PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 Bundle

1) The packaging from Sony and the shipping material from Amazon was top notch. 2) The setup only took me about 10 minutes. I had pre-download the 1.5 update and installed it on the very first boot up via USB. 3) Went into the Store and downloaded Resogun. The new Store experience was refreshing and with the new PS4 hardware very fast. No longer do you have to wait every time you do something in the store. I have a very fast hard wired broadband connection so it was always the PS3 hardware that was slowing things down in the store for me. 4) Put Battlefield 4 disk in and did have a problem connecting to the network. Not sure if this was a PSN day one issue or something else. It kept telling me I needed to download and update Battlefield 4 but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I finally just quit the game and went back into it and it downloaded the update and started right up. Again not sure what happened here. May have been a PSN network issue. 5) Hard drive capacity is definitely going to be an issue at some point. With the big name games being 20 to 40 gig a 500 gig hard drive isn't going to last long before it's full. Here is another bonus though from Sony. You can upgrade your hard drive yourself. So, as you get close to filling it up you can buy and install a much bigger hard drive. I may actually look at doing this very soon so that I don't have to reload all of my games later. I do all of my game saves via PlayStation Plus online so they are always backed up. 6) The unit looks awesome! It is very sleek and low profile. I love it. 7) Boot time is very fast but I have not actually timed it. 8) The controller is by far the best new thing with the PS4 though. The Dual Shock 4 is amazing!! I never really new how bad the old PlayStation controllers were until I started playing with the DS4. This is a game changer for the PlayStation!! 9) The graphics are stunning but not a massive improvement over the PS3. What is noticeable though is that there is very little, if any, artifacting or lag during Multiplayer play in first person shooters. I played Battlefield 4 on my PS3 and when the action got crazy there was a lot of lag and artifacts happening. This has not happened to me on the PS4 playing Battlefield 4. I have also played Killzone and Call of Duty and would say the results are the same. 10) Streaming movies via Netflix, Amazon or any of the other apps worked perfectly. There are not very many apps right now but I'm sure that is going to change considerably over time. 11) I do miss that Sony did not put DLNA in for day one but from what I've read it is coming. I have my PS4 connected to my stereo/entertainment system and would love to use it for my music and movie collection like I did on my PS3. I hope this is informative and helps others decide whether to purchase a PS4 or not. As you can tell I am not an expert reviewer and typically don't write reviews. I felt like the PS4 deserved a little bit of my time to write this. Here's a little bit of my history; I've owned every PlayStation since the first PS1. I've always stayed with PlayStation over xBox because of the backward compatibility, I have hundreds of games, and outstanding quality. Each PlayStation I owned was purchased at its release and used heavily for the 8, or so, years until the next release. I never once had a quality problem. Now, with this release I could have went either way since the PS4 will not play old PlayStation games. I studied hard and even borrowed a friends xBox 360 for awhile to see how it felt and played. From all of this I decided to go with the PS4 and hope that at some point they would add the ability, via streaming, to play some of my older games that I love.

Excelent

No problems apart from high PSN traffic out of the box. I was a bit nervous after hearing the reports of bricked PS4s so I made sure and purchased the 3-year technical warranty for $50. PROS: -Stunning graphics, obviously. Battlefield 4 is absolutely gorgeous in particular. -The UI. I see a lot of people think the UI could use some improvements, but I like it a lot. The ability to transition between games and the menu is awesome. -Dualshock 4. Feels so much better than the DS3, and this is coming from someone who prefers the DS to the Xbox controller. The sticks and triggers in particular are big improvements. -This thing is whisper quiet, on par with the PS3. I had also heard many reports of how hot the console can get, but it gets no hotter than its predecessor (in my experience, at least). CONS: -Controller battery life. The batteries don't last as long as the DS3's, about 6 or 7 hours is all. Also, the included charge cable is a bit short -The hard drive. I have three games installed, and am down to about 300 gb remaining. I'll probably have to upgrade it at some point. -The exclusive launch lineup. While Killzone is awesome, there is not much else to choose from when it comes to launch exclusives. Unless the Xbox One's exclusives get panned, Xbox has the edge here. Overall, I am very happy with the system and the pros far outweigh the cons for me.

So far I'm loving my machine. I'm talky so I'll split up my review as to what area I'm talking about. Followed at the end by the complaints I have about it (some of which are also in the areas I am talking about). I gave it a four star though cause it's mostly potential right now as not much games but just judging on how things are going, I think it will reach that potential. I have a hard time seeing it not get good marketshare which is all it needs to get good games at this point. And Sony seems to have the right attitude this time around. And look how well they turned the PS3 around when they finally got over their arrogance. This time they started off right even. ***Games*** Killzone is really fun (not a huge FPS fan but between Killzone on the PS4 and on Vita it's slowly converting me), Resogun is decent especially if you want a game that you can just pick up and play and you don't need to put much thought into it or just want to play for a short burst. Contrast is ok so far. Warframe seemed fun as well as Blacklight Retribution (though a huge gripe I have about games on the PS4 right now is they are heavily skewed towards FPS's). Assassin's Creed? I can't get into it for whatever reason (I usually can get into AC's enough to play it for a little bit before I get bored and move on). Overall the only game I've really gotten into is Killzone but I don't expect launch games to be great. ***User Interface*** UI is smooth and loads quickly. It's simple but it does what needs to be done and it's quick about it. Love how you can almost instantly play a game (least if you buy physical copies, digital copies still take time to get to the point you can start them up). I've only had one issue with it being glitchy (was browsing the store at the time) but other than that the operating system works well for me. ***Controller*** Sticks are tighter which is awesome (one thing I was jealous about the xbox 360 controller) and the triggers are nicer. The controller fits in your hand really comfortably (and I have small hands, I kinda worried cause I kept hearing people say they had large hands and that they liked the controller so I worried I might find it too big). For some reason though every now and then my hands in the long run don't seem to like it as well (not always but I never had this issue with any previous PS controller). Maybe I'm just getting older. I wish though that Sony had done like MS and allowed the battery to be removable. It would be so nice to be able to buy a recharge pack and just switch batteries when it ran out rather than have to plug it in. This is especially annoying now since the dual shock four has a very short battery life (I've run out before I wanted to finish playing and I charge everyday!). I'm glad I got the dualshock bundle because at least I can just change to the other controller now. But 60 bux is a lot to be able to switch out controllers rather than having to plug the controller in and play that way. ***Remote Play using Vita*** I found overall it seems to work well (tested it with Resogun and Killzone, both which are not ideal candidates for remote play). The direct connection unfortunately wasn't quite long enough to be able to play in my bed (it seriously crapped out just a foot before my desk or my bed in my bedroom) but using house wi-fi it worked quite well (depending on the time. I had one time where it wasn't so reliable). I also tested it at a friend's house (to be fair she lives quite close to me) and it worked quite well (better than that one time I mentioned it wasn't doing as good). With at least Killzone it was good enough most times to still enjoy playing it (resogun I only tried that one time my connection wasn't so good so can't say there). In fact played Killzone for about 30 minutes at my friend's house and it was good enough I never felt that lag got me killed at all (just my own bad skills ;) ). It will disconnect if connection gets any bit bad but honestly, I prefer it be picky about having a good enough connection rather than me trying to play when it's laggy/having a hard time connecting and the gameplay gets frustrating cause of the lag. ***Netflix*** Netflix seems to be better on it than the PS3 (I think it may get a better internet connection so more times it can stream higher quality). Same interface and all, just image quality seems better for whatever reason. Don't like how Netflix on the PS4 seems really hard to rewind/fast forward (half the time I try to rewind a little and it just replays back from the point I stopped and not from where I wanted it to rewind to). Hopefully they update the app so it works more reliably there. ***Little things that make it nicer*** I love being able to see what my friends are doing (I will check on the PS4 before starting GTA online to see who is online on GTA without having to start up GTA, just quicker if I'm deciding what game to play depending on who is on). I also love how trophies are rated by rarity of how many people actually got the trophy (to me that's more interesting to see how rare of a trophy I got rather than if it's gold/silver/broze. I wasn't a huge fan of trophies before and didn't really think there was much point to them but just that small addition makes them a lot more interesting to me). I love how I can quick switch between Netflix and a game and I don't have to quit the game, it just suspends the game (this feature alone makes me wish my PS3 games could be played on it. I hate having to quit a game just to use Netflix). Hopefully they get what they promised out soon that allows you to just suspend the game when you turn it off. But games start up so quickly now it's not a huge deal I cannot do that yet (it's not like the huge loading times of PS3 games I've played). ***Gripes*** I hope they haven't forgotten the promise of allowing your friends to take over a part of a game for you that you find frustrating (as some one who sucks at games who invariably finds some point that is annoying and frustrating and just not fun I'd love to be able to ask some one else who is better to just get me through that part). Sadly I think people forgot this promise as I heard it announced in February and no one including the gamers are talking about it anymore (no one besides me it seems is asking Sony what happened to that feature). So I could see it being forgotten. Controller battery life (already mentioned above in controller part) Netflix issue (mentioned in the Netflix paragraph)

I will be very honest with this review, I really love my PlayStation 4. If you read all the reviews, the pros heavily out weigh the cons of the system. If you want to experience the quality of a high end gaming pc without spending thousands of dollars on a gaming rig, PS4 is the way to go. Here is why. No dlna - No problem. my TV already does that! (in fact most smart tvs have that capability) I have a 50 inch Panasonic Viera p50st60 that connects to my network attached storage. If you can afford a $400 PS4, then you can afford to upgrade that old heap of junk TV. This is a game machine, meant to play games. Not a media server- As for being a media server, a computer or NAS always works best for that. The ps3 and xbox 360 did a marginal job performing that function any way. will not work with old ps3 Bluetooth remote control- Strange, but my Panasonic tv remote works perfectly when navigating the cross media bar. How it works.. I don't have a clue, since my remote uses infrared technology which was suppose to be absent on the PS4. But by God it works! Will not play 3D blue ray DVDs, CDs or MP3 - Who has a CD anymore! I have not touched one since 2009. And once again my TV plays MP3 files. And for people butt hurt about the 3D blue ray, get a server and a Smart TV (Just go digital or go home).To sum it all up, A lot of TVs and media devices can perform those functions. The main reasons I bought this system over Xbox one, was the controller, the exclusive titles (God of War, Uncharted, Last of us, Kill-zone, Infamous, etc.), and the power specs. Don't get me wrong, I like Xbox, I just never got used to the controller. I like the titles that PlayStation has introduced to me over the years, and some of those games you will never experience on any other console. You cant play ps3 games on the Ps4 which sucks, even though I know backwards compatibility was just a gift from the past generation (look it up, no other consoles from any generation did that!). We are indeed spoiled! Crazy thing about it, I am willing to wait for any digital downloads of old games or any series installments of these titles.Those exclusives are just that awesome. The controller is even more awesome. As long as the PS4 doesn't overheat like the PS3, I am a happy with my purchase. My condolences to anybody experiencing the blue light of death, but there are always bad apples.

Unfortunately I have also received a DOA PS4 with the Pulsing Blue Light of Despair. this is the sole reason for the 2 star review (the additional star was for effort as the PS4 looks great and is perfect size for most entertainment centers). Tried to call Sony Support but the call center must be slammed because there is a 2 hour hold (that's the longest I waited before I hung up so it could be longer) and PSN (support chat) is non-existent and off line. I have yet to call Amazon, their customer service has always been exceptional so I assume they will correct this, to resolve this issue but PS4's are not in stock and I would like to exchange instead of refund. Amazon Shipping was fast and on time, but that is expected as I paid for 1 day shipping. Packaging was terrible, which is shocking as I never received a package from Amazon before like that, what happened?? It came packaged in a box 3 times it's size with only 1 layer of air pillows on the bottom leaving 10 inches of space on the top, and about 4 inches on the sides, which leave the contents able to freely move around in the box. Could that be a cause of the issue? maybe. Overall I am really dissatisfied all around with the shipment\handling of this product and hope this is not a trend with Amazon. As far as the DoA PS4, I am disappointed, but don't know whether to blame the craftsmanship (If that was the reason) or the terrible shipping form Amazon that caused the DoA.

I'll open with "Sony is greedy". Apparently, with the new PS4's you have to pay a Sony membership, whatever, thing to play online, so I considered returning it. I should have done my homework on a purchase this big/expensive. I am not a "gamer" so can't get technical. It works, I can watch my Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. on it so that's good. Can browse the internet on it though it is a bit of a pain (probably not for a teenager but for the price, get the kid a mountain bike or a car!) to do so. I do not pay to play online so cannot comment on the online play. I would guess that there is a whole lot more you can do with this than I will ever know. Not worth what I paid I think considering how I use it.

I am really happy that I was able to find another PS4. My mom never preordered it and spent the whole day looking for a PS4 with no luck whatsoever, luckily Amazon had one and was able to order it. This is a gift for my brother, as my boyfriend and I already have our own PS4's that we got from Gamestop. My brother was extremely happy and even more happy that he got his birthday gift early. The startup intro is so quick I can start playing any game in practically 10 seconds or less. Its that FAST, all the games I have for it are Battlefield 4, Call of Duty:Ghosts, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, and Killzone: Shadowfall they all look and play AMAZING! Something you should know is all the PS4 comes with a $10 credit that you can use right away in the Playstation Store, it also comes with a trial of 30 days of PS+ and 30 days trial of Music Unlimited. On a side note Playstation Plus is available for a year for $50, this black friday it is on sale for $30 and yes they are stackable. I am set for another 3 years myself. :) When you set up your Playstation Plus know that they are several games available for you to download for free, they are Resogun (extremely fun and addicting) Contrast and there is Free to Play games for you to play, Warframe and DC Universe online, those are really fun too. The hard part about it deciding what to play! The console itself is so beautiful to look at, the controller feels just RIGHT in your hands. It has a reallly good grip, the share button is awesome! Just a simple tap takes an automatic screenshot and 2 click you can record 15 minutes of your gameplay. Its really that simple. The power button and disc eject are so well hidden you just don't notice it. This is truly a gamer's dream console, I hope everyone that has it and that will get it. Will enjoy it just as much if not more than I do. You just can't go back to your older console because how fast and smoother everything looks and feels. This is just the beginning! :D