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

@antdickens Thank man, all things considered I think the PS4 is slightly better than alright rofl.

@Dodoo I've had a few controllers break. Right trigger on my current one which is just about holding on, charge port in my old gran Turismo controller and my first controller fell apart after 2 years! But it's my favourite controller to date for comfort.

@carlos82 agreed, PSVR is niche but that's been a strong point for me. None of the games have tacked on service extras so far and are solid stand alone experiences. Astrobot and Statik were both unbelievable, proper VR gaming for a few hundred quid. Incredible job by Sony on the headset.

@Grindagger Yes good shout on the UI, we can't forget about the early issues with PSN either - ruining many gaming nights. I still have issues coming from the Web browser into a game, maybe the information overloads the CPU. That said I do like the lack of adverts and the layout is easy to navigate. Plus it helps when you have one of the Wipeout themes (Auricom ftw).

@ralphdibny glad to hear you are in recovery, never knew that mate so good luck! Games although painted as a childish endeavour by some, are as deep and meaningful as you want them to be these days. I've used them as a crutch whilst paying my mortgage, no need to traipse across town in my best John Travolta outfit when King oddball was more fun than the locals quiz machine, forgot about that one and played a lot of it too.

@Octane There's no rush bro. I've given up on Dreams since grabbing a ps now sub and tracking my damn trophy count. Hopefully I will pick it back up before the next gen and make another track or two. One things for certain in that Dreams is the best resource for imaginative folk with limited technical knowledge.

@kyleforrester87 Great playing Destiny back in the day and getting advice for Fez. It's funny actually your list is mostly early releases which is also when games came out at a slower rate. I will always blame the switch for your return to the darkside!

@Kidfried controversial! I was a genesis kid, so the snes has never held this spell over me. Owning the snes mini and playing it for the grand total of 10 hours at most this gen, the games just don't have the content in the face of the PS4 library. They are still great for their time and very playable. But no, if I had to pick between a game of Street Fighter 2 or Soul Calibur 6, SC6 wins every time. NEX Machina has zombies ate my neighbours beat and PES 18 eats any of the footy games on Snes. I couldn't recommend Mario World over Rayman Legends. Maybe just maybe, A link to the past is a timeless game - something about the atmosphere and world. Has that got a contender on PS4? I would also add the snes controller is too small for me, uncomfortable over long periods.

@Gremio108 Fall guys is the reason I started the thread, it's the game which has just pushed the PS4 to the top of the charts in my opinion. I absolutely loved the PS2 / GC / Xbox / Dreamcast gen, absolute beast games and loads of competition bringing out innovative games. Last night I was looking at my library and couldn't decide wherever to play Cities, Watchdogs 2, Cod MW2 remastered or Fall guys all as part of my subs. It then dawned on me that yup it's probably the best time to be a gamer right now.

@crimsontadpoles Glad you bought one Crim. I recall droughts of games on nearly every console I've ever purchased, peaks and troughs of quality. The PS4 has a steady stream of good games with superb games interlaced between, even now there is FF7 remake, GoT and TLOU 2 - in the last few months! Insane amount of games to play. The shout for Disgaea is a good one, generally under rated by the masses it's like the gamers version of football manager.

@BAMozzy Thanks for the comment BAM, well thought out as usual. I would say without trying PSVR you have missed out on why I rate the PS4 so highly. It brings so much innovation to the table and is so immersive, I would never ever play a horror game on it! The controller point is spot on and the 3rd party publishers have kind of digressed into pigeon holes. Capcom have stood out compared to other big 3rd parties and EA have finally started to listen to hobbyist gamers.

@Mostik I've given my thoughts on the snes above. It's a great console no doubt but if I had a snes or PS4 in front of me, well the choice would be obvious. A link to the past is possibly one of a few timeless classics, top down 2d pixel based games. It can't be bettered really. I would have said the same about Streets of Rage 2 on the Megadrive - until Streets of Rage 4 came out a few months back and I just can't go back now.

@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!

@themcnoisy much appreciated, and to be fair you are right. I am great.

There's definitely been a lot of highs for me this gen. It was the first generation where I've actually enjoyed online gaming with Destiny (the great drunken raids of 2016 with some of you lot should never be forgotten), found some of my favourite games of all time with the new focus on Indies, and seen a huge leap in storytelling with the likes of God of War and TLOU2.

The thing is, I'm not sure I'm going to make the leap to next gen. I don't play nearly as much as I used to, and the move toward online multiplayer and live services means that a lack of time to invest is a huge barrier for me. Maybe I'll be tempted back if there's a good few games which appeal, but after 32 years it feels like gaming is becoming something I used to do.

@themcnoisy sorry I'm late to the convo, and thank you for the inclusion (people generally forget about me).

I will save this real estate, and write a much more in-depth review on the matter. But the short of it, was that it was a fantastic generation. Now I need to compare it to past generations.

@themcnoisy ah yeah didn't mean it to be a sob story or anything, I wouldn't say I'm in recovery like I wasn't about to die or anything lol but cheers! I quit smoking as a whole about 3-4 years ago, it's not something I really think about these days so I do kind of forget the transitional period which star wars battlefront helped me through so it was a bit of an after thought to add it to my run down of the PS4 generation as I guess it was quite important for my life even if I don't think about it!

I think the thing that got me about king oddball was the music. I just loved that kind of music and I played it about the same time as disenchanted or disenchantment or whatever it was called released on Netflix which had a similar sort of theme tune to the soundtrack of that game!

@Mostik I love Aladdin too! Brilliant game, I think I last had a playthrough of it about ten years ago, I was cleaning up the other day and found a notepad with all the end of level codes that I had written down from the game so I could progress from where I'd left off, those were the days haha

@Kidfried ahhh I spilt a Pepsi Max on my DS3 and Ds4 V2 the other day when I was half asleep. I opened both up immediately to clean them out but it was a right pain in the neck, especially the ds4. Way more complicated to take apart and put back together than a ds1. I did think that the way they were designed definitely protected the circuit board from spills way more than a controller for an older console. It kind of uses a thin plastic circuit board sheet for the button inputs instead of pressing right down on the board itself. It was weird and like I say, a pain in the neck to take apart and put together! Especially when I was half asleep after spilling a coke on them lol

I haven't played ff4/6, chrono trigger, earthbound and castlevania but I would probably add mario kart and mario all stars to your list. I've never been able to get into super metroid unfortunately but I think super Mario world is one of my top ten games of all time!

@ralphdibny Those codes were invaluable as those last couple of levels were particularly tought. I also seem to remember something similar with Pilot Wings as well which was hard as nails and you didn't want to be starting from the beginning again! Good days indeed

@themcnoisy The reason I haven't tried VR is more to do with disability and suffering from Motion Sickness very easily. I couldn't take advantage of it or get the full experience so its not something I think is worth investing in. I mentioned it because I still acknowledge that is one area of gaming that has provided something more than the 'same' fundamental game-play with prettier graphics.

Of course we can say that games may not have run on last gen for whatever reason, but I don't really think we had something truly groundbreaking. VR obviously changed the perspective and put you in the middle of the game, but I don't really think anything pushed the actual games beyond what was around before. Yes of course streaming in assets really helped to make worlds that bit more dynamic, don't have to wait for loading to go into a building or to travel from one section on a big map to the next by a long boring corridor or a big wall with a door between - something that can be improved on next gen of course even further.

I know its difficult to come up with something truly unique after so many years. There isn't really anything that can be as revolutionary as going from 2D to full 3D, going from Beeps to full CD quality Audio and surround sound, from 8 colours to 16million colours so I don't know that we will see too much 'transformative' gaming even in the next generation. More a iterative step up from what was possible before. Take R&C, that world hopping is 'impressive' but does it really transform gaming? I don't think so but it could lead to something unique. It could be possible on current gen if you wanted to wait 30s+ in a portal for 30secs of gameplay before spending another 30s in another portal. The Medium does look somewhat unique rendering two different worlds at the same time and again could lead to something very interesting in the future. It doesn't seem too different from that Titanfall mission that you can jump back and forth in time on and see a 'different' era of the same setting in essence. Something though that could lead to something unique in the future.

Ray Tracing could be area that I think makes a bigger difference - imagine a horror game that uses RT Shadows and Reflections. Shadows from 'enemies' behind you alerting you of their presence, a shadow on a wall or doorway, a reflection on a window or mirror. We already have surround sound but that could be 'enhanced' more too. That could be used to create a better horror game - or any game really but horror could work really well. But again, would it be iterative or transformative if its say very much like Resident Evil or Alien Isolation but with RT to enhance the horror?

Maybe I am old but I don't really see anything yet that has been more than an iteration of what's come before. The last gen brought online gaming to the masses - not just competitive of course, really gave us some big expansive worlds to explore and play around in, gave us fully realised characters as good as in any movie and stories to match, worlds with life and npc's (ok so not the most populated or most impressive AI but still had 'life') etc and this generation has been more of the same with a bit more of an iterative step up. Environments that are more populated and diverse, more 'alive'/less static, a little more dynamic. But you think of things like the Destruction in Battlefield and how many games have that level of destruction today.

As such I still think that last generation - whether you were on PS3 or 360, I think that was more of a step up and a more creative era than this has been - maybe because of CPU limitations and the emphasis more on Graphical power. As I said before, Sony themselves pushed themselves forward and delivered on games - not that they didn't before - but before, I felt that a lot were good, even great games, but not so many 'top-tier' (I know its Subjective and there was more competition from others too) as this generation but overall, I think that its 'stagnated' with more iterative 'improvements' rather than any major groundbreaking advancements - other than VR which I again acknowledge but can't really comment on - and its not exactly transformed gaming on the whole - yet.

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing whether the massive leap in CPU and Data transfer speeds can bring about something more transformative - especially as technology too has been developed to make more use of the GPU than just pushing more pixels out per frame without a big drop off in overall visual quality. Combine that with a big improvement to lighting in particular, something that can lead to more interesting game-play mechanics, we will see if devs can be more creative and give us more of a 'leap' than I felt this gen has offered.

@TheArt well said man, hopefully we see a continuation of great games and video games is a word that's consigned to the history books.

@nessisonett come on Nes it's definitely better than the GC which I love too. I can remember the moment I had nothing to play and hardly anything was coming out for it. The best footy game was virtua striker as an example of how behind it fell. Other than some amazing games the droughts were frequent and frustrating.

@RogerRoger Thanks Rog.

@themcnoisy I think you mean RedCard is the best footy game on the Cube 😉 but joking aside, the highs on the Cube were higher than PS4 but it’s definitely more consistent in its releases. Just my personal favourite games were all on the GameCube to be honest. On that note, the Wii is probably the best console ever for me then, just because it has the BC with Cube games plus all those amazing uses of the Wiimote. If I was cheating, I’d say Wii U ironically enough because with homebrew, it can play NES, SNES, N64, Cube, Wii and Wii U games which is absolutely mad. I have loved my PS4 though, it was my first taste of AAA games at actual time of release but I’d say I enjoyed the niche Japanese game support more than the big exclusives, I’ve been burned by quite a few of them.

@nessisonett A hacked PS Vita can play all PS1 games, all PSP games, all Vita games (obviously), and a host of older systems via Retroarch. You can also use Micro SD cards for storage instead of those horrible proprietary Vita cards. It's almost the ultimate handheld.

@Ralizah looks shifty as I eye my Vita with about 20 English patched games and Crisis Core

@Ralizah great input as always bro, I think we will always come back to the UI and general defectivity of the initial PS4s and controllers which broke for me as well! The battery life hasn't been an issue as mines perma plugged in, but it is very short.

I love Japanese games, venturing West the older I get. So the regulations outside of a few articles on here, I haven't noticed. Yakuzas model photo shoot mode came as a big shock that was allowed.

What's great about Sonys own studios is you are guaranteed a great experience, even the lower rated games The Order 1886 and Infamous second son are still enjoyable.

Did you ever try PSVR?

@LieutenantFatman 4th February 2015 was when I joined a few months before your good self. Seems like yesterday. Pushsquare has definitely helped, seeing everyone chatting about a game piques my interest for sure.

@Johnnycide It's something you will always come back to mate. I had a large break during my time in the Navy so maybe its a similar period in your life (minus the dirty sea men and terrible food). And yes you are great!

@NomNom You are a top commentor. I've forgotten a ton of people in my introductory roll call but you certainly weren't one of them. Your Avatar has been an ever present since I've been here.

@BAMozzy I suffer from motion sickness but there are a number of great games when that won't be an issue at all. Until you've given it a whirl you won't know why it's so good! Not that I could convince you but if you ever get the chance go for it!

With next gen, no loading will be a god send. Even now in Watchdogs 2 its too much and often. With the loading stripped away you are straight in the game and jumping around with no waiting.

@themcnoisy Thanks for the shout out. This truly is a great community, I stumbled upon pushsquare after I bought my PS4 Pro in January 2016 but didn't sign up till a year later and it's the only place I go for my gaming news/previews.

I have fond memories of all the machines I've ever owned but I have sold them all or passed them on when upgrading, PS4 has been amazing though and I still have a huge backlog to get through and this time I plan to keep all my games.

My only gripe really is the Dualshock analog sticks on some I've owned didn't last long, so I've had to replace a few in the last couple of years.

Can't wait to chat about PS5 with you all!

I’m really pleased with it, and it’s still going strong. My gaming habits have shifted big time this gen, as I’ve gone from playing a broad range of AAA and indies to focus more on games as services. Highlights for me would be:

GTAV
Destiny
Rocket League
Fallout 76

Games in which I’ve had a good experience playing online with friends. I don’t know if it’s better than the PS3. I think for me, a lot of AAA game series peaked on the PS3, for example, MGS4, Final Fantasy 13, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed 2. Then there were all the 1st party Sony studios peaking with Uncharted, TLOU, Infamous GOW 3, and other fantastic games like Bayonetta, COD and Batman Arkham Asylum. I personally have not enjoyed any of these series on PS4 more than I did on PS3. I think I was just ready for something new with the PS4.

Not getting a mention ;( But I'll give my 2p anyway. It's been a hell of a console generation, that's for sure.

Technical improvements are obvious but even aside from that I genuinely feel like each PlayStation console has been better than the last.

• The library of games on PS4 is incredible. So much so that even if it were the only system you could play for another 10 years, you'd still be finding great new games to play every month.
• The way we access those games is also great. Being able to put the console in rest mode and resume where you left off in any game is terrific. Being able to store 100s of games on an external drive and play any of them without searching for a disc. The Digital Store constantly offers games at great prices as well.
• PS Now is now actually a good value for money service. The cost is reasonable, the streaming tech is finally there, the selection of games is never ending.
• As for the PS4 Pro, while a mid-gen upgrade wasn't to everyone's taste at the time, I absolutely love what my Pro can do graphically with the likes of Horizon, God of War, TLOU 2 etc. Games look stunning on a big screen TV.

It's just got so much going for it, and I haven't even mentioned PSVR yet!

Probably the only real negative I have is the fan noise. It's quite frankly absurd how loud it is.

@themcnoisy I wouldn't say you're guaranteed a great experience. I pass on a lot of those sorts of games, since I know they won't be for me. But if their stuff all appeals to you, all the better.

I've not tried out PSVR. They're pretty expensive, and I can't justify the cost for playing a few enhanced games. It seems cool, though. Still want to get one for Tetris Effect, if nothing else.

PS4 is still newish to me as I didn't jump in until 2018, but thanks to PS+ & generous sales I already have a huge library allowing me to play a ton of games within that relatively short period of time (and many more I haven't yet gotten around to), which has really set the PS4 apart for me in comparison to my past console experiences.

Whether it be big budget blockbusters (such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, God of War, Spider-Man, Star Wars Battlefront II, Titanfall 2), mid tier adventures (such as LEGO Jurassic World, Tales of Berseria, Tearaway Unfolded, Unravel), niche guilty pleasures (like Senran Kagura Estival Versus, School Girl Zombie Hunter), and the jump into VR (with titles including Astro Bot, Focus on You, Tetris Effect, Moss, Wolfenstein Cyberpilot) I've been able to cover lot of bases in a lot of different genres (and the games I've mentioned isn't a comprehensive list, as I've also played titles like DQXI, the Order, Knack, Farpoint, & more), and am looking forward to a few more years of it (though I'm sure I could be convinced to jump into PS5 early for the enhanced VR performance, as I'm playing on a Slim PS4 so don't have Pro performance).

Oh, and I love the screenshot function!