PlayStation 4 Console
Meet the Sony PlayStation 4 ITB Ultimate Player
Sony's Playstation 4 is without doubt the front-runner in today's battle of the consoles.
The new model is called the Ultimate Player's Edition but, to the casual observer, Sony's all-conquering PS4 hasn't changed much. That's because all the key changes have happened under the hood.
Sony has doubled the 500GB storage space inside the console, bringing it up to a massive 1TB and matching the newest version of the Xbox One.
That means more games; more movies and more apps can all be squeezed into the matte black box.
PS4 consoles and bundles
No matter how you purchase a PlayStation 4, it'll ship with an HDMI cable, a DualShock 4 wireless controller, a USB charging cable and an earbud headset for game chat. The standard console goes for $350 though it seems like at almost any given time a PS4 bundle is being offered by Sony or another retailer.
PS4 bundles usually provide the best overall value if you're looking to get started from scratch.
Major PS4 exclusive games (available now or soon):
. - Bloodborne
. - Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
. - Infamous: Second Son
. - LittleBigPlanet 3
. - Until Dawn
Major PS4 exclusive games due by 2016 and beyond::
. - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
. - The Last Guardian
. - Horizon Zero Dawn
. - No Man's Sky (console exclusive)
. - Dreams
. - Street Fighter V (console exclusive)
. - Ratchet and Clank reboot
Design
One look at the PS4 and you know you're looking at Sony hardware. It's slim, sleek, available in jet black and shiny white, and amazingly it's roughly the size of a second generation PS3 Slim.
The full measurements are 275 x 53 x 305 mm so it's a lot more compact than an Xbox One, which is longer, taller and squarer.
Performance
Aside from a zippier all-around experience in the system software, the PS4 tends to install games quicker than the Xbox One. There's also some evidence that multiplatform games play better and run in higher resolutions than they do on the Xbox One. In some cases, the PS4 will also play at a higher frame rate than the Xbox One.
The Features
User-accessible hard drive
The PS4 ships with a 500GB, 5,400rpm hard drive (and is also available in a 1TB model), but you can easily swap it out for a 2.5-inch SATA drive with a larger capacity or a SSHD or SSD for potentially increased performance. The Xbox One, by comparison, doesn't allow the swapping of hard drives -- instead you have to attach an external USB drive.
Controller
Dualshock 4 - could it be the best controller ever designed? It's one impressively well-designed piece of kit. Sony has taken the Dualshock 3, inspected everything impressive about the Xbox 360's controller and attempted to combine the two. The trigger system is now concave feeling much more like the 360's triggers without as much pull.
User Interface
Goodbye XrossMediaBar, hello full customization. Both the 360 and PS3 user interfaces were lacking in my opinion - being stodgy and unpredictable. Both next-generation consoles have redesigned the user interface and the PlayStation 4 now comes with a fully customizable PlayStation Dynamic Menu.
Games
PlayStation 4 is beginning to build up a catalogue of must-play titles. Alongside everything released since launch there's a big batch of games incoming this year and then the launch of PlayStation Now in the UK in 2015. PlayStation Now will bring with it the chance to play every PlayStation game ever made.
The PlayStation 4's beautiful graphics, blazing performance give it an edge over the Xbox One.
