So here is my experience with the Playstation 4 so far, after having owned it about 48 hours.
I brought home my new toy and opened the box. The packaging is very "no frills", and much more environmentally friendly than the X1 packaging. I don't need the frills, and that all goes towards reducing the console price. I like it! Everything was nicely wrapped, and everything feels like quality. I should add that I have not taken the ear bud out of the bag. The HDMI cord is nice (though not X1 nice).
For the record, I obtained my PSN ID online before I bought and setup my PS4 just to be ready for the setup. Connections were self explanatory. Power cord, HDMI cord plugged in. USB cord plugged into front to prepare for the controller charging. Now I am ready to turn it on. The question is, where on earth is the power button!??! Took me quite a while to figure it out, embarrassingly! The power button subtlety, along with the eject button together like that is slick. The beep that resonated sounds just like the PS3 power on beep.
I was prompted for my language choice, as well as a multitude of other settings options, PSN ID entry, wireless connection and of course, the infamous DAY ONE update. Entered all the items and accepted all prompts and agreed to all legal mumbo jumbo that I never read.
WITH OUT A HITCH, my PS4 has now entered the world of online and offline gaming. I couldn't be anymore moist.
Hardware impressions are top notch. The console itself felt solid, well built and looks bad ass. The controller is awesome! Keep in mind, I am anti-PS controller from DS3 and back. I still hate the stick placement, but this controller is night and day better than any previous PS controller. Shoulder buttons, triggers, sticks, weight, d-pad are all solid in feel and very sensitive with no noticeable lag on input. I suspect I will never use the touch pad or the light sensor bar. Besides the stick positions, my only "complaint", which really isn't a complaint is the "share" and "option" buttons. The different location and shape of the buttons and having them on the side of the trackpad makes me fumble for them a little, but that is just an adjustment. I do wish it had a removable battery though. The HDMI cord is an HDMI cord, but you can tell it's feels better than a $1.50 HDMI cord you find on Amazon.
Software impressions are also top notch. We all know it's not as full featured, entertainment/media wise, as the X1. But when I bought the PS4, I wasn't looking for that. I just wanted a KISS dashboard, and that is what I got. The dashboard, which is 1080p is fast, colorful, and extremely easy to use. It has the bare necessities, and menu items are not buried under "right" click menus. Recently used items, web browser and game download icons on row one, and PSN Store, options, notifications, friends, etc on row two. That's it. It's all I need. For MS being a software company, Sony seems to have out done them with simplicity and ease of use.
The notifications menu is so nice. I love every aspect of it. I like how there are categories for upload, download, friends, etc. The only thing I found that seemed to be a bit of a nightmare to follow is the gaming feed. That is just garbage IMO. The rest, awesome. Playstation Live? Come on...seriously....I thought this was cool on OnLive, but on this console now? SAWEET! (where is your live feed MS??).
Games download/install/ready to play....BAM...fast. Much faster than on my X1. The UI, such as the ok, cancel, accept buttons, the keyboard layout, larger fonts and size are so much better than it was on the PS3. I love how they retained the memory for your frequently typed items (and the existing library). The browser I found to be better than the X1 browser. It actually looks and works like our traditional browser. I hate IE on Windows 8, and I don't like it on the X1 either.
One issue I have had is that it seems that games don't finish downloading/installing when I put the console in standby mode. Warframe and DC Universe downloads kept stopping with an error when I put the system in standby. Once I got out of standby and click on them to resume, it was fine. Happened to me each time now consistently. Am I doing it wrong?
The thing I miss the most from the X1 (outside of the games on X1) is the snap feature and the resume/standby game feature. Software wise that is. I still prefer the X1 controllers and games. But the PS4 is right there with my X1, and better in many aspects.
I have downloaded all the free stuff that I can, as far as games go, and apps. I plan to buy Killzone 4, followed by Driveclub and Uncharted 4. That will keep me happy for gaming on the PS4 for now.
Would I buy a PS4 over an X1? No, because I want the exclusives on both platforms that each offer, and I want the media functionality of the X1. If one were thinking about being a dual console owner, but haven't made the jump yet, I HIGHLY recommend a PS4 along side your X1 if you have the funds and the time. I like my toys, so I wasn't going to turn down this. I am glad I didn't. For the $379.00 I paid (I got a 5% discount using my Target Red Card), YOU JUST CAN'T GO WRONG.
