6
The Consol
exclusive
PS4
I
f you believe the buzz, the PlayStation
4 has already won this console battle.
With the pricing and gaming tradition
going in Sony’s favour the Xbox One
didn’t stand a chance, especially to the
hardcore gamers out there.
recent versions of the PS3 and Xbox
360, and completely unnoticeable
unless the room is all-but silent.
We’re not going to beat around the
bush: the PS4 is awesome. But is it so
awesome as to oust the Xbox One? As
always, there’s more to it than that.
Design and build: living life on
the wedge
Sony PS4 - Design and build:
The PS4 is not a device that you’re
going to have trouble finding a home
for. In fact, it’s very close to the PS3
Super Slim in terms of width and
height. It’s a pretty compact device, and
that’s extra impressive when you realise
that the power pack is built in, whereas
the Xbox One has a big external unit.
Far more important as far as we’re
concerned is the noise a console makes,
and the PS4 is a very stealthy device.
It’s significantly quieter than the most
Share and Option buttons, the first of
which enables easy uploading of the
game footage.
The DualShock 4’s boldest new
feature – a clickable, multi-touchcapable touchpad. Unfortunately we’re
not completely sold on the usefulness
of the touchpad – it does nothing at
all when you’re in the PS4’s menus.
Perhaps developers will come up with
brilliant uses for the touchpad, but it’s
not a totally convincing addition yet.
The controller: more different
than it looks, and all the better
for it
PlayStation 4 DualShock
controller
For many people the DualShock 3
was just too small and light to be very
comfortable, and the lack of trigger-like
shoulder buttons was an issue when
it came to shooters and racing games.
Thankfully, while the DualShock 4 looks
similar to its predecessor, it’s a much
better pad.
There’s a small increase in weight,
slightly larger, rounder handles, and
the L2 and R2 buttons have greater
surface area and far greater travel. Each
individual improvement is a subtle
one, but together they’re enough to
transform the DualShock into a far more
satisfying controller and a worthy rival
to the Xbox One pad.
The Start and Select buttons have
now been retired and replaced with
GME
We wouldn’t mind, but the touchpad
and light bar are presumably the hightech elements that most push the cost
of a separately bought DualShock 4
up to the hefty sum of £49. We’re not
convinced at this stage that that’s worth
it.
PlayStation 4 Home
Sony PS4 - Operating system:
The PlayStation 4 interface, known
rather boringly as the PlayStation
Dynamic Menu. This row of bold, square
icons always contains What’s New, TV
& Video, Live from PlayStation, Internet