Growing up, some of my best Christmas mornings were the years I got a new console. When I received the original PlayStation years ago, right away it could do things that my childhood self deemed amazing. It could play music CDs, had demo discs (which were a big deal to a child with no money,) and had shiny new 3D graphics.
Here we are over ten years later, with the newest console in Sony's lineup, the PlayStation 4. While it indeed still plays music (via USB device) and has those great 3D graphics that I fell in love with years ago, the PS4 has many more bells and whistles that would look very nice under your Christmas tree, but not everything is perfect.
If you don't play games, PS4 is prepared for you, too
For starters, more than just the gaming fans in the family will get use out of it. The PS4 has all of the big streaming apps that have been advertised, like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. It also has Crunchyroll for anime fans, and you can purchase shows yourself using the PlayStation Network store. Sony also boasts its own television streaming service, PlayStation Vue, which is proving to be an alternative to cable television.
With all of these, even if one of your family members has no interest in Video Games whatsoever, they can still get a lot of use out of the console to watch movies and television shows.
In addition to streaming, the PS4 can play DVDs and Blu-ray discs, and even play those that aren't in your country's region--I've watched Japanese DVDs using my American PS4 multiple times.
The console also boasts some great titles from both first-party developers and third-party developers. Old faces like "Crash Bandicoot" and "Sonic the Hedgehog" are here via third-party developers, along with other big names like "South Park" and "Final Fantasy."
The PS4 also has some fantastic exclusive titles that you can't find anywhere else, like "Knack," "Neir: Automata," "Horizon Zero Dawn," and "Yakuza 0." No matter what genre of game you're interested in, whether you want to throw some punches at a group of tough guys or use a sniper rifle against aliens, the PS4 has you covered.
There is also online play available, allowing you to show off your skills to players all over the world.
Okay, but what's bad about all of this?
While all of those points make the system seem like the only thing you would ever need in terms of video games, the PS4 doesn't come without some flaws. For example, while I did mention it can play music via a USB device, that's your only option unless you subscribe to a paid streaming service or bring up a video via the YouTube app--music CDs are not supported.
If you want to play a DVD that isn't your region (for example, a Japanese DVD on a USA console,) you're required to change the region of your console. Each time you want to do this, you use one of the allowed five times change limit. If you're not careful, you could be stuck with a foreign PS4.
The online play, while a very nice addition that adds a lot of replayability to games, requires a payment. A subscription to the PlayStation Plus is required for some games, and cannot be played online without them. This is not the case for every single game, but if you're going to be playing the newest shooter title, you're going to have to pony up some cash to play it with others via the Internet.
The biggest flaw, one that most parents and new users will want to be aware of, is that the PS4 is not backwards compatible with past games on the PlayStation 3.
Unfortunately, in order to play PS3 games (from Sony's selection, not your own,) you'll either need to subscribe to the PS Now service, buy them on the PlayStation Network store, or keep your old console and use it. If you're looking to finish an old PS3 title on your new console, you'll have to, unfortunately, resume it on the older one.
Is the PS4 for you? Well, it depends. If you have a large library of PlayStation 3 games, it might be best to wait until the PS4 has a handful of games that you want to play. If the PS4's library attracts you with a few titles and you're looking to upgrade to Sony's latest and greatest, then the PlayStation 4 is something that will bring you loads of fun. It all depends on whether or not you really want the newest titles and don't mind waiting for them to be released.
For me, though? That remake of "Crash Bandicoot" was very appealing.
