PS4 first impressions

I got my hands on a PS4 launch system and was able to spend some decent time with it over the weekend so I thought I would share my early thoughts.

In terms of hardware this feels like a big upgrade from the PS3, the software does not seem like a big upgrade yet but some of it does show the real potential of the next generation. Killzone: Shadow Fall is a pretty generic first person shooter when it comes to gameplay, but the graphics are hands down the best I have seen on a console. This game is absolutely beautiful to look at, even PC gamers are likely to be impressed with some of the visuals they pulled off. If we are seeing something that looks this great at launch then we should be very excited about what is to come when developers have had some time with the hardware.

The game I spent the most time with was Assassin's Creed IV, it is an excellent game and I would say it is the must own title on the system right now but it is available on pretty much every other system as well. It does look absolutely stunning on PS4 but because it was designed in such a way that would allow it to run on the previous generation of hardware as well it does not seem like it fully takes advantage of the hardware, it is still a beautiful and highly addictive game however.

There are also free games available to download and I played a few of these. Resogun is very fun, it is like an old school shooter like Defender with graphics updated for the modern era. It is an addictive game that will keep people busy for a long time trying to beat their high scores. Contrast is also free on PS+ and that is a very interesting puzzle game with a very artistic graphical style. It is very much an indie game so it won't push the limits of the console but it is a very unique game that is well worth checking out.

As far as the hardware goes the performance is far better than that of the PS3, while the OS is very similar in style to that of the PS3 it performs much better. You can now switch between your game and the XMB instantly, there is no load time at all and it feels so much better than it did on PS3 where it seemed like it took ages to load the XMB if you were in the middle of a game.

The number one thing that impressed me most about the PS4 however is the Remote Play feature, it requires a Vita to use it but it is a revolutionary new feature that could change handheld gaming forever. I used this on my home network and it worked perfectly, I could stream any PS4 game straight to my Vita and I had no issues with lag at all. The image was beautiful and played very smoothly, for families that share a television this will be great as it will allow one person to watch their show while the other streams their PS4 game to their handheld. I have not tried connecting through remote play over the internet, I know it requires a very fast connection and I am unsure if my connection is even fast enough to handle it but the option of playing your PS4 from miles away is there for those with a fast enough connection. This is a killer app for both the PS4 and the Vita and I suspect we are about to see the Vita skyrocket in popularity because of it.

Overall the PS4 is already showing us some really great things, it is an impressive piece of hardware that shows lots of potential. The game library so far is decent but the great titles are still at least a few months away, I would not say there is anything in the launch lineup that screams out to people that they need a new console but there is plenty to keep people entertained if they do get one.