2nd Impressions – The PS4 Features Revisited
You know that feeling you get when FINALLY that shiny new toy is in your hands. You play with that thing non-stop for hours, maybe days on end. Then, something happens, something changes. The new toy isn’t so shiny, isn’t so new and you realize, I really wish it did more, or came with other accessories. You wait for that next new thing that will make it shiny and new all over again. That’s almost how I feel about the PS4.
initialization of memory strand
With the launch of the PS4 came a brand new console for everyone to sink their teeth into. After months of waiting, I finally had it in my hands, hooked up to my TV and displaying all its technological goodness in 1080p clarity. The new PlayStation Dynamic Menu was a site to behold. Gone was the XrossMediaBar (XMB) of the PS3 days, this ushered in necessary change for the better. Navigation got some getting used to but once you familiarized yourself with the menus, controls and means of moving from menu to menu it became very easy to use and understand. Voice recognition was pretty cool (read my other article for my thoughts about that), facial recognition added some flare and the remote play capabilities really wowed me.
That was then, this is now
So after having the console for about a month, I’ve come to realize that the PS4 is a great console. The launch of the PS3 was so long ago I can barely remember how I felt then or afterwards. But with the PS4 there’s some things that are already stuck in my head that hope will change in the near future with firmware updates and features that have been talked about by Sony already. This isn’t meant to be a *** session by any means, just observations of what I think are some glaring missteps by Sony right out of the gate.
UI – GUI or Gooey?
So the new Dynamic Menu is pretty cool, it really does a great job of showing a lot more information/data about your games, activities and things going on through your social connections. That’s the cool, new stuff. What happened to themes? There’s no mention of them anywhere, static or dynamic ones! What happened here? Also, what if I hate blue? I’m stuck with the one color of Sony’s choosing. Font choices, no I don’t have that either. I can see all my games, but I can’t sort them in any particular order nor can I create folders to combine them to clean-up the interface a bit. Trophies are affected by this lack of sorting as well. These are all things I could have done with the PS3; these are some of the basics I think should have been present day 1.
To support Media or not to support media, that is the question
So the new console has some UI things that could be improved, big deal right? What IS a big deal is the lack of some heavy hitting features. PS3 owners have been up in arms for years about HDCP on the HDMI output. This means you cannot record game play directly from the output of the PS3 (there are workarounds but its not direct recording). Same thing with the PS4. Sony said it would remove HDCP from the PS4 in a future update but I would think that would have happened soon after launch since they tout the social aspects of the console so heavily. Just a bit oxymoronic if you ask me. Next up is no DLNA support. That’s a big one for me. I watch almost all my media through my console, it just works great for it and with everything centrally stored on my NAS it is convenient too. Well, my PS3 can do it, but my PS4 is jealous of that. DLNA isn’t new so why would Sony skip that capability they already support on a past generation of hardware? Even older than DLNA is MP3 support… take a guess which console can’t play MP3’s either?
thinking outside the box
So we’ve moved past the glitzy UI and the glamour of media features what’s left? Well, the PS4 doesn’t support external storage. Nope, you can’t attach a USB drive to it for it to recognize content. This could be related to the lack of DLNA/MP3 support but either way, its missing. You can use a USB drive to backup game content or perform a FW update but that’s a pretty limited set of abilities. The voice recognition commands are limited. They really do need to be expanded and used throughout the UI & games to become mainstream. Facial recognition is neat too, but I can only use it to log in. If you see my face, why not see my hands too and let me use gestures to swipe through menus. And if you let me do all that, why limit me to my Facebook profile picture only or one of those baked in avatars? Let me use my own profile pic (that could get dicey but we’re dealing with people who are going to push limits anyways).
FINAL thoughts
So those are my current feelings about the PS4. Am I going to sell it any time soon, turn it off and step away from the mic to breath, heck no! I love the PS4, its a great console that still wows me every time I use it. I just wish some of the features I relied on with my PS3 that have been around for years were available in the PS4. Any time features are removed for really no good reason, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I know with time we’ll see these re-introduced back into our PS4 lives but until then, it seems my PS3 will still occupy a space on my shelf for the near future. What are your gripes with the console? What do you wish was back or what do you think is completely missing that should be there? Sound off in the comments section below.
Disclaimer
2nd Impressions are articles by CNPalmer focusing on topics that have been previously reviewed/covered by himself or others in the community. It is meant to take a look back and give some follow-up detail that hindsight provides once the magic has worn off and reality sinks in. Sometimes the magic lasts; sometimes reality sucks. You’ve been warned. For more information follow CNPalmer on Twitter and subscribe to his YouTube channel to keep up to date on his other segments and work within the gaming community.
Glad to see I’m not the only one “complaining” about (the lack of) some features ! Hope Sony comes around and they change their mind on some aspects of the PS4. Having tried it I personally hate the UI. In comparison to the XMB it’s unclear and a hassle to navigate IMO. But if there’s one thing that won’t ever change on the PS4 it’s this one. Maybe themes will appear at some point at least…
Wallpaper & color choices I hope arrive soon at a minimum. I think the lack of themes on the PS4 may hurt Sony in the long run as that has the potential to generate earnings with purchases through the store. It also limits publishers with including those typical add-ins for themes if the console just doesn’t support it.
Yeah, I think the prospect of making money will get to them in the end 😉 Although I’ve read somewhere they don’t make that much money with themes, especially dynamic themes, as they supposedly cost a lot to produce … but yeah, color themes and wallpapers should be a minimum.
I would not call this dynamic menu better than the XMB in any way, even psps is better
I think I could have worded it better. It would be hard to compare the 2 interfaces directly in terms of form/function. But I agree, without some improvements, I think the UI will remain cumbersome for some time. I was merely pointing to the overhaul of the entire interface a welcome change, for better or worse.
II’ve been saying it for a while now -if they sc*** with Vita owners they’ll screw with ps4 owners. Think you’ve got stuff to complain about now? It’s going to get worse…much much worse.
It’s a shame to see that the Xbox One has some basic features that the PS4 lacks. It’s a shame, Sony!
I think there will always be something one console has that another doesn’t, no matter how trivial it may be but some core features like the ones described should really become priority.
Good article every thing is so true i feel the same way when i purchased my ps4 I expected to get a ps4 not a ps3 in a half lol.
Pretty good analogy! I think with time everything will be introduced back in. The features that are there was purely from a gaming aspect. Everything else will come along eventually… I hope.
Yes, I’m missing to playback Blurays in 3D.
Good call. I completely missed that in my list!
You are all being silly the ps4 has jut not evolved yet… They have put all the important features in the console and then left space so that they can update things such as themes later on.
Basically you have the features for gamers first such as party chat then later we should expect things such as wallpapers, themes and media accessibility(MP3 downloads, flash player, etc…)
Playstation has told us that was there plan anyway to start with the games so give it 365days.
I don’t disagree, and continue to be hopeful, but using the vita as a “measuring stick” shows Sony doesn’t have an issue removing features (like Themes) and not re-introducing them. I hate the Vita UI and background music, but it offers very little in customization. I get the impression they are following Apple’s lead.
There should be a intern union to support those unpaid inters that Sony took so much advantage of.
Why do people on here complain if a game or game system isn’t perfect right away? Its like all you guys post about lately is how pissy you get over a game system.
Oh I don’t know, maybe because when you pay for something you should get it in a perfect state? If you went to a bakery and get a raw dough when you have asked for bread you wouldn’t put up with the baker’s assurance: Do not worry, we will bake it for you with the next bakery update in the next year.
I have the same gripes about it. Just playing the waiting game for features basically like most Sony hardware.
I Beg your pardon, but would you please tell me that DLNA is, it would seem that as old as this technology might be I have never heard of it.
DLNA stands for the Digital Network Living Alliance. Its a collaborative organization that develops guidelines for connected devices and sharing media between them. Ironic, it was Sony who helped form the group!
So yea. I have a huge media library on my computer and not being able to stream any of that content to my ps4 is super super lame. That’s a HUGE feature for me as well and I pray that feature is added later.
Well, when there is something missing that we would like to see included we maybe unhappy. But if it is something that was previously present it is a little baffling.
It just goes to prove that Sony, same as Microsoft, has rushed their console out not 100% ready to get those sweet Black Friday/Christmas sales. It is also another proof that it is usually wise not to buy any electronic device at launch, especially a game console.
Deal with IT!! B-)