Battlefield is one my son knows pretty well, having spent a lot of time playing the beta on the PS3 and playing the released game at a friend's house, so he can help me compare what is working better and what is not.
Initial thoughts and impressions:
- The console looks sharp while running both cool and fairly quietly
- The controller is indeed larger than the PS3's DualShock 3, but not as much as I expected. It is a little longer and a little wider, and maybe just a tiny bit heavier. It is certainly comfortable to hold. The DualShock 3 had rather unforgiving seams that sometimes cut into my palms during extended play. I'm not getting any of that with the DualShock 4
- The PSN is a bit of a mess right now. Of course that is to be expected, but it took me almost half an hour to get my account online and synced up to my network ID and my son finally gave up after about twenty minutes of failure.
- There are moments of awe visually in Battlefield. In the first level there was a narrow passage filled with rippling, reflective waters. Later on there was a rainstorm during a fight in a all building. The water splattering against the furniture and floor was impressive, as were the rain streaked windows. Particle and lighting effets also impress. A good early show of power there.
- The OS is quick and responsive, but also a bit cluttered feeling
- The 500 gb hard drive is going to be a pain. I've already chewed through about 100 gbs on day one. Killzone is the main culprit, but it is hardly acting alone.
- Total list of games you will be hearing about over the next week:
* Battlefield 4
* Killzone
* Knack
* Madden
* FIFA
* Contrast
* Resogun
* Super Motherload
More to come!
Glad to know it's up and running with no hardware issues!
ReplyDeleteOn this, "The 500 gb hard drive is going to be a pain. I've already chewed through about 100 gbs on day one. Killzone is the main culprit, but it is hardly acting alone."
Is there mandatory installation on the games or required just for some? Or, are you installing them just to do it?
On the noise factor, I'm curious to know how loud it is, because my current PS3 screams when it starts running. I'm kind of curious for a sound comparison between the PS4 and the other consoles actually.
Evenin' bud. :)
ReplyDeleteSo, the PS4 - as well as the XB1 - are having mandatory installs. And now that I have fully installed what I have, I'm down to having used about 200 gbs. I really think both PS4 and XB1 underestimated the HD usage here.
The sound is very quiet. My PS3 sounds like an angry coffee machine (I figure you will appreciate that comparison). I can't even hear my PS4 running from about 8 feet away. It also doesn't seem to be getting nearly as hot as my PS3 or XB360
"So, the PS4 - as well as the XB1 - are having mandatory installs."
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that, or at least don't remember hearing enough about it to remember it. Is it full game installs, and the disc isn't read but at certain points (like some PC games have done)...or just a small portion of the game being installed? I can only imagine it being all of it, considering you have used about 200 GBs already...
I forgot about the heat issue as well...
My PS3 is like an oven if it gets closed up in the entertainment system by accident. I could probably sit my coffee cup next to it to keep it warm...
If it's not quite full, I believe it is quite close. Killzone alone is chewing up about 45 gbs. The XB1 had originally said that they would require full game installs - I'm not sure how much of that - if any - is now modified.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I kept checking while playing Madden and while my son was playing Battlefield. I have to say, Battlefield looks gorgeous. It was kicking ut warm air, but never the blisteringly hot suff my cats like (seriously, one of my cats is alway trying to sneak behind the PS3 when one of us is using it, so she can stay toasty, lol)
Speaking of playing Madden, if you're doing a separate post on the PS4 version...can you do a comparison of the blades of grass. I'm 100% serious. :)
ReplyDeleteI remember them talking about that in the presentation, or maybe just showing it (?), so I'm curious as to how much of a difference with the grass there really is.
That's pretty hilarious about the cat using the PS3 as a heater, and if you ever have to send that one off for repair, I could almost imagine their reply being, "Ummm, we pulled out a lump of what appears to be animal hair...sorry, can't fix it!"
Right? I'm pretty neurotic about keeping my vents clean on my PC and consoles (probably one of the reasons my first Xbox 360 didn't RRoD for about 4 1/2 years even though it was one of the originals).
ReplyDeleteSo funny thing about the grass. My oldest - who doesn't really play anything more than Just Dance or Bioshock - has this weird obsession with the appearance of the grass in Madden games. I recall reading something about EA being quite happy with the grass' appearance. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but my first game was an exhibition in Soldier Field (Lions vs Bears, naturally), and the field had a patchy, sodded look that apparently my daughter thought was 'very cool'. I'll have to pay more attention to it later, but that was something she called out right away. :P