by Jonathan Kevin Castillo
Manila Bulletin Tech News has recently acquired Sony’s latest gaming console, the Sony Playstation 4. And for those who haven’t tried one yet, we can say in all honestly, it’s awesome. And you’d probably be asking, why pit these two devices together? Well, the PS3 has some heat left in it and there’s no doubt prices will drop. People who don’t own a PS3, may want to consider getting it instead of the more expensive but newer PS4.
And some PS3 owners may be asking, if they should upgrade. We’ve narrowed the things down a bit to help make a decision. But the bottom line, it’s the games that make the system.
Design
The PS3 has three different models. The Super Slim, the Slim, and the original that has gained the popular term, Fat. Each of them sported a curvy design, which isn’t all that bad. It even entertained the idea of AV and other video connections.
The PS4 on the other hand, is something you’d see in a science-fiction movie. It’s got attitude – probably the equivalent of a cocky but walks-the-talk-type of kid.
It sports a parallelogram design (slanted rectangle), polished matte design, with the top left a shiny glossy. The line between the glossy and the matte ignites with a light that changes color depending on the PS4’s status.
It’s mouth-gaping, truth be told. But it doesn’t have AV or other connections, you’re stuck with HDMI – so if you don’t have a HD TV with a proper HDMI connection, you’re screwed.
The best way around this is find an adapter that turns HDMI connections into AV or something else you need.
The controllers are miles different. DualShock 3 shared the same appearance as of the previous two. But the DS4 was a massive redesign.
First, there is a big flashy LED light on top of the DS4, it’s color depends on which player you are. There is also a mono speaker, and an earphone jack. A touchpad, which should make a lot of future games interesting. Pause and Select buttons are out, and in comes the Share and Options.
Share auto-uploads the last few minutes of your game play to the Internet, and Options – basically, it’s Pause. The name change makes sense since a ton of games out there, whole sorts of selections pop out when the Pause button is pressed. And, continues to charge while connected to the PS4 when the device is on standby.
Specs
Let’s not bring up the technical aspects of each console. We’re all in agreement that the PS4 has better specs than the PS3. Not just twice, triple, of quadruple, but nearly as sixteen times better. The PS4 has a specs-sheet that PC gamers have in their PCs. It’s that powerful. And yes, we love it. It also sports wireless connections for smartphones and tablets, an extra CPU for improved background downloads.
The PS4 contains 500GB internal memory storage. That’s huge, compared to the PS3’s early attempts. It wasn’t until the latter years when Sony managed to put a 500GB storage into the PS3, and with that, we can cross our fingers for other possible features like 1TB or improved ways of expansion.
The PS4 can be controlled via Voice command. It’s pretty limited for now. But according to Sony, they plan to develop this in the future. Remote play is possible through the Playstation Vita. Sony claimed a majority of the PS4 games can be accessed through the Vita. Yes, we love that too.
Games-wise, the PS4 doesn’t have that much. Understandable, it’s new.
But let’s not forget that gaming consoles are for games. New is not always better. The PS3 features a large must-play game library. The PS4 will have to wait a little more, but a lot of great games are on their way – these games include Destiny, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, and Watch Dogs – these games will also be available for the PS3. Some games will also come out for both gen consoles.
But is it worth getting a PS4 now? That would depend on you. Personally, not yet. If you have a PS3, stick with it a little more, and if you don’t have one yet, it’s your call if you should get one now and wait a little while longer.
With the PS4 out, we can expect prices of the PS3 to drop soon, and here comes a question if you want to pick that up instead? So far, we’d like to think that’s a decent option, especially as the PS3 alone, already has a lot to offer, especially the games there are fantastic.
The PS4 so far: has a serious lack of games, bugs may be discovered (remember the Leap Year Bug and the Red/Yellow Light of Death?), and there is no doubt a few years from now, a better version will come out that’s more efficient and powerful (debatable?). But it’s a guarantee you’d be futureproofing yourself once all the great titles start flowing in. Besides, it’s also a Blue-ray player.
Whether you pick up a PS4 now, later, or slow down a bit and get a PS3 Slim/Super Slim instead, we feel it’s a win-win.