In November 2013 there was a premiere of PlayStation 4, a new console from Sony. Only in the first 48 hours 250,000 consoles were sold. Over 20.2 million consoles have been sold since its premiere, which shows how popular consoles are. The main difference between the old generation and the new one is the speed of the processor: now GPU(Graphics processing unit) can perform 1.843 teraflops. This allows us to run games in the high definition resolution. The controller was also updated, and a touchpad and a speaker were added to it as well. Microsoft had launched its their console a little bit earlier, but Xbox One hadn’t had so powerful GPU as PS4 so it couldn’t handle high resolution in as many games as PS4. So sales of Xbox have been smaller and its resolution isn't the only reason of it, a wide choice of exclusive games on PS4 also causes it.
To PlayStation 4 we can also connect a PlayStation Camera, which is an optional motion sensing accessory allowing us to use our body to control games. For example, we can play tennis by means of our hand, which is a great fun but it is also much healthier than playing by means of a standard controller, as it's a kind of sports activity. The Camera has got a four-channel microphone array which may be used to receive our voice commands. In March 2014 Sony unveiled a virtual reality device, a head-mounted display with 1080p resolution and a 90 degree field of view. But it's not the final product and they are still working on it.
PlayStation Network(PSN) is a service allowing us to buy games, music or videos by means of credit cards without going out of home. The content from the PSN is also cheaper than a normal physical version. There are also a lot of sales, for example now there is an Easter sale with up to 70% discounts. PlayStation Plus is a subscription plan which gives us a pack of games for PS4/PS4 and PS Vita every month. It costs 196 zlotys but in 2014 Sony gave their subscribers games worth over 5 thousand zlotys.
PlayStation Now is a service which allows us to play games from the previous generation of PS. Games stream from cloud to our consoles. You pay for the service but you have access to a big number of good classical games. For now, it has only been launched in the United States, but Sony is planning to expand it over the world.
Games on PS4 are just awesome, the graphics is great. The game developers have now better environment to create games with bigger worlds and better physics. One of the most longed-for games for PS4 is the Polish Witcher 3. The developers have moved the release day twice but it is justified, because they show new features every month. In my opinion all these features weren't available on old generation consoles.
Questions:
1. Do you prefer to play on console or on PC?
2. What console do you have?
Comments
I have PS3 at home, but after reading your article I will definitely consider buying PS4 in the future. For now I'm good :)
There are pros and cons when choosing between a computer or a console. Using console is better in terms of performance. The machine and the game are optimised for the best experience and you don't have to worry about the quality of the game - you are sure that it will be the best. PC's have some limits in terms of the performance and you don't always get the best results. Also games for PC's crash more often as there are more hardware and software variances of the PC setups aswell.
The biggest difference between gaming on PC and a console is the way of interacting with it. For PC typically we use mouse and keybord. For console there were pads (controllers) designed. For games that require a lot of precision, and usually games that you can profesionally compete in are made for PC. Controlling the pointer on the computer screen is more percise by sliding it on a flat surface and this type of precision is not achievable by consoles, where you control the pointer using tension.
However, when it comes to "normal" games, I really hate consoles. I can't switch from using my keyboard and mouse to using the pad. It's just not intuitive for me. I've tried playing Bioshock Infinite on my PS and I couldn't even walk straight, not to mention shooting, jumping, etc. I'm much more a PC gamer.
I am very sentimental when it comes to playstation, it reminds me my childhood :D I absolutely love final fantasy series, I miss pretty much crash bandicoot, CTR, SSX snowboard series <3 and other cool stuff, that's why I would really enjoy Playstation Now – would I have access to all of these?
By now I don't have time to play too much on my PS, only sometimes at the parties there is singstar or buzz, that's awesome party stuff :D
Answering your question: PC or PS (I have never tried XBOX so I cannot say much bout it) I would say that it depends. Sorry to say that but diablo 3 totally doesn't work for me on PS but I love it on PC :)) On the other hand I can't imagine getting griped into SSX or Final Fantasy on PC, because it is just made to be played on Playstation :D So there is no answer I guess ;) But anyway – I don't have time for games anymore :(
I prefer PC. I like to play FPS or any other genre using mouse and keyboard instead of pad. Also I don't like graphics on console games.
Apart from that I could use console.
2. What console do you have?
I don't have any. I had PS2 for summer 8 years ago but I didn't like it.
I prefer shooter games so I need the mouse to aim. I don't understand how peaople can play that kind of games using the controller. In my opinion it just doesn't fit, the whole thing is to aim. I also like when the game looks nice. PC offers higher resolution and higher praphical details.
There are kind of games which are better to play on TV and controller. I respect console fans as I said in the begining but there is a community that freaks me out. They just can't uderstand why people can play on PCs, they hate PC gaming just for hating :P.
Pc vs consoles-this is endless war.
#pcmasterrace :)
and I enjoyed it, so may be in the future I will consider buying one. I don't see any bigger differences between PC and console.
I have Playstation 2 which I consider to be one of the best consoles ever made. The games such as Soul Calibur III or Devil May Cry 3 are pure classics which never get old and can always be enjoyed as much as on the day of their launch.
I prefer consoles in pocket size, so I have some gameboys from my childhood and PSVita I bought few years ago.
In general, I agree with Marcin Kornacki. Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but unlike him I prefer PC.
I had a chance to try out a console a lot of times (my brother had an Xbox and PS3, a few of my friends have Playstations too) but it never was as enjoyable as playing on a computer. That's probably because I grew up with a PC and I got used to its controls long before I touched a gamepad. Everytime I want to play on a console I have to learn how to use a gamepad which usually means I start mashing buttons randomly in hope to press the right one. :D And of course there are types of games that I can't imagine playing on a console, like real-time strategies for example.
I have an old handheld console - Gameboy Advance - which I used to play a lot (Pokemon!) when I was a kid. I loved playing on it, both by myself or together with friends. Actually, I still consider buying a 3DS because a lot of my friends play it and I feel quite attached to Nintendo's consoles.
I know a lot of people who play games and I have to say that I quite enjoy watching them play. Of course it gets boring for me after some time, but I can still appreciate the visual quality of most modern games. My brother owns a PS3 and a computer, he prefers playing on the first one.
Oh, I've had some Nintendo consoles (GB color, advance and DS), but used it only to play Pokemon and Harry Potter 3. These are the games I love!
There are some bars designated for gamers (Padbar, Level Up) - have you ever been there? What do you think of them?
I've never had a console so I can not answer the question of which platform I prefer to play games.
But 2 years ago, I found a Sega megaDrive 2 somewhere in my apartment and it was so funny to play something like mario, sonic, contra, mortall combat and so on.
Sometimes it is just cool to have time for nostalgia.