PlayStation 4: features and capabilities. Reviews and photos

After the deafening success of the PlayStation 3 console, released by the world-famous Japanese company Sony in 2007, everyone was waiting for the sequel. And now, after six long years of waiting, the Japanese were born with a novelty - a console of the fourth generation PlayStation 4. The characteristics of this model exceeded all expectations, and at the time of the release the console had no analogues or competitors. This allowed sales of the console to soar to unprecedented heights, which brought the manufacturer a serious profit.

Key features of the console

Consider the prefix closer: what is the PlayStation 4? The characteristics of the new console correspond to all modern realities and even exceed them somewhat. Here are the main data:

• On the new console is AMD's x86-64 processor Jaguar, which is not worse in terms of power than the best computer analogues and has 8 cores.
• For the video playback, the graphics core from AMD meets the 1.84 teraflops
• The operative memory is 8 gigabytes, generation GDDR5.
• The total memory capacity is 500 GB, if you want, you can replace the hard disk.
• From the input-output devices, you can select a full-blown Blu-ray drive 6xCAV, as well as the presence of USB 3.0 and AUX outputs.
• To the network, the console can be connected via Ethernet, supporting 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, wireless systems supporting IEEE 802.11 b / g / n and Bluetooth 2.1.
• The console has HDMI, digital and analog outputs.

In short, the new console has everything you need even the most sophisticated and demanding player.

As for the joysticks, they can also please the players. DualShock 4 joysticks are now wireless, measuring 162 x 52 x 98 mm, and quite lightweight - 210 g. They are very comfortable in the hands and almost not felt. Plus, the absence of wires also plays a role - now you can play at any distance from the console. In general, the joysticks are packed with the latest technology and are not inferior in the functionality of the console itself. Among the buttons you can see PS, share, options, direction of movement, actions, 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 at the same time. The touchpad is fully clickable. The joystick has a six-axis gyroscope. In addition, it has a light panel that makes its appearance even more attractive, the joystick supports vibration and it has a built-in microphone for communicating with other players during the game or recording streams. On the joystick there are USB, Extention and headphone jacks, 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, capable of sustaining without recharging for quite some time.

Complete with the PlayStation 4 is the updated PlayStation 4 Eye camera with external dimensions of 186 x 27 x 27 mm. Her characteristics are also quite worthy of respect:

• It can shoot video with a resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels and a frequency of 60 frames per second in video formats such 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 for you.
• The camera is equipped with dual lenses with a fixed focus and a range of capture from 30 cm.
• Overview of the updated video camera is 85 degrees, which, you see, is quite a lot.
• The camera has a four-channel microphone that captures even the quietest sounds.
• The camera is connected to the console via AUX. The cable length is two meters, so that the camera can be put in any convenient place for you.

And this is not all innovations, they are incredibly many. If you list them all, then this article is not enough. About additional innovations of the program plan you can learn from the second half of the article.

Design

So, you've already got acquainted with the main innovations in the console PlayStation 4. The characteristics, you will agree, are impressive. As for the appearance, here, too, everything is fine. 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 classical - smooth lines and slightly sloping design, in short, nothing superfluous. It fully corresponds to the principle of Japanese minimalism. The console body has the appearance of three layers of blocks, which 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-outlets.

If you want something special, then today there is a rather large number of various customized models of consoles, among which you can choose any, everything depends on what you like best

Advantages over other consoles

The main competitor of the Japanese console is still the brainchild of Microsoft - the prefix Xbox. By and large, the prefixes are quite similar and it's hard to say which one is better. It is best to leave this issue to the gamers court, because each of the consoles has its 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.

Features of the new console

What else can the new PlayStation 4 boast? The characteristics are already considered, the design too, it remains to see new features of the program type. And here, too, is where to go for a walk:

• The prefix was made most convenient for developers of new games, significantly reducing the time required for their creation, as well as their budget. This will allow even small game companies to promote their creations among gamers with minimal effort. As a result, the game industry will receive a serious impetus to development.
• While the game is being downloaded from the PlayStation Store, you do not have to sit with your 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 a new mode of "intellectual pause" has appeared. It allows you to continue playing from the moment you finished the game, right 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 and continue playing from the same place.
• Now there is the newest system Gaikai, which will give you a try to play a game in the store before buying it. After all, no one wants to buy a cat in a poke, does it?
• You can watch in real time what your friends are playing now.
• In the store, you can immediately see a list of your recommendations. It is based on 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 run into difficulties, you can easily ask for help from friends who will tell you how to pass this or that moment of the game.
• The console menu is now multitasking: right during the game you can use other applications, for example, to go online.
• With the help of special applications PlayStation App you can connect to the console with the help of PlayStation Vita and PS Vita TV. In addition, you can connect to the console and using the phone.
• In the kit with the console is a standard headset and hard drive for 500 GB, which, if desired, can be replaced by any other.
• In the console, regional restrictions were finally abolished, so that you will no longer be faced with letters such as PAL and NTSC.

Differences from previous versions

The technical characteristics of the PlayStation 4 seriously differ from those of the previous version. The software also has considerable differences. Technically, the console has become much more powerful - everything has improved, from the processor to the RAM. An important fact was that the manufacturer refused the processors, which he used in previous models, and took on the computer processor.

In addition, there are new joysticks. An important update was the appearance of the Share button, giving the opportunity to share the best moments of your game with friends and acquaintances or stream the game in real time.

Modifications to the console

To date, there are several different versions of the Sony PlayStation 4, the characteristics of which are somewhat different. To date, the largest population is used by such modifications as Neo, Slim and Pro. Each of them has its own peculiarities.

PlayStation 4 Pro

One of the modifications can be called the console Sony PlayStation 4 Pro, the characteristics of which differ from the standard. It shows higher performance due to the updated "stuffing". The technical characteristics of the PlayStation 4 Pro are:

• Full support for 4K. Now the graphics of the games will be impressive.
• The hard drive is increased to terabytes.
• The graphics core is improved more than 2 times to expand the graphics capabilities of games.
• A full 1080p resolution.

As you can see, there is enough change. If you compare the standard prefix and PlayStation 4 Pro, the characteristics of the latter significantly exceed the original, in particular the visual component. In addition, the pro version can boast 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. It 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 reduced noise. The new console is equipped with USB 3.1 ports, Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / ac with the ability to connect via Bluetooth 4.0. In addition, the Slim version of the console is cheaper than the original one.

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 a seriously revised schedule. Now, if it allows the TV, you can enjoy a full 4K in all games. The truth at the moment only refers to the games released in autumn 2016, but the Japanese promise to refine everything. Televisions that support the FullHD system will also be subject to improvements - now they will have a higher stable frame rate, and the graphics detail will be higher.

The processor of this modification will be more powerful and support a clock speed of 2.1 GHz, which will speed up the console by one-third. The power of the graphics 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 very important. Plus to that under the game was allocated an additional 512 megabytes of memory. All this allowed to raise the resolution of the image to a full 2160r. The output of the updated console is scheduled for October 2016.

User Reviews

Since the console has been on the market for about three years, there have been quite a lot of feedback. And we can say that the reviews mostly have positive assessments. The design of Sony PlayStation 4, technical specifications and the actual gameplay itself are the main points that players praise most.

Interesting facts about the console

As usual, the production and release of the new console have not been without interesting and curious cases.

• So, in 2012, the web has photos of the design of the new console, which were immediately removed.
• In February 2013, the video showing the console, won first place in the number of views among other commercials.
• Nobody knew how the console actually looks, right up to her first presentation.
• A book has been written about the history of creating the console.