After the resounding success of the PlayStation 3 console, which was released by the world famous Japanese company Sony back in 2007, everyone was waiting for the continuation. And now, after six long years of waiting, the Japanese gave birth to a novelty - the fourth-generation console of the PlayStation 4. The characteristics of this model exceeded all expectations, and at the time of release the console had no analogues or competitors. This allowed the sales of the set-top box to soar to previously unprecedented heights, which brought serious profit to the manufacturer.
Key Features
Let's take a closer look at the console: what is the PlayStation 4? The characteristics of the new console correspond to all modern realities and even slightly exceed them. Here are the basic data:
- On the new console is the x86-64 AMD Jaguar processor, which is not inferior in power to the best computer counterparts and has 8 cores.
- The graphics core from AMD is responsible for video playback, issuing 1.84 teraflops
- RAM is 8 gigabytes, a generation of GDDR5.
- The total memory capacity of 500 GB, if desired, the hard drive can be replaced.
- Of the input-output devices, one can single out a full-fledged Blu-ray drive 6xCAV, as well as the availability of USB 3.0 and AUX outputs.
- The console can be connected to the network via Ethernet, supporting 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T protocols, wireless systems containing IEEE 802.11 b / g / n and Bluetooth 2.1.
- The set-top box has HDMI, digital and analog outputs.
In short, the new console has everything that even the most sophisticated and demanding player needs.
As for the joysticks, they can also please the players. The
DualShock 4 joysticks are now wireless, have dimensions of 162 x 52 x 98 mm and are quite light in weight - 210 g. They are very comfortable in the hands and are almost not felt. Plus, the lack of wires also plays a role - now you can play at any distance from the console. In general, joysticks are packed with the latest technology and are not inferior in functionality to the console itself. Among the buttons you can see PS, share, options, direction of movement, action, R1 / L1 / R2 / L2, left stick / L3, right stick / R3. In addition to the buttons, the joystick has a capacitive touchpad that supports up to two points simultaneously. The touchpad is fully clickable. A six-axis gyroscope is built into the joystick. In addition, it has a light panel, which makes its appearance even more attractive, the joystick supports vibration and it has a built-in microphone to communicate with other players during a game or recording streams. The joystick has USB, Extention, and a headphone jack, so if you want you can connect everything you need to it. The gamepad is connected to the console via Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. The battery on the joystick is a classic lithium-ion battery, capable of withstanding a sufficiently long time without recharging.
The PlayStation 4 comes with an updated PlayStation 4 Eye camera with external dimensions of 186 x 27 x 27 mm. Its characteristics are also quite worthy of respect:
- It can shoot video with a resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels and a frame rate of 60 frames per second in such video formats as RAW and YUV. There are also shooting modes with a resolution of 640 x 400 and a frequency of 120 frames per second, 320 x 190 and a frequency of 240 frames per second, which allows you to choose the optimal quality that is convenient specifically for you.
- The camera has dual lenses with a fixed focus and a capture range of 30 cm.
- The review of the updated camcorder is 85 degrees, which, you see, is a lot.
- A four-channel microphone is installed on the camera, picking up even the quietest sounds.
- The camera is connected to the console via AUX. The cable length is two meters, so the camera can be put in any place convenient for you.
And this is not all the innovations, there are an incredible amount of them. If you list them all, then this article is not enough. You can learn about additional innovations in the program plan from the second half of the article.
Design
So, you have already familiarized yourself with the main innovations in the PlayStation 4. The characteristics, you see, are impressive. As for the appearance, here everything is fine too. The dimensions of the new console are 275 x 53 x 305 mm, and the weight is about 2.8 kg. The appearance of the console is quite classic - straight lines and slightly slanted design, in short, nothing more. It is fully consistent with the principle of Japanese minimalism. The case of the console has the form of three layers of blocks that symbolize the power and reliability of the console. In the center of the top panel you can see the glossy logo of the manufacturer. On the front panel of the console, you can see two USB outputs.
If you want something special, then today there is a fairly large number of different customized models of consoles, among which you can choose any, everything depends on what you like
Benefits over other consoles
The main competitor to the Japanese console is still the brainchild of Microsoft - the Xbox console. By and large, consoles are quite similar and it's hard to say which one is better. It is best to leave this question to the court of gamers, because each of the consoles has its own advantages and disadvantages, and, accordingly, each of them has its own army of fans who consider the product of a competitor something unworthy of attention.
New console features
What else can the new PlayStation 4 boast of? The characteristics have already been considered, the design, too, it remains to see new features of the program type. And here, too, there is where to roam:
- The prefix was made as convenient as possible for developers of new games, significantly reducing the time required to create them, as well as their budget. This will allow even small game development companies to promote their creations among gamers with minimal effort. As a result, the gaming industry will receive a serious impetus to development.
- While the game is being downloaded from the PlayStation Store, you don’t have to sit with a bored face and look at the download bar. Now it is possible to start playing the digital version of the game already at the time of its download.
- You can update the software even when the console is turned off.
- Now there is a new mode of “intellectual pause”. It allows you to continue playing from the moment you finished the game, immediately after turning on the console. And this means that even a lack of time will not interfere with your progress in the game - you can pause, turn off the console, and then turn it on, continue playing from the same place.
- Now the latest Gaikai system has appeared, which will give you a try to play a game in the store before buying it. After all, no one wants to buy a pig in a poke, right?
- You can watch in real time what your friends are playing now.
- In the store you can now immediately see a list of your recommendations. It is built on the basis of your purchases in the PlayStation Store, which, you see, is very convenient.
- Now there is a new service Ustream, which allows you to stream games in real time. And if you encounter difficulties, then you can easily ask for help from friends who will tell you how best to get through this or that moment of the game.
- The console menu is now multitasking: right during the game you can use other applications, for example, access the Internet.
- Using the special applications of the PlayStation App, you can connect to the console using the PlayStation Vita and PS Vita TV. In addition, you can connect to the console using your phone.
- The console comes with a standard headset and a 500 GB hard drive, which can be replaced with any other if desired.
- The console finally lifted the regional restrictions, so you won’t be confronted with letters such as PAL and NTSC.
Differences from previous versions
Specifications PlayStation 4 are significantly different from the characteristics of the console of the previous version. The software has considerable differences. Technically, the console has become much more powerful - everything has improved, from the processor to RAM. An important fact was that the manufacturer abandoned the processors that were used in previous models, and adopted a computer processor.
In addition, new joysticks also differ. An important update was the appearance of the Share button, which makes it possible to share the best moments of your game with friends and acquaintances or stream the game in real time.
Console Modifications
To date, there are several different modifications of the Sony PlayStation 4, the characteristics of which vary slightly. To date, the largest population enjoys such modifications as Neo, Slim and Pro. Each of them has its own characteristics.
Playstation 4 pro
One of the modifications can be called the
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro console
, the characteristics of which differ from the standard. It shows better performance due to the updated "filling". Specifications PlayStation 4 Pro are:
- Full 4K support. Now the graphics of the games will be impressive.
- The hard drive is expanded to a terabyte.
- The graphics core is improved more than 2 times to expand the graphics capabilities of games.
- Full 1080p resolution.
As you can see, there are enough changes. If we compare the standard console and the PlayStation 4 Pro, the characteristics of the latter are significantly higher than the original, especially the visual component. In addition, the pro version boasts an additional USB port on the rear panel. The release of the new console is scheduled for November 2016.
Playstation 4 slim
Another modification of the console is the PlayStation 4 Slim. Its characteristics have not changed, as in previous slim versions of consoles. The only thing that has changed is the size of the console. She has become much smaller. Its dimensions became less by a third, and it all decreased by a quarter. All this has significantly reduced energy consumption and noise levels. The new set-top box is equipped with USB 3.1, Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / ac ports with the ability to connect via Bluetooth 4.0. In addition, the slim version of the console is cheaper than the original.
Playstation 4 neo
Sony has created a high-end console called PlayStation 4 Neo, its characteristics are slightly different from the original. The first thing that catches your eye is seriously revised graphics. Now, if the TV allows it, you can enjoy full 4K in all games. True, at the moment, only games released in the fall of 2016 are meant, but the Japanese promise to finalize everything. TVs that support the FullHD system will also be subject to improvements - now they will have a higher stable frame rate, and the detail of the graphics will be higher.
The processor in this modification will be more powerful and support a clock frequency of 2.1 gigahertz, which will accelerate the console by a third. The power of the graphic core was more than doubled, and its clock frequency increased by more than a hundred megahertz. In addition, the bandwidth of the RAM was increased by a quarter, which is also important. Plus, an additional 512 megabytes of memory was allocated for the games. All this allowed to raise the image resolution to full 2160r. The release of the updated console is scheduled for October 2016.
User reviews
Since the console has been on the market for about three years, a lot of reviews have accumulated. And we can say that the majority of reviews have positive ratings. The design of the Sony PlayStation 4 console, technical specifications and the gameplay itself are the main points that players most praise.
Interesting facts about the console
As usual, the production and release of the new console did not do without interesting and curious cases.
- So, in 2012, photos of the design of a new set-top box appeared on the Web, which were immediately deleted.
- In February 2013, a video demonstrating the console took first place in terms of the number of views among other commercials.
- No one knew what the console really looked like, right up to its first presentation.
- A book has been written about the history of the creation of the console.