PlayStation 4 - our thoughts so far
We usually conclude our hardware tests with a verdict, but until we've spent more time with the user interface, and tested more of the key features - like Vita Remote Play - we can only offer up some preliminary thoughts.
There's some stand-out technology here for sure. Sony has handed in a high quality, traditionally console-sized box that runs a cutting-edge processor with bags of graphics power and has done so in a well-designed enclosure, that may not be ultra-cool, but dissipates heat well and remains fairly quiet in warm ambient temperatures. However, the first order of business once we have the kit in our offices will be to ratchet up the heating to see if the unit remains as quiet during the summer months. The only doubt we have here comes when the system is pushed to the limit - the extra 20W consumed by the UI in combination with the game sees fan noise increase significantly.
Other aspects of the kit - like the DualShock 4 and the PlayStation Camera - also fare well. The new controller feels sublime, to the point where Guerrilla Games felt comfortable enough to completely turn off auto-aim - a bit of a risk based on experience with current-gen controllers, but the DualShock 4 is more than up to the task. The Camera's facial recognition and voice control also proved decent. We're not looking at Kinect-level integration, but it's impressive nonetheless, and entirely optional.
Where the jury's still out is on the user interface. We've just not had anything like enough time to put it through its paces. With that said, while some of clunkiness in the PlayStation Store is a touch off-putting, there's a sense that everything is well organised and easy to find, with a rich vein of useful functionality. The fact that the proliferation of the PS3's download/install progress bars has now been reduced significantly can only be a good thing.
PlayStation 4 may well be based on PC hardware, then, but based on these first impressions, it feels like much more of a console - a pure gaming thoroughbred - than its predecessor.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-hardware-test-playstation-4
