Topic: The PS4 breakdown - has it been the best console ever? Discussion and Banter. Everyone Welcome.

@themcnoisy that's a lot of mentions but anyway, thanks for being a loyal reader... we appreciate it As for PS4? Yeah, I guess it's been alright!

Thanks @themcnoisy it’s been a great generation and a pleasure to have had all your company through it!

PS3 set the bar high but for my money the PS4 has bettered it. I mean the only real negative I have is the battery in the DS4 but really that’s picking hairs.

Anyway I’m looking forward to talking more PlayStation **** with you all with the PS5!

@themcnoisy ooh now that's a tough one, certainly for the first few years I wouldn't have rated the PS4 that highly as it seemed like just a slightly prettier version of last generation. Whilst that's still true to some extent when the likes of Persona 5, Horizon Zero Dawn and Resident Evil 7 hit around 2017 it gained a momentum that has never really stopped. Games like Death Stranding gave us new ways to tackle open worlds, we had fabulous remakes such as Resident Evil 2 and the multiplayer madness of Rocket League and of course PSVR with wondrous games such as Astro Bot and Tetris Effect. There have been negatives this generation with the rise of the live service model and some of its mechanics infecting games such as Assassin's Creed, speaking of Ubisoft I wish they'd realise they can make their games completely different from one another.

Overall though there are far too many games to talk about from AAA games to the indies and everything inbetween and some of my favourite games are from this generation. I think with PSVR it just about pushes it to the top of the Playstation consoles for me (just above PS1) as that has plenty of just good old fashioned gaming fun to go along with the more serious stuff we get now

I humbly appreciate the shoutout.

Forums and the comment sections under articles are the best place for people to voice their opinions on things and discuss their differences. When there is a balanced medium, and a healthy dose of maturity between two peoples difference in viewpoints, it's always a pleasure to try to take away some of what they said and look at it objectively, even if you don't agree with, it helps you understand people as a whole better. Dialogue is the spice of life, so never let anyone stifle your opinions, or stop you from saying what you really feel, just always try to return the same favour when listening to others.

Above was a digression, so apologies for that, moving on to the question in hand. What are my thoughts on the PS4 overall for the generation.

Well, statistically, it's a resounding success, right up there with the likes of PS2 once the PS4 lifecycle completely retires (which is still several years off I would imagine).

In terms of hardware, UI and performance I feel there was a lot of work to do, whilst I think in terms of game diversity, selection and quality of titles is second to none, the front end UI, store and general navigation for the PS4 is horrendous, and just doesn't stack up when compared to the likes of Xbox (its only resounding positive when compared imho).

Hopefully these things will be rectified with the PS5, if so, we could be looking at the best console of all time as we move into the next generation.

Only time will tell...

@themcnoisy thanks for the shout out! The push square community has been great and with me at least, any disagreements have been respectful. Im not sure exactly when I joined here but I know I got linked over from NintendoLife a few years back and I spend a lot more time both reading and joining in on these forums than NL and I wouldn't do that if you lot weren't a welcome bunch so thanks!

I got my PS4 more or less when mgsV came out I guess, I have the mgsV edition console. I tend to wait for a good deal on consoles or when a game I really want to play comes out and then buy the picks from before that time at a reduced rate. At that time I was more inclined to buy games that were part of franchises I played as a kid and this happens to be the generation where the industry as a whole has realised the power of nostalgia so I've had the chance to experience stuff like MGSV, DOOM, Mortal Kombat (and by extension Injustice), Crash Bandicoot remakes including what is probably my favourite game of the generation Crash team racing nitro fueled. I'd never spent so much time on a console game before that (around 6 months) which is crazy.

I got PS plus originally for the social aspect of it to play with a friend on GTA online which isn't normally my cup of tea but it was a good way to keep in touch. The same happened for CTR, I was able to keep in touch with another friend who lived in another country with regular game sessions on that.

That being said, I discovered some brilliant games from the monthly games, namely Infamous second son which then led me to buy infamous first light. Both games were brilliant and I 100%ed them and have now bought the first two Infamous games on PS3 (though they remain in my backlog).

Back to my "picks" from before I bought the ps4 and some from after, the main games that I still haven't got around to playing include stuff like The order 1886, horizon zero dawn, the last guardian and resident evil 7. Doesn't sound like a lot but I have a back log that spans at least 3 consoles per generation (including handhelds) all the way back to the Wii (I think I've played all the GameCube games I own but I probably wouldn't mind playing die hard vendetta again to the end!)

Special shout to Uncharted, 1&2 were a pair of my favourite games on the PS3, I waited to play 3 on a 3d TV but never got around to it and played through all 6 of the games (the last 4 games for the first time) during lock down on ps4.

On that note as well, I think the best games Ive bought digitally were the Tomb Raider games of which I've played the first 2 and I suspect I'll get around to the third one in the next couple of months!

I should give a shout out to some indie games I discovered because of plus, stuff like Torquel, king oddball and The Bridge (I think? The MC Escher style game) are games I'd never have played unless they were handed to me as part of a sub but they were brilliant. On the other hand I've played some duds like AC freedom cry which bored my socks off and (thankfully due to the amount of games) turned me off trying to play the AC series as a whole.

Things I feel I've missed this generation include a new splinter cell game though that might be for the best unless they get Michael Ironside back. Also a decent Tony hawk's game but that may well change in September!

I was debating whether to add this bit because it is rather personal but one game in particular helped me kick a ten year drug habit, Star wars battlefront. I needed to replace my habit with something less addictive but equally as monotonous so I decided on that game because of its star wars theme (I don't normally play online shooters). It definitely helped me take my mind off it for a couple of months and was easy to put down when it had served its purpose. Now I have a truckload more cash flow to buy other games I enjoy! (Well not since lockdown, but in the few years leading up to now lol)

Anyway it's mostly positive, I think a slow start when I was apprehensive to try new games but I was in full swing after a year or two of owning a PS4. I could break down every single game I've played and am yet to play but if you haven't TL,DR'd me by now then you probably would have if I had done that!

@themcnoisy Reminds me I still have to check out your Dreams stuff..! One day, my friend, one day...

Overall, for me it has been the best generation since PS1.

Stand outs are:

Destiny
Fez
Alien: Isolation
Nier Automata
Hyper Light Drifter
Tower Fall
Divinity Original Sin
Drive Club
Axiom Verge
Diablo 3

PS5 has its work cut out!

I'm a PS2 guy through and through, I've got so many great memories of that console, it'll always have a special place in my heart.

Even so, I have to admit the PS4 has probably been the best yet. Maybe I've just got better at avoiding the rubbish, but I've never played so many great games on one console. I've also tried to get out of my comfort zone a bit too and tackle some toughies which I would have shied away from in the past, such as the Soulsbornes and the Niohs of this world.

Also, the PS4 was the point where my kids got into it, so we've had some fun times with family-oriented games as well. Lego City Undercover, Knack II, and now Fall Guys - games I simply wouldn't have tried if it wasn't for the kids.

Yep, I've convinced myself, best console yet.

PS4 has been great for me. I picked mine up in early 2017, having been more on the Nintendo side of the force before then. Getting a PS4 meant that there were a lot of new experiences for me to try. I didn't have a PS3 or Xbox 360, so getting a PS4 meant that I got to experience more of the bigger AA and AAA games that I'd been missing out on.

The biggest positive for me is that the PS4 has a large library of games. The variety of games is also impressive. It's got the standard shooters like COD and Battlefield, wonderful open world games like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Witcher 3, platformers such as Crash and Spyro, and weird Japanese games such as Danganronpa and Catherine.

There's still plenty of excellent games that I haven't played yet, either burrowed away in my backlog or on my wishlist tempting me whenever there's a sale. Then there's upcoming games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Crash Bandicoot: It's About Time. PS4 games could keep me amused for a long time yet.

It is a great question, I personally will always have the SNES as my favourite ever console but I think that has a lot to do with what age you are or where you are in life when a console is released. The SNES came out whilst I was at school and I would game for hours alone and with friends (couch coop was much bigger then), I then got a Wildcard (A SNES copier which could copy any SNES game to disc and run no problem apart from FX games) which meant I could play lots of imported games without issues or the need for an adaptor, some of the games I never knew the name of as they were Japanese and unless they featured in magazines (there was no internet) I had no idea of how to find out.
I have gamed since the ZX Spectrum and came through Atari, Amiga, Sega and Nintendo but have been with Sony since the PS1, I fell in love with the brand and games and have never looked back. I think with games like Tekken and Ridge Racer it was probably the first time gaming at home felt on par with the arcade for me (of which I spent a lot of time and 10/20 pence pieces). Playing Gran Turismo was like playing Mario Kart back in the day, race after race with my friends making up rules for races (using a mini to complete a lap before a Subaru could complete 2 laps was a favourite) and the summer holidays after it was out I don't think a day went by when we didn't play, it was a glorious time.
I will admit though when the Playstation was first announced I was sceptical and didn't think the name was very good at all, how wrong was I!!!
Back to my favourite, the PS4 comes a close second to the SNES for me but as mentioned this has more to do with nostalgia I think. I am currently on a PS4 pro and believe we have been really lucky to have so many good games this generation. Whilst Zelda Link to the Past is and always will be (I think) my favourite game, current games such as GoW, Spiderman, Death Stranding, Wolfenstein II and Destiny are definitely in my top 10 of all time. I appreciate Destiny came out on the PS3 but it has got even better this generation (though I am currently on a break from it).
We also got VR this generation which I am a big fan of, Ace Combat, Blood & Truth, Astro bot and now Iron Man have been great example of what can be achieved.
Sorry for the ramblings (I could honestly go on) to summarise for me the SNES just edges out the PS4 by a gnats knacker but the PS4 (Pro) is the best Playstation to date IMO.

@Kidfried @Mostik the Snes is one of my favourite consoles too! I feel like it's just the pinnacle of 2d gaming (though I'm sure there were consoles with better graphics, I just didn't have them). I don't have a SNES game or even know a SNES game that looks bad these days, the graphics just feel timeless

I've had a cap on all my analog sticks since I got my PS4 too Kidfried, I think that was a benefit of being a late adopter, seeing all my friends with destroyed analog sticks allowed me to take action before it became a problem!

Well it certainly is better than the PS3. Everybody knew before launch, PS4 was better than Xbox One plus with its track record of having powerful exclusives it made the choice for consumers all the more easy. You'd notice all across the web, casuals and people who don't really care about gaming mention "PS4" in memes, posts or comments instead of using "videogame" because it's the only thing they keep hearing. There was a time, around the 360 gen, the word "Xbox" kept being used a lot on the internet in place of "videogame" but PS(4) came back hard to represent the word now. PS4 is up there with PS2 as the greatest consoles of all time. Here's hoping PS5 continues that greatness.

@ralphdibny Yes mate absolutely, Super Mario World for me is unrivalled for platforming brilliance and then we had Donkey Kong, Aladdin, Super Probotector (Contra in the U.S.), Mega Man, Metroid, Castlevania! I could go on but it really was a golden generation!

I only got my PS4 in 2017, when the proper good games started coming out that I was interested in. By that point, games were cheaper and the console was pretty good for the price too. I’m glad I waited as I always have had something to play and honestly, it’s right up there with the PS2, Cube and Wii with some of my favourite games. I don’t think it’s quite going to topple the GameCube for me but that’s down to personal preference from that console’s exclusives rather than things like convenience and obviously graphics. Roll on PS5, that’s all I’ll say.

@themcnoisy

The diversity of titles available on the console isn't as great as what was seen on the PS1/PS2, but that's largely down to changes in the broader console game market and affects every system. With that said, this generation was a massive improvement on last gen thanks to the rebirth of ambitious Japanese home console development. And almost all of those games are landing on PS4.

Hardware-wise, Sony managed to achieve a satisfying balance between power and affordability. It's too weak to run some of the big Western AAA games particularly well (before patching, at least), but, in general, the vast majority of games run well on it.

The controller has some flaws (short battery life; share and options are difficult to hit; touchpad takes up too much space), but it's still easily my favorite of Sony's controllers, with a really comfortable form factor. It's my go-to controller for PC gaming as well.

The profile of Sony's first-party game development was massively boosted this generation. While I'm not gaga about most of their first-party games, I can't exactly pretend like they're not hitting Nintendo-esque highs in terms of how well a lot of their first-party projects are being received.

As for negatives:

I was really disappointed that they abandoned the PS1/PS2 Classics line for PS4. A few old games got remastered, but, overall, PS4 owners lost out on a ton of classic games.

On that front, this is the first PS console without any form of backwards-compatibility, which is also a huge loss, IMO, as Sony was the previous standard bearer for excellent BC support in their home consoles.

The home menu on PS4 is incredibly sluggish, and the dashboard design sucks. Hopefully the PS5's dashboard design is more elegant.

While the console has an excellent library, its lineup of exclusives can't touch what the first Playstation consoles had access to. This is primarily down to the standardization of multiplatform game development, but, for a multi-system owner, it makes the system a bit less impressive when I can play most of the same stuff with better performance elsewhere.

I also haven't forgotten how Sony is still enforcing weird, arbitrary content standards on small Japanese developers. As my interests as a gamer reside solidly in Japanese games, I'm not going to pretend that this, or Playstation's total westernization as a brand, doesn't put me off a bit.

Is it the best console ever? I wouldn't put it in my top five, personally. I think it's mostly a solid improvement on what the PS3 had to offer, but it misses the highs of the PS1/PS2. I can see why its fanbase is so satisfied, though, and the future looks bright for the brand.

@themcnoisy Yeah you are right, if you put both in front of me I would definitely pick up the PS4 to play first I just think the SNES had the bigger impact on me which is more nostalgia than anything else, I do own a Switch too which confirms what you state really as I rarely boot it up these days (it is a great device though). I am just not into the cartoon type graphics anymore even though they are great games I just don't really get absorbed by them like I do with the PS4 games I buy. I would say FPS are my favourite genre and to be fair there is nothing on Switch that really offers me much of that.

@themcnoisy
Cheers buddy, i think I agree with Kyle, best console since the PS1. Although with some of the superb remakes and remasters of late, we have the luxury of replaying some of the more famous titles from back in the day in a whole new way, which has been awesome to experience.

The inbuilt video capture for PS4 was really nice addition, and party chat is quite a game changer for playing online.

My only complaints are:
PS+ titles have been a lot less generous this generation overall but we still get something really enjoyable now and then. Battery life on controllers is poor. And local multiplayer being reduced to 4 people maximum. Nothing too major.

Games of course are always the most important factor, and we've had some excellent games to choose from in the last few years. And you definitely have to give Sony points for the add on hardware, the PSVR. That's pretty impressive, could do with more high quality party games on it though.

I think I joined this site the same year as you, it's been great fun and a privilege to chat to everyone about this wonderful hobby we all love. A great and friendly community here, long may it continue. Cheers!