This is the second part to my Journey of an Xbox "fanboy” to a two console owner and in this one I’ll cover my impressions of the hardware, OS and Dualshock 4 as well as comparing it to the Xbox One’s hardware and OS. I would consider myself a new consumer for the PlayStation as the last Sony console I owned was a PlayStation 2. So much has changed in that time in gaming and it’s been a cool experience getting to know the PlayStation brand again after a long time away.
It’s been a few weeks since I received my PlayStation 4. I’ve spent a good deal running it through the motions and messing around with the OS seeing what I like, dislike and where I would like to some improvement. Having not used a PlayStation controller for more than a short session, I was looking forward to giving it a good testing as well.
Other than being black, the PlayStation 4 shares nothing in common with the Xbox One with regards to the aesthetics of the console. Right off the bat, I like that the power supply is built into the console. It saves space and there’s no gigantic brick hanging out behind my TV stand collecting dust. While it’s nice that the power supply isn’t a separate piece of hardware, we run into a problems with this. The PlayStation 4 gets frighteningly hot when it’s in a space that has very little room for air to be moved. If I had an egg and bacon handy I don’t think I would have a problem cooking them on the PlayStation 4 when it was in my TV stand. The fan never went off, and, when I touched it, it was like it was on fire. I immediately shut it down and put it in a completely ventilated area on top of a Blu-ray/DVD stand.
The Xbox One doesn’t have a problem in the same space because it has no built-in power supply and the gigantic fan inside. For those that only have tight spaces to put a console this should be a concern. If I had left the PlayStation 4 where it was I’m sure it would have failed due to the heat. The fan in the Xbox One does spin up from time to time, but the PlayStation 4’s fan never shut off. Speaking of fans, the PlayStation 4’s fan is quieter when it speeds up. The Xbox One’s fan can blow the leaves off my lawn if I needed it to. When fans are off they’re both quiet consoles.
Aesthetics wise, not a fan of the PlayStation 4. The angled front leaves a lot to be desired when compared to most home theater gear. It’s nothing I care too much about either way, but I prefer the look of the front of the Xbox One. It’s very Harman Kardon like and I’m a fan of their gear. The Xbox One may be thicker and wider, but it fits better in my set-up and I’m sure it will fit better in most people’s as well from an aesthetic standpoint. That is if you don’t have a view of the top of the Xbox One. That top is ugly.
Having only used the PlayStation 3’s and 4’s OS sparingly, I wasn’t a fan of the OS’s minimalist approach. The OS was pretty slow on the PlayStation 3 from my experience and felt that would translate to the PlayStation 4’s OS. I couldn’t be more wrong. The PlayStation 4’s OS is an absolute joy to use. I thought I would completely hate the linear nature of the OS but I prefer hat over the Xbox One’s cumbersome, and bloated, approach. This came as a major surprise to me. I figured it would be no contest with the Xbox One winning my preference in a landslide. I can easily navigate where I want, fast, with the PlayStation 4’s OS.
Comparing the Xbox One’s OS to the PlayStation 4’s OS is sometimes an apples to oranges comparison. I do prefer the PlayStation 4’s OS to the Xbox One’s OS as an OS only. If I throw in Kinect, I prefer the Xbox One’s OS overall. I use voice commands constantly and I find myself wanting the same exact experience on the PlayStation 4. I know that I can get the camera, but the commands and depth are not close to what the Kinect offers. If I had to choose an OS solely for gaming it would be the PlayStation 4’s. If I had to choose an all encompassing OS, it would be the Xbox One’s.
A godsend with the PlayStation 4’s OS is the speed of installs. This is something that the Xbox One is downright awful with. Where it has taken hours for me to install a game on the Xbox One, I’m playing in mere minutes on the PlayStation 4. I can’t fathom why it takes so damn long on the Xbox One and how it’s so fast on the PlayStation 4. This should not be the case. The install speeds should be comparable. They’re far from it. Something is wrong on the Xbox One’s side and I don’t buy that “It’s not as simple as flicking a switch” as Phil Spencer said. At least I think he said that?
I’m spoiled. I’m really spoiled. If you use the Xbox One’s Elite controller you’ll be spoiled as well. Using anything after that, including the standard Xbox One controller, is like using a cheap toy. The Dualshock 4 is no different. I put aside the Elite controller and gave the Dualshock controller a shot. It’s an OK controller. There’s nothing that makes it an awesome controller. It’s usable for first person shooters. I like L2 and L2 triggers better than the standard Xbox One controller’s triggers. I’m not a fan of the placement of L1 and L2 as I can’t press them with my knuckle as I can on the standard, and Elite, controller’s of the Xbox One.
When compared to the Xbox One’s standard controller, the Dualshock 4 feels pretty cheap. It’s light and feels like it can easily break, especially the touch pad. The biggest issue with the Dualshock 4 comes with the d-pad. It is god awful; one of the worst, if not THE worst, I’ve ever used. There’s no fluidity to it. It’s rigid and a pain to use for fighters. I didn’t think that a d-pad four fighting games could be worse than the d-pad on the Xbox One’s standard controller. I was wrong. One absolutely disastrous design flaw with the Dualshock 4’s d-pad, with regards to fighting games, is, THE D-PAD IS TOO DAMN CLOSE TO THE LEFT THUMBSTICK! How could they have designed it this way? Anytime I press the right d-pad button I run into the left thumbstick. It makes it unusable for fighting games unless I alter how I’ve used d-pads for 30 plus years. Someone with very slim thumbs must have been used to test it out. It’s unusable for fighting games.
A few other quick notes on the Dualshock 4. I love the share button on the controller. I find it to be faster than saying “Xbox, take a screenshot.” I really like that feature. The touchpad is meaningless to me as I found myself not even wanting to use it for inputting characters on the keyboard. Also, while I’m glad I can lower the light of the controller, the option to completely turn it off should be an option. It’s dumb to not have that option. It’s clearly visible when I play, even at its lowest setting. The share and options also need to be more bulbous as I find myself almost having to use my thumbnail to press it. Also, the speaker is a novelty and I turned it off. A waste of an implementation that could have been better spent elsewhere, like… A better battery or an option to use AA’s? The battery life with the controller is poor. I’ve already charged it three times. With the Eneloop pro batteries, I’ve charged my Xbox One controllers three times in nearly a year.
I really can’t say which console’s aesthetics, and OS, I like better. Both have their plus and minuses. If someone made me choose which console I’d like to look at and which one I’d like the OS to be the OS I would have to say that I would like to look at the Xbox One but have the PlayStation 4’s OS on it, looking at them as gaming consoles. As far as controllers go, the Elite is in a league of its own and destroys the Dualshock 4 in every way imaginable. Comparing the stock controllers of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, I’d give the nod to the Xbox One’s controller. The Dualshock 4 has too many game breakers, notably the awful d-pad and its placement, to make me consider it over the Xbox One’s. There are no real issues going back and forth between the two controllers. I did have an issue knowing what shape is what button. I’m getting better with it.
The final part of this article trilogy will cover my gaming experience. With the power difference between the consoles I want to see if there’s a noticeable difference when playing the same games, and, if it makes for a better gaming experience. I’m waiting for a couple of games to come in from GameFly so I can switch back and forth to do a real hands on comparison without any analytics to sway judgement. It’ll be a fun experiment.
It’s been a few weeks since I received my PlayStation 4. I’ve spent a good deal running it through the motions and messing around with the OS seeing what I like, dislike and where I would like to some improvement. Having not used a PlayStation controller for more than a short session, I was looking forward to giving it a good testing as well.
Other than being black, the PlayStation 4 shares nothing in common with the Xbox One with regards to the aesthetics of the console. Right off the bat, I like that the power supply is built into the console. It saves space and there’s no gigantic brick hanging out behind my TV stand collecting dust. While it’s nice that the power supply isn’t a separate piece of hardware, we run into a problems with this. The PlayStation 4 gets frighteningly hot when it’s in a space that has very little room for air to be moved. If I had an egg and bacon handy I don’t think I would have a problem cooking them on the PlayStation 4 when it was in my TV stand. The fan never went off, and, when I touched it, it was like it was on fire. I immediately shut it down and put it in a completely ventilated area on top of a Blu-ray/DVD stand.
The Xbox One doesn’t have a problem in the same space because it has no built-in power supply and the gigantic fan inside. For those that only have tight spaces to put a console this should be a concern. If I had left the PlayStation 4 where it was I’m sure it would have failed due to the heat. The fan in the Xbox One does spin up from time to time, but the PlayStation 4’s fan never shut off. Speaking of fans, the PlayStation 4’s fan is quieter when it speeds up. The Xbox One’s fan can blow the leaves off my lawn if I needed it to. When fans are off they’re both quiet consoles.
Aesthetics wise, not a fan of the PlayStation 4. The angled front leaves a lot to be desired when compared to most home theater gear. It’s nothing I care too much about either way, but I prefer the look of the front of the Xbox One. It’s very Harman Kardon like and I’m a fan of their gear. The Xbox One may be thicker and wider, but it fits better in my set-up and I’m sure it will fit better in most people’s as well from an aesthetic standpoint. That is if you don’t have a view of the top of the Xbox One. That top is ugly.
Having only used the PlayStation 3’s and 4’s OS sparingly, I wasn’t a fan of the OS’s minimalist approach. The OS was pretty slow on the PlayStation 3 from my experience and felt that would translate to the PlayStation 4’s OS. I couldn’t be more wrong. The PlayStation 4’s OS is an absolute joy to use. I thought I would completely hate the linear nature of the OS but I prefer hat over the Xbox One’s cumbersome, and bloated, approach. This came as a major surprise to me. I figured it would be no contest with the Xbox One winning my preference in a landslide. I can easily navigate where I want, fast, with the PlayStation 4’s OS.
Comparing the Xbox One’s OS to the PlayStation 4’s OS is sometimes an apples to oranges comparison. I do prefer the PlayStation 4’s OS to the Xbox One’s OS as an OS only. If I throw in Kinect, I prefer the Xbox One’s OS overall. I use voice commands constantly and I find myself wanting the same exact experience on the PlayStation 4. I know that I can get the camera, but the commands and depth are not close to what the Kinect offers. If I had to choose an OS solely for gaming it would be the PlayStation 4’s. If I had to choose an all encompassing OS, it would be the Xbox One’s.
A godsend with the PlayStation 4’s OS is the speed of installs. This is something that the Xbox One is downright awful with. Where it has taken hours for me to install a game on the Xbox One, I’m playing in mere minutes on the PlayStation 4. I can’t fathom why it takes so damn long on the Xbox One and how it’s so fast on the PlayStation 4. This should not be the case. The install speeds should be comparable. They’re far from it. Something is wrong on the Xbox One’s side and I don’t buy that “It’s not as simple as flicking a switch” as Phil Spencer said. At least I think he said that?
I’m spoiled. I’m really spoiled. If you use the Xbox One’s Elite controller you’ll be spoiled as well. Using anything after that, including the standard Xbox One controller, is like using a cheap toy. The Dualshock 4 is no different. I put aside the Elite controller and gave the Dualshock controller a shot. It’s an OK controller. There’s nothing that makes it an awesome controller. It’s usable for first person shooters. I like L2 and L2 triggers better than the standard Xbox One controller’s triggers. I’m not a fan of the placement of L1 and L2 as I can’t press them with my knuckle as I can on the standard, and Elite, controller’s of the Xbox One.
When compared to the Xbox One’s standard controller, the Dualshock 4 feels pretty cheap. It’s light and feels like it can easily break, especially the touch pad. The biggest issue with the Dualshock 4 comes with the d-pad. It is god awful; one of the worst, if not THE worst, I’ve ever used. There’s no fluidity to it. It’s rigid and a pain to use for fighters. I didn’t think that a d-pad four fighting games could be worse than the d-pad on the Xbox One’s standard controller. I was wrong. One absolutely disastrous design flaw with the Dualshock 4’s d-pad, with regards to fighting games, is, THE D-PAD IS TOO DAMN CLOSE TO THE LEFT THUMBSTICK! How could they have designed it this way? Anytime I press the right d-pad button I run into the left thumbstick. It makes it unusable for fighting games unless I alter how I’ve used d-pads for 30 plus years. Someone with very slim thumbs must have been used to test it out. It’s unusable for fighting games.
A few other quick notes on the Dualshock 4. I love the share button on the controller. I find it to be faster than saying “Xbox, take a screenshot.” I really like that feature. The touchpad is meaningless to me as I found myself not even wanting to use it for inputting characters on the keyboard. Also, while I’m glad I can lower the light of the controller, the option to completely turn it off should be an option. It’s dumb to not have that option. It’s clearly visible when I play, even at its lowest setting. The share and options also need to be more bulbous as I find myself almost having to use my thumbnail to press it. Also, the speaker is a novelty and I turned it off. A waste of an implementation that could have been better spent elsewhere, like… A better battery or an option to use AA’s? The battery life with the controller is poor. I’ve already charged it three times. With the Eneloop pro batteries, I’ve charged my Xbox One controllers three times in nearly a year.
I really can’t say which console’s aesthetics, and OS, I like better. Both have their plus and minuses. If someone made me choose which console I’d like to look at and which one I’d like the OS to be the OS I would have to say that I would like to look at the Xbox One but have the PlayStation 4’s OS on it, looking at them as gaming consoles. As far as controllers go, the Elite is in a league of its own and destroys the Dualshock 4 in every way imaginable. Comparing the stock controllers of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, I’d give the nod to the Xbox One’s controller. The Dualshock 4 has too many game breakers, notably the awful d-pad and its placement, to make me consider it over the Xbox One’s. There are no real issues going back and forth between the two controllers. I did have an issue knowing what shape is what button. I’m getting better with it.
The final part of this article trilogy will cover my gaming experience. With the power difference between the consoles I want to see if there’s a noticeable difference when playing the same games, and, if it makes for a better gaming experience. I’m waiting for a couple of games to come in from GameFly so I can switch back and forth to do a real hands on comparison without any analytics to sway judgement. It’ll be a fun experiment.
