pain to mess with, it really looks like it was designed for touch screens or touch pad use. Otherwise, I'd like the ability to set my own background and theme colour, which I believe is coming soon in the system update 2.0. Load times are pretty short, though I question why all games seem to install all data to the hard drive instead of using a simultaneous streaming solution like GTAV did on the last generation of consoles for even better times. As it stands, the standard 500GB drive probably will be swapped with a 1TB drive in the near future in my system. The DualShock 4 outclasses the Xbox One's controller in my opinion now. I'm amazed at how comfortable it remains even in long gaming sessions. It did take a bit of time to get used to though. I found it a bit odd to use the sticks below the dpad and face buttons after using a 360 and Wii U Pro pad for so long. The texture on the sticks is pleasing, the triggers are actually triggers now, the face buttons are satisfyingly clicky and the dpad is an improvement on the Dual Shock 3's and seems adequate for fighting game use now. I can easily pull off all the moves I need to in Injustice just like I could on the Wii U (but not 360) versions. Battery life is pretty poor but it hasn't really caused much of an issue thus far; it charges very quickly. The LED light on the front isn't useful but also really isn't obnoxious either. I'm just not sure it's any better than the controller lights on the DualShock 3. What I do find a bit annoying is the positioning of the Options and Share buttons. It normally isn't an issue but when quickly reaching to press either of these buttons to either pause or capture a cool screenshot I often overshoot and end up clicking the touchpad instead. This is rather annoying, because frankly, that thing is of questionable usage. I'm not sure it really brings anything worthwhile to the table. It's a bit better to enter messages with than the dpad but it's not really necessary either. The system is very quiet, at least in game. For whatever reason the home menu seems to cause the fans to ramp up. In any case it's satisfactory and reasonably powerful on top of that. Games look pretty good and I'm very, very happy to see more 60fps games being available thus far compared to the 360 and PS3 era.

Overall I'm quite happy with the system and I think in the end it really is a better choice than the Xbox One.

That said the lack of a real proper racing game at this point is a bit disappointing. The One already has Forza 5 and Horizon 2, both absolutely amazing games in their own right (well the latter is at any rate). On that note, I decided to bite the bullet and try out DriveClub. The collision penalties seem annoying as all hell and I can't play online but it seems to mimic Project Gotham in a way I will probably enjoy. Although I can't play online actively, it seems many of the social aspects are asynchronous so there are options to remain competitive that way. So I guess we'll see. Amazon has it for $52 for anybody who's interested.

[emwearz]

After all the negative stuff I have heard about it, I will be holding out to try the PS+ version (demo) before I make any purchased.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

After all the negative stuff I have heard about it, I will be holding out to try the PS+ version (demo) before I make any purchased.

I really don't blame you at all for that. Frankly that would be the most prudent thing to do for any consumer. There are a few reasons I'm choosing to buy it though. I really like the first Motorstorm, also by Evolution, which was also criticized for it's gung-ho AI and generally punishing, odd driving mechanics; though DriveClub seems to wear affection for Project Gotham on its sleeve first and foremost, sharing a lot with that series. The download size would likely cost me more than the game would. It's $10 a GB after I run out of bandwidth for the month (which I always do even with heavily moderated usage), unless I try to be content with dial-up era speeds, in which case, the game will finish downloading after the next period starts. 16KB/s downloads are not fun. I also simply want a new racing game. It's one of my favorite genre and between this and Need for Speed Rivals for nearly the same price, I'll take the new game that seems like it does something a bit new and interesting despite it's flaws, and will have some decent support in the future by way of DLC and updates.

An interesting tidbit about where I live. It costs less to one day ship something to my house with Amazon Prime than it does to drive a one way trip to the local shopping center where I could buy games.

[dsheinem]

That said the lack of a real proper racing game at this point is a bit disappointing.

You need this!

[BRIK]

I was pretty bummed about the PSN+ version of Drive Club being delayed since I renewed my subscription just for it but oh well. Like others have said, I won't dip into the full game until I like the PSN+ version though. This is a fantastic opportunity that the poor student in me can't deny.

[ZeroAX]

Just so you know, you can dim the lightbar now to save some energy...and well, stop seeing the controller's glow on your TV, but since I mostly played during day light I never noticed that problem xD