Hello, everyone, and a soon to be happy New Year’s!  Ahem, after discussing the Wii U and the XBox One, it only stands to reason that the Duck will now be discussing the successor to the PlayStation 3.  Can you guess what it’s called?  Yes, that’s right, the PlayStation 4 (talk about creative titles…).  I heard a lot of rumors about this console, just as I did with the XBox One, and it led me to believe this console didn’t focus a lot on games and may very well have the same upsetting features the XBox One did away with (such as having to log in daily and not allowing us to play used games).  But, after reading about this console (information was found on Wikipedia), I am pleasantly surprised.

For one thing, don’t worry, you can indeed play used games on the PS4.  And as far as I can tell, you don’t have to connect to the Internet to install a game, either, like you need to with the XBox One.  They also made some pretty cool changes to this console.  For one thing, apparently the PS4 does updates and installs games in the background, allowing you to play without having to watch those boring screens where the console downloads stuff you didn’t really even want to begin with (yes, I’ll sit here for several minutes while you hide my trophies in a more difficult to find location; like I believe for a second “Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix” is unplayable without such a change).  You can apparently try out games for free, too, to see if they’re any good before you buy them, which is pretty neat.  Hopefully, that will prevent certain purchases I later regretted (“Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault”).  And just a random detail, this console lets you replace the hard dive with a bigger one when you want to.  The XBox One, however, does not.  Good to know if my hard drive fills up, I don’t need to erase stuff or buy a new console.  Unlike…the XBox One…

I also noticed that the controller, while largely similar in appearance to previous PlayStation controllers, actually has a small touch screen on it, though I am not yet certain what that is used for.  The controller, unlike that of the XBox One, is also rechargeable like the PS3 controller was and can also be plugged into the console to recharge (I like the option of basically using a wired controller).  You can also add a camera to this console that is similar to the Kinect on the XBox, but unlike the XBox One, this feature is something you must buy separately.  You can also use such things as tablets and smart phones as a second screen.  Doesn’t help me any, as I don’t possess such newfangled technology, but okay.

When it comes to games for this console, there are good and bad things.  One good thing is that all PS4 games are supposed to be playable on the PS Vita (which also would be good if I owned said Vita).  Plus, it sounds like they are simplifying this console’s hardware so that it may get more developers to make games for it.  Hopefully that will cause this console to have a better selection of games, including “indie” games.  On the bad side that causes me to frown, the PS4 is not backwards compatible with any games (unlike the PS2’s backwards compatibility with PS1 games and the PS3’s limited backwards compatibility with PS1 and PS2 games).  Like the XBox One, older games should eventually be made available through cloud gaming.  As I said before, yay, I get to buy games I already own again.

And there is one more thing worth mentioning.  While the XBox One seems to be emphasizing all the non-game-related things it can do, the PS4 has an emphasis on sharing, such as including a Share button on the controller that can allow you to share screenshots and gameplay easily with others on sites like Facebook and Twitter, plus you can watch live videos of your friends’ gameplay, as well.  For me, I really don’t care either way about these things, but I suppose this is good for people that like sharing gameplay videos.  I do admit, though, that there are occasions when I am pretty awesome (if I do say so myself) in a boss battle and want to share my prowess with the world, so perhaps such a feature would get some use by the Duck, after all.  (I’m certainly not sharing the times I get my butt completely and utterly kicked, though, which is the norm.)

So I’m liking the PS4.  It is not so different from the traditional consoles as I expected it to be, and it is no wonder it appears to have the most positive reception of all the current generation consoles.  Having to wait less for games to install and for the console to update will be nice and having the option to try out games for free is a big plus, as well.  And I do look forward to the better video game library.  My biggest disappointment is that it’s not backwards compatible, but that seems to be surprisingly a rare thing to find.  PS4, it’s a yes.

So, now that I have discussed all three of the newest generation of consoles, let’s summarize, shall we?

The Wii U appears to be the simplest of all the consoles (and the least expensive, at $300), dedicated mainly to gaming.  It is lacking a lot of the features of the other consoles, and so it is the console that is the most similar to traditional consoles of the past, which is a good thing for me, though I am not sure about that controller.  Getting to play console games on the controller would be convenient (if you really can play them like a handheld like I’m assuming) but I wonder how awkward that bulky controller is.  At least it’s the only console that is backwards compatible with something.  I will likely be getting this console, mainly because I am a big Nintendo fan, though I’m not particularly excited about it otherwise.

The XBox One is the most complicated and user-unfriendly of the consoles and the most expensive, as well (at $500).  And we still don’t get a controller with a rechargeable battery…  While they did away with having to connect to the Internet daily and the restrictions on used games, the console still requires you to connect to the Internet when installing a new game, which isn’t good for those with a bad Internet connection or those without Internet entirely.  This console also seems to be more about features not related to gaming, so it is the least gamer-oriented console out there.  Hmm, I think there’s a pretty good chance I won’t be buying this console.  While I appreciate that they got rid of the changes people disliked, I’m not spending so much money on a console that appears to be the most annoying to use and which isn’t even that much about games.  Sorry, “Halo”.  I’ll miss you.

The PS4 left me surprisingly pleased.  I was worried at how much modern consoles would change, but the PS4 sounds like it still focuses on the gamer first.  They are trying to make games more fun to play, with less wait times when it comes to updates and installing games, and they allow you to try games before buying them, and they are trying to have a better game library, as well.  This console also emphasizes sharing, something a lot of gamers like to do, and appears to make sharing much easier.  It is more expensive than the Wii U at $400, likely because it is more advanced, but it is also cheaper than the XBox One, falling right in the middle.  Being a big PlayStation fan (and I was already planning on buying this console no matter what just for “Kingdom Hearts 3”), I believe I am the most excited about this console.  Sony, you are the winner of this generation.

You Already Know What I’m Going to Say This Time…I Want a PSD, a PlayStation Duck