PlayStation 4

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The **PlayStation 4** is a console released by Sony in November 2013 and is the successor to the PlayStation 3 and was succeeded by the PlayStation 5 in 2020. It is also the fourth home console in the PlayStation family and Sony's entry in the eighth generation of console gaming.

Late 2016 saw the release of two additional models: a "slim" PS4 with the same specs as the original model, and a more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro, which allows games to run at resolutions of up to 4K.

It is the best selling console of the eighth generation, the best selling console currently on the market and the second best selling Sony console and home console, only behind the best selling console of all time, the PlayStation 2.

## Hardware specifications

* CPU: Semi-custom 8-core AMD x86-64 Jaguar 1.6 GHz CPU (2.13 GHz on pro), secondary low power processor for background tasks
* Memory: 8 GB GDDR5, 256 MB DDR3 (original and slim, for background tasks), 1 GB DDR3 (pro, for background tasks)
* Storage: 500 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB hard drive
* Display: 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K (pro)
* Graphics: Custom AMD GCN Radeon integrated into APU; clocked at 800 MHz (911 MHz on pro)
* Media: Blu-ray, DVD

## Why Greatness Awaits

1. Rather than making their own chips for the console as they have been doing for past consoles, Sony decided to use an AMD Jaguar-based architecture, making the console more developer-friendly.
2. The DualShock 4 controller is comfortable and ergonomic to hold and use, an improvement from the tried and true mold used for DualShock controllers from the original PS1 to the PS3. It's also a popular controller among PC gamers next to the Xbox 360 controller. The controller is even recognized by certain PC games (including *Transistor* and *Shovel Knight*).
3. The console's user interface is very well designed and is easy to navigate.
4. Nice selection of games (though most are multiplatform) with more on the way.
5. Like the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita before it, the system is region free, making it a good console for import gamers. However, it is still best for the console and the game to come from the same region.
6. Just like the PlayStation 3, the console is able to play Blu-Rays and DVDs.
7. Home to many amazing exclusives such as *Ratchet & Clank*, *Bloodborne*, *Uncharted 4: A Thief's End*, and *God of War* (2018) among many others.
8. Several exclusive PS3 and PS2 games like *The Last of Us*, *God Of War III*, *Shadow of the Colossus*, *Kingdom Hearts* series, *.hack//G.U.* series, and the *Uncharted* trilogy have received remastered ports that are either just upscaled graphics or better graphics with added content.
9. Has an in-game recorder where you can take screenshots, record gameplay and/or stream them and upload it on sites like Facebook and YouTube, up to 1 hour can be recorded, at 720p, 1080p for PS4 Pro.
10. Share play, a mode where you can play local multiplayer games with your online friends, even if they don't own the game.
11. Remote play returns again, but unlike the PS3, it works well as long as you have a decent internet connection and a phone or a vita (doesn't work on games that require the camera)
12. It is the first console to get an upgrade, however, the PS4 Pro is optional for those who want a better experience, meaning people that have the original PS4 instead of the PS4 Pro won't feel abandoned.
13. The first console to support VR and the first time that it actually works well.
14. It is possible to upgrade the console's HDD (Hard Disk Drive) up to a maximum of 2TB (terabytes). The PlayStation website even has a step by step guide (They also have one on their YouTube channel.) on how to do so. It can even support SATA solid-state drives (SSDs) which can make the game load even faster.
15. The "Boost Mode" included in the PS4 Pro can make games that were struggling to manage a consistent framerate on the fat and slim models much smoother and nicer to play.
16. All models of the PS4 are capable of making use of HDR (High Dynamic Range) modes on supported TVs.
17. Though a PS Plus subscription is now required for online pay does suck, you get monthly games many times worth the monthly subscription fee with it so it ain't all bad and it makes the subscription worthwhile even if you rarely play online. As many people were already paying for PS Plus before the announcement of it being required for online play on PS4, it didn't affect a lot of people.
18. The PS4 controller also has a touch pad, making it easier to type on the PlayStation Network, and it has a light bar that can sometimes flash and tells you your status in a game (if you have a lot of health or if you have few health), and the speakers. The light also flashes like a police beacon whenever you commit crimes (*GTA V* and *Red Dead Redemption II*).
19. Starting with this console, many exclusives for it (be it first or third party) are being ported to PC, making them available to those who don't own a PlayStation console and prefer PC gaming, and Sony seems to be continuing this trend with the PlayStation 5.

## Bad Qualities

1. Due to the PS3 and PS4 having completely different architectures, the PS4 isn't backwards compatible with PS3 games. It also isn't backwards compatible with PlayStation 2 games and even loses support with PlayStation 1 games. The closest that we currently have are remasters and mh:crappygames:PlayStation Now, the latter of which has its own share of problems such as botched image quality, small library, and input lag. Sony did eventually release downloadable emulated PS2 games for the PS4, though neither PS2 classics nor physical discs are compatible.
	* It can't play CDs of any kind, even music CDs.
	* Worse, there hasn't been any PS1 classics available on the PS4's online store since launch, unlike the PS3, PSP and PS Vita. Though a few games like *Final Fantasy VII*, *VIII* and *IX*, *The Crash Bandicoot* trilogy, and *MediEvil* got remastered for the PS4 with improved graphics and features.
2. While the AMD Jaguar-based architecture was a step-up for developer friendliness compared to the PlayStation 3, sadly this CPU was already outdated by the time of its 2013 release, possessing less than a quarter the power of a Intel Core i5-3570K quad-core processor. This makes certain games like *Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep*, *God of War* (2018), and *Final Fantasy XV* struggle to maintain a consistent framerate - especially on the original and slim models. Thankfully, through backwards compatibility, the CPU included in its successor, the PlayStation 5, is a vast improvement and allows many of these games to finally achieve a smooth and consistent framerate in either 30 or 60 FPS.
3. Weak durability: all models can suffer from the "Blue Light of Death" issue due to hardware failure, which is similar to the PS3's "Yellow Light of Death" and the Xbox 360's "Red Ring of Death".
	* Some models also suffer from an issue regarding disc reading. After you insert the disc, you will hear it spin for a few seconds and then stop, again and again, then, after a few minutes, the message "DISC IS NOT RECOGNIZED" will appear. This can happen with both game discs and Blu-ray movie discs. Some PS4 owners have found that tapping semi-hard on top of the console where the disc is situated when it is spinning usually fixes this issue. It has been reported that the 1200 and 1215A models are especially prone to this issue.
	* Similar to the Xbox One, the disc drive is paired to the motherboard (except for a few models), making repair more difficult if the disc drive fails.
		+ You will need to swap the daughterboard from the old drive as it is paired to the motherboard. However, performance issues may occur as there is no way to recalibrate the laser.
	* The fan can get incredibly loud, especially with the original PS4 model, and it's also quite prone to failing.
	* The launch fat model has motion activated power and eject buttons like the fat PS3 and can become faulty with age. The revised fat model and all slim and pro models instead use normal power and eject buttons that can be pressed.
4. It has no A/V port, which means those in some foreign countries where HDTVs are uncommon/extremely expensive have to invest in an HDTV or an HDMI-to-A/V converter.
5. The PlayStation Store is full of shovelware, and most of them are so bad that **they could've been rejected by Steam Greenlight**.
6. The PS4 Pro, despite being able to output 4K in games and streaming video, lacks an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, something other consoles like the Xbox One S already have (this, however, made it cheaper).
7. Unlike the PS3, you now have to **pay** for a PlayStation Plus membership in order to play online (except for free-to-play games), similar to Xbox Live, (a hint that Sony is copying Microsoft's practices) but they probably did this to regain lost money selling the PS3 and from the 2011 PlayStation Network hack. As mentioned above, it isn't all bad due to monthly games, however, in the early years of the console, it did feel like Sony was abusing the fact that people now paid for PS Plus to play online rather than to get monthly games, as the quality of monthly games dropped notably after the release of PS4, with many of the games being highly obscure indie games. While understandable that they wouldn't just give away big AAA games so soon after the release of PS4, this went on for several years after release, though it has thankfully now stopped and most months come with at least one AAA game.
8. After Sony Interactive Entertainment moved its company to California, censorship was being shoved in. Many fanservice games are now being censored, even in Japan. Fortunately, these games are also available on Nintendo Switch and PC with no censorship.
9. The DualShock 4 controller still has some issues.
	* It has a shorter battery life in comparison to the PS3 controller, and this is due to the light attached to it. The light can be dimmed, however, but never turned off.
	* The L2 and R2 buttons are extremely sensitive and can activate with the lightest touch. Same thing with the touchpad. If you want to simply press, you may make a light swipe and activate the swipe action even if you didn't want that.
	* The older version of the controller didn't have the light bar on the top of the touch pad, so this made players unable to see their status in-game. The problem was fixed in the newer version.
10. Because this console uses a hard drive for mandatory game installs, it causes slow and lengthy long loading times, in addition to menu UI lag. Thankfully, you can replace the hard drive with a SATA SSD, which will speed up loading times (not as much due to the CPU limitations).

## Reception

The system was well received by gamers and is currently the best-selling eighth generation console. Sony sold 4.2 million units by January 1st, 2014, and 6 million by March 3rd, 2014, making it the fastest-selling video game console at the time. As of June 14th 2020, the console sold 106 million units, making it the best-selling console this generation and the 2nd best-selling home console by Sony, behind the PS2.

## Trivia

* The console's codename was Orbis, while the Pro version is NEO.
* The console's infamously loud fan spawned many memes.