Real phenomenon for nearly nineteen years, PlayStation has kept the favors of an audience of experienced players over its various developments, despite a media positioning and opening to the public more pronounced on the PlayStation 3. a philosophy "gamer" which continues with the new PlayStation 4, evidenced by the slogan of Sony, "This is for the players," trying the opposite betting that Microsoft, which relies as much on the media than on the game its Xbox One. The PS4 it keeps its promises and is it enough army to last and stand up to the competition?
To put the odds on his side, the PlayStation 4 will not make the mistake of arriving on the market at a higher selling price (600 euros for the PS3 at the time) and appears to 400 euros version base with a joystick. It is 100 euros less than its main competitor, the Xbox One, which is in turn sold with Kinect and often with a game. So you add 60 euros for the PlayStation camera if one wishes to converse in video Internet, or use the augmented reality games or compatible devices motion detection, for example.
A well-placed tariff, which without being either cheap, allows Sony to not lose money on each console sales this time; the estimated production cost ($ 381) is less than the sale price. This also explains very simply by the architecture of the PS4. The rule is based on components that are usually found in the PC world. No complicated chip like the Cell could be PS3, here up to an AMD APU, which combines CPU and GPU combined with a very fast GDDR5 memory type (more details in our presentation of the news PS4) . Critics of game consoles will say that we are dealing with a single fairly efficient PC disguised as a game console, while others will see more reasonable thought the game machine, the fixed architecture for several years, which may justly be fully exploited by developers to optimizations force. If games launched are never very impressive, no doubt that the beast was still under the hood and the surprises are sure in the coming years, as was the case with the PS3, which still managed to pleasantly surprise us this year (the Last of us, Beyond: Two Souls, GTA V ...).
PS4 Design E32013 05 700px
But enter the heart of the matter, starting with this one notices first, namely the design. Remarkably compact, the machine pays the luxury of being thinner and narrower than the latest revisions of the PS3 and Xbox 360, but a little deeper. If we take care not to evaluate its appearance, we find it rather successful and sober enough not to shock in a salon. Only the shiny plastic area we have a problem because of its susceptibility to scratches and its propensity to trap dust - lint-free cloth must!
PS3 PS4 vs 01 vs 350pxPS4 PS3 PS4 350pxLa 02 may be disposed vertically. Sony still recommends using a special bracket.
PS4 PS3 vs 03 700px
The PS3 Slim Ultra is thicker and taller / wider than the PS4, but shallower.
Still, from a technical standpoint, the PS4 seems well designed, as its heat does not seem excessive to us during his visit to the thermal camera. This is already more mixed on the side of the consumer, as if she knows remain reasonable at stake, she still engulfs more than 80 W on the main menu and not less than 104 W in Blu-ray playback. Better to use a Blu-ray player dedicated if you own one, since the difference can be huge (6 W only for Sony BDP-S1100, for example).
With consumption which still shows measured, one could expect low noise. However, if the PS4 never shows really noisy, it could have been quieter and longer heard that the latest PS3 Ultra Slim; thing we could measure the sound level meter. That said, nothing embarrassing video game or to watch movies. The console means especially when there is no noise in the room.
Finally be noted that the hard drive is changed easily without affecting the warranty.
PS4 DS4 E32013 01 700px
A review joystick and corrected
Manette mythical and adored by many players, the DualShock happening here in version 4 (DS4) and finally dares more pronounced ergonomic changes. His form is changing, with handles that stretch and enter more into the palm of the hand. Its mass (213 g) increases from 40 grams to the passage, based on the DS3 (173 g). Without hesitation, we greatly prefer this new version, which seems better thinking and approaches the comfort of Xbox 360 controllers and One. The DS4 also uses the idea concave analog sticks of the latter, which, however, retain a small domed in the center, as a nod to the older generation and probably not too much trouble regulars older versions . Again, this is successful, thumbs cling well and the nonslip material is nice. It's the same for the gates at the rear, the small ledge prevents fingers from slipping.
DS4 DS3 vs 01 vs DS3 233pxDS4 350px 02 (1)
The handles of the new DS4 are longer and more spaced analog sticks.
The cross becomes even more comfort and remains accurate while the right buttons change little, which is not worse. The start and select buttons nevertheless disappear, replaced by a "options" button above and a touch pad on the front!
DS4 01 350pxDS4 02 350px
Despite a size substantially smaller than the touch surface of the PS Vita, this clickable pad is designed to be used in games, which is already in Killzone Shadow Fall. If it does not seem we need for the moment, the novelty is friendly and we wait to see what that will do the developers. Even finding about the light area in front of the joystick. Not switched off, however, it does not bother during games and is forgotten. Sony gets here the PS Move and lighting principle used to identify the controller in space, thanks to the PlayStation Camera. Rather gadget for now, this feature is used in the mini-game Playroom, which operates augmented reality. No doubt other games will exploit this feature, since developers are sure to find at least this bright area in the hands of all PS4 players; this was not the case of PS Move on PS3, sold as a separate accessory, which also explains the lack of compatible games. In fact, hard to believe in the future of Move despite its compatibility with the PS4.
Finally, note the integration of a loudspeaker to broadcast sound directly from the controller; a good point for immersion. The headphone / microphone is used in turn to chat with other players with the hands-free kit provided.
The interface on several levels
Exit interface Xross Media Bar on the PS3 with its horizontal scroll icons columns, place a revamped menu, divided into "stages". Each stage is actually made up of a line of different icons, that can be opened by pressing the down arrow to move down the menu. Operation is simple and intuitive interface. This operation is reflected in the menus of the NSP, also modified for clarity.
PS4 01 Interface 700px
Above all, the PlayStation 4 is fully multitasking and can thus move from one activity to another very quickly and play by downloading a game, as shown in a video presentation of the interface PS4 uploaded by Sony.
Finally, the emphasis is on social, with a connection to social networks, greater ease to get in touch with other players and join them in part; not forgetting the share options to watch game clips from other players or send our own extracts simply capturing a sequence with the "Share" button on the controller, planned for it.
There are also music and video services, but it is clear that the console places a strong emphasis on the game. But that's the end of the free multiplayer, since we must now pay a subscription to PlayStation (7 € / month or € 50 / year) to enjoy it, as on Xbox! Sony is also justified. In return, however PS Plus subscription can enjoy free games - and often quality - every month.
The media in Bern
If the PS3 was positioned as a multimedia center, with DLNA function to play music and video stored on other network devices, the PS4 neglects this aspect and it offers nothing for the moment, to forget reading audio CD and mp3! It's a big disappointment. Sony promises updates to add these important features. We will return to the multimedia aspect of the PS4 as soon as possible. Meanwhile, only registered service Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited, available by subscription, are available on the console.
launch games not so impressive
The games are often rare in the launch of a console. The PS4 is no exception to the rule and eventually offers not many exclusives. The most prominent Knack, Resogun and Killzone Shadow Fall, since the other titles launching are found on other consoles, PS3 included, as is the case of Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag, Need for Speed Rivals, Fifa 14, NBA 2K14 and many others. No Gran Turismo yet, but another game race Driveclub, which has unfortunately been postponed to 2014.
Of course, the multiplatform games still enjoy the superior graphics power of the PS4, which therefore shows a lot more detail. However, this is not yet the graphics slap that many expected lack of truly optimized for console titles. It will take a few months for it. Of course, with a PC architecture, difficult not to compare the PS4 games to their PC versions. The latest addition to Sony holds also good comparison and displays virtually equivalent graphics, despite a small decline in definition on Battlefield 4, for example.
A well-placed tariff, which without being either cheap, allows Sony to not lose money on each console sales this time; the estimated production cost ($ 381) is less than the sale price. This also explains very simply by the architecture of the PS4. The rule is based on components that are usually found in the PC world. No complicated chip like the Cell could be PS3, here up to an AMD APU, which combines CPU and GPU combined with a very fast GDDR5 memory type (more details in our presentation of the news PS4) . Critics of game consoles will say that we are dealing with a single fairly efficient PC disguised as a game console, while others will see more reasonable thought the game machine, the fixed architecture for several years, which may justly be fully exploited by developers to optimizations force. If games launched are never very impressive, no doubt that the beast was still under the hood and the surprises are sure in the coming years, as was the case with the PS3, which still managed to pleasantly surprise us this year (the Last of us, Beyond: Two Souls, GTA V ...).
PS4 Design E32013 05 700px
But enter the heart of the matter, starting with this one notices first, namely the design. Remarkably compact, the machine pays the luxury of being thinner and narrower than the latest revisions of the PS3 and Xbox 360, but a little deeper. If we take care not to evaluate its appearance, we find it rather successful and sober enough not to shock in a salon. Only the shiny plastic area we have a problem because of its susceptibility to scratches and its propensity to trap dust - lint-free cloth must!
PS3 PS4 vs 01 vs 350pxPS4 PS3 PS4 350pxLa 02 may be disposed vertically. Sony still recommends using a special bracket.
PS4 PS3 vs 03 700px
The PS3 Slim Ultra is thicker and taller / wider than the PS4, but shallower. 
Still, from a technical standpoint, the PS4 seems well designed, as its heat does not seem excessive to us during his visit to the thermal camera. This is already more mixed on the side of the consumer, as if she knows remain reasonable at stake, she still engulfs more than 80 W on the main menu and not less than 104 W in Blu-ray playback. Better to use a Blu-ray player dedicated if you own one, since the difference can be huge (6 W only for Sony BDP-S1100, for example).
With consumption which still shows measured, one could expect low noise. However, if the PS4 never shows really noisy, it could have been quieter and longer heard that the latest PS3 Ultra Slim; thing we could measure the sound level meter. That said, nothing embarrassing video game or to watch movies. The console means especially when there is no noise in the room.
Finally be noted that the hard drive is changed easily without affecting the warranty.
PS4 DS4 E32013 01 700px
A review joystick and corrected
Manette mythical and adored by many players, the DualShock happening here in version 4 (DS4) and finally dares more pronounced ergonomic changes. His form is changing, with handles that stretch and enter more into the palm of the hand. Its mass (213 g) increases from 40 grams to the passage, based on the DS3 (173 g). Without hesitation, we greatly prefer this new version, which seems better thinking and approaches the comfort of Xbox 360 controllers and One. The DS4 also uses the idea concave analog sticks of the latter, which, however, retain a small domed in the center, as a nod to the older generation and probably not too much trouble regulars older versions . Again, this is successful, thumbs cling well and the nonslip material is nice. It's the same for the gates at the rear, the small ledge prevents fingers from slipping.
DS4 DS3 vs 01 vs DS3 233pxDS4 350px 02 (1)
The handles of the new DS4 are longer and more spaced analog sticks.
The cross becomes even more comfort and remains accurate while the right buttons change little, which is not worse. The start and select buttons nevertheless disappear, replaced by a "options" button above and a touch pad on the front!
DS4 01 350pxDS4 02 350px
Despite a size substantially smaller than the touch surface of the PS Vita, this clickable pad is designed to be used in games, which is already in Killzone Shadow Fall. If it does not seem we need for the moment, the novelty is friendly and we wait to see what that will do the developers. Even finding about the light area in front of the joystick. Not switched off, however, it does not bother during games and is forgotten. Sony gets here the PS Move and lighting principle used to identify the controller in space, thanks to the PlayStation Camera. Rather gadget for now, this feature is used in the mini-game Playroom, which operates augmented reality. No doubt other games will exploit this feature, since developers are sure to find at least this bright area in the hands of all PS4 players; this was not the case of PS Move on PS3, sold as a separate accessory, which also explains the lack of compatible games. In fact, hard to believe in the future of Move despite its compatibility with the PS4.
Finally, note the integration of a loudspeaker to broadcast sound directly from the controller; a good point for immersion. The headphone / microphone is used in turn to chat with other players with the hands-free kit provided.
The interface on several levels
Exit interface Xross Media Bar on the PS3 with its horizontal scroll icons columns, place a revamped menu, divided into "stages". Each stage is actually made up of a line of different icons, that can be opened by pressing the down arrow to move down the menu. Operation is simple and intuitive interface. This operation is reflected in the menus of the NSP, also modified for clarity.
PS4 01 Interface 700px
Above all, the PlayStation 4 is fully multitasking and can thus move from one activity to another very quickly and play by downloading a game, as shown in a video presentation of the interface PS4 uploaded by Sony.
Finally, the emphasis is on social, with a connection to social networks, greater ease to get in touch with other players and join them in part; not forgetting the share options to watch game clips from other players or send our own extracts simply capturing a sequence with the "Share" button on the controller, planned for it.
There are also music and video services, but it is clear that the console places a strong emphasis on the game. But that's the end of the free multiplayer, since we must now pay a subscription to PlayStation (7 € / month or € 50 / year) to enjoy it, as on Xbox! Sony is also justified. In return, however PS Plus subscription can enjoy free games - and often quality - every month.
The media in Bern
If the PS3 was positioned as a multimedia center, with DLNA function to play music and video stored on other network devices, the PS4 neglects this aspect and it offers nothing for the moment, to forget reading audio CD and mp3! It's a big disappointment. Sony promises updates to add these important features. We will return to the multimedia aspect of the PS4 as soon as possible. Meanwhile, only registered service Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited, available by subscription, are available on the console.
launch games not so impressive
The games are often rare in the launch of a console. The PS4 is no exception to the rule and eventually offers not many exclusives. The most prominent Knack, Resogun and Killzone Shadow Fall, since the other titles launching are found on other consoles, PS3 included, as is the case of Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag, Need for Speed Rivals, Fifa 14, NBA 2K14 and many others. No Gran Turismo yet, but another game race Driveclub, which has unfortunately been postponed to 2014.
Of course, the multiplatform games still enjoy the superior graphics power of the PS4, which therefore shows a lot more detail. However, this is not yet the graphics slap that many expected lack of truly optimized for console titles. It will take a few months for it. Of course, with a PC architecture, difficult not to compare the PS4 games to their PC versions. The latest addition to Sony holds also good comparison and displays virtually equivalent graphics, despite a small decline in definition on Battlefield 4, for example.
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