One year in, here's what our readers think of the PlayStation 4

"One year ago today, the PlayStation 4 was released in North America. When we took a look at it in our original review, we lauded the console for its "masculine chassis" that could "compete for visual attention" in your living room, a controller that's "damn close" to being perfect and a user interface that marks a "massive improvement" over the PlayStation 3's. But games are the thing that can make or break a system and, while the initial games lineup had a few bright spots, the system had few "satisfying game experiences available at launch." Regardless, we called the PlayStation 4 "worth your hard-earned money" and said it was off to "a hell of a start.""

[GribbleGrunger]

You see, and this is how an invented narrative becomes a perceived reality. Luckily it didn't effect sales though.

[SniperControl]

Personally, i have immensely enjoyed my first year with PS4, plenty of games(even though the fanboys on here say it hasnt got any lol)
2015 is going to be a stunning year for the PS4, i can see it breaking records, also the prospect of loads of exclusives, AAA and indies to look forward to.

"With so much on the horizon for the system, year two looks rather promising for those who laid down their hard-earned money, as well as making it a great time for the rest of you to pick up a PlayStation 4"

Could not say it any better.

[frezhblunts]

It really doesn't sniper, I figure fanboys would say that there are games in the shop but you really need to be an indie fan because ps4 gives a lot of indie games. Luckily this is the month where the games actually pick up still the damage has been done and now I am enjoying fun games on my wii u and switching back to COD advanced warfare on my ps4. Plus I had to replace the r2 button on my ps4 controller , I use a lan cable and yet there are many times the ps4 freezes and messages take forever to send but the update helped with that.

[Gazondaily]

Sorry but I think this year has been dire for the ps4 as far as exclusives that are not on X1 are concerned. Next year will be beastly though I'm sure.

[NegativeCreep427]

"...plenty of games(even though the fanboys on here say it hasnt got any lol)"

The exact same thing was said against the Playstation 3...and we all know how that all turned out.

I wouldn't mind the MS fanboys on anything if I were you. They are notorious for constantly adjusting the goal posts to suit their newest arguments; first it was all about teh salez with the Xbox 360 (never mind that one year head-start though...), then now it's all about the games...but no indies. Indies are "not real games"...that is until Microsoft starts to roll out more "indies" for the Xbox One like Limbo. Then Indies will become a viable argument to them.

After that argument wears thin in about a year or so, what is left? Cross-Game Chat??? Xbox Live??? or maybe even the "My Dad Microsoft Makes More Money Than Your Dad Sony" argument. That is a favorite one for them to fall back on.

[SoapShoes]

@Septic, how is that possible especially when it has more averaging over 80?

[GribbleGrunger]

@SoapShoes:

You're wasting your time. You can prove it has higher scoring games and you can prove it has more games, but perception has now been well and truly cemented into place. So much so that people will use some kind of subjective filter to reduce the scores and number of games in order to fit the narrative.

Facts are no longer 'the truth' now. Journalists and fans alike will simply regurgitate this un-truth and perpetuate the perception. It's how it works and the media know it. Keep telling people something long enough and they begin to believe it. The ultimate goal is to make people dissatisfied with the PS4 and perhaps buy an XB1.

It's a game. It worked with the Vita but it's not worked with the PS4.

[SniperControl]

@Septic and frezhblunts

It seems exclusives are all xbox guys care about right?

I have over 40 games on my PS4, exclusives, indies, i tell you something, i have enjoyed every single one. I have had to delete games just to play new ones.

Sony are doing something right with indies, because in the years years to come, those indies might just become the next Naughty Dog or the next Bungie.

Most X1 exclusives havnt really met with outstanding scores either.

[Spotie]

More higher rated games is dire? So now Sony needs to have less games, and them be lower rated?

Oh, wait. Are you insinuating the typical Xbox fanboy line that indie games don't count now?

Please explain what's dire about the PS4's lineup.

[Gazondaily]

You lot need to make up your minds up. Metacritic matters, it doesn't matter, what is it?

I'm just speaking from my opinion. I think killzone was rubbish, same with Knack. Infamous Second Son was a letdown, some with driveclub. Resogun is great albeit quite brief.

Compare with X1, Titanfall, Sunset Overdrive, the amazing Horizon 2 Killer Instinct, Dead Rising etc, it's just so much better imo.

What's dire about the PS4 lineup you ask? What's great about it? It's a snooze fest for me. I'm not trying to start anything btw guys, I'm just speaking from my opinion, it's all about opinion anyway. Next year I don't see MS beating the PS4 at all though but for now, for me, the PS4 has been decisively beaten in terms of exclusive experiences available on the consoles.

[SoapShoes]

Xbox has been a bore for me mainly because of its lack of exclusives the whole year. Between Titanfall and Forza there was absolutely no exclusives for nearly 7 months and judging by what's announced it looks like 2015 is going to be the same for Xbox. It really hasn't had a good year for consistent exclusives and it amazes me how people will say inFAMOUS was disappointing yet claim sunset was good when they had the same critical praise. Your problem is you flip flop you state your opinion as fact then claim it's just your opinion.

[Gazondaily]

@Soap

You say I flip flop and state things as fact? How? Look at my first post. I clearly stated 'I think'.

You guys just can't accept any criticisms against your platform whatsoever even if they are subjective musings. That's the difference between me and you lot. You guys just come across as relentlessly stubborn all the time.

Ah well.

[SoapShoes]

@Septic - Uh no we just are saying we disagree and have given you perfectly good reasons as to why. You state you thought PS4 had a dire year as far as exclusives not on Xbox One is concerned when it simply isn't true and in typical fashion you downplay good games like inFAMOUS and good games like Sunset aren't. It's cliche and that's where you stated your opinion as fact instead of giving credit where it's due. There are games I don't like but I can admit when a game is well made even if I don't enjoy it. Like already said it has had more and more higher rated ones. Not that ratings mean much to me but it had plenty of good games. Now had you stated at first that you preferred X1 exclusives instead of saying one was dire to the other I would have given you more grace on that but that just came off fanboyish.

[Bigpappy]

Most of ps4 exclusives were from last year, or were delayed and came out this year. The last 2 to 3 months were dominated by M$ as far as quality exclusives are concerned.

Had MCC not had the network hiccup, X1 would have had a flawless last 3 months. PS4 had DC and LBP in response to FH2, SSOD and HALO: MCC.

Don't for

[dirkdady]

Actually you have it backwards most Xbox one games were delayed from Xbox 360 like Ryse, Dead Rising and Crinsom Dragon which were all supposed to come out on 360. That's why Microsoft stopped pushing exclusives during the last 3 years of 360 while Sony was pushing last of us and beyond two souls, new IPs near the end of PS3 lifecycle. They could have easily pushed off their games into ps4 but didn't play that shady game like Microsoft.

[Bigpappy]

Most of ps4 exclusives were from last year, or were delayed and came out this year. The last 2 to 3 months were dominated by M$ as far as quality exclusives are concerned.

Had MCC not had the network hiccup, X1 would have had a flawless last 3 months. PS4 had DC and LBP in response to FH2, SSOD and HALO: MCC.

It seems like they aren't many exclusives because you all keep listing games that do not generate any interest. People are buying PS4 because it is supposed to be supper powered console.

[DigitalRaptor]

Wayy to waste your last bubble on the same comment ;)

Pappy, we're still talking about the first year here, which also includes 2013.

Honestly, it's a crying shame that Xbox fans keep using the holiday season as some kind of crutch for themselves, whilst ignoring the rest of the year. Fast-forward to next year and it's the precise same thing and I expect to see the same reactions, except the drought (as SoapShoes pointed out) is even worse for it. No AAA exclusive for the first 6-8 months of the year, and only indie games and multiplatforms.

Will you be honest when PS4 has a better lineup next year - throughout the year? PS4 already has had more games in its first year, then the Xbone, and when you look at the top-rated games, PS4 has the better rated of them. In fact, it's had 2 90+ rated first-party games, and Xbone has had none.

[Killzoner99]

The media has been trying to bad mouth the PS4 since it was released and against all odds it has become the biggest success story in gaming. They want it to fail so bad but the PS4 is bullet proof. Literally nothing they can make up or lie about has effected the PS4s sales. In fact it's had the opposite affect lol. That's because the gamers have empowered themselves with the truth and see through the lies

[lashes2ashes]

I'm loving mine. Just wish battery life was better.

[Masterchief_thegoat]

Man ps4 batery life sucks

[colonel179]

The funniest one was the one from Gamespot. They made a video about the PS4 and the people from Gamespot were like: "i don't have a PS4", "I play on PC", "I don't want a PS4", "I have an Xbox One". Hell, why do the video at all??

/facepalm

[Protagonist]

Gamespot worst "gaming" site on planet Internet, users alike.

[chrissx]

Amazing console

[GetSomeLoGiK]

Granted they're not that many exclusives for it but 2015 will change all that

Bloodborne
Rime
No Mans Sky
Uncharted
The Order
Abzu
Deep Down
Until Dawn
Ratchet and Clank
Tearaway
The Tomorrow Children
SOMA
Hellblade

And these are just the ones I'm excited for, there's plenty of others.

[SoapShoes]

More than its main competition the Xbox One..

[u4one]

More isn't better. I'm not really interested in any of those titles except for tomorrow children and maybe the order but apparently that game isn't very fun to play either so... Uncharted will be amazing but it might not even release in 2015 so... Either love multiplats or indies I guess cuz that's what's keeping it afloat.

[higgins78]

You can list games, I'll give you that. However, there is NO guarantee ANY of those games will be any good, I mean, Sony are NOT Nintendo when it comes to dead certs. Sure, promising, but currently I am playing Baytonetta 2 and Mario Kart 8 (with new DLC) for my Wii U...Smash lands next week. So, while over Christmas I will be actually playing AAA games for my Wii U, for my PS4 its another what if moment.

[GetSomeLoGiK]

@u4one and @higgins78

I said "I'm excited for", keywords "I'm" and "excited" which means games that I find INTERESTING to ME. Never said they would be automatically good since some of them don't even have gameplay. Also I'm just listing exclusives which is what a part of this article is focusing on, not whether the games are good or not. Also there's NO guarantee that ANY of those game will be ANY bad.

[Kid-Prodigy-KP]

So Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, & The Order 1886 isn't going to be good. You sound more like a Nintendo Fanboy than someone who cares about all their systems they own. I'll admit I like PlayStation but I'm also excited for other games like Halo 5, Quantum Break, Fable Legends, Xenoblade Chronicle X, Zelda Wii U, Star Fox Wii U, and more. I hope that all 3 consoles do good next year and just be excited with what Sony, MS, & Nintendo put out for each of their consoles.

[u4one]

@getsome:

Edited comment but sure. You just proved my point. The x1 doesn't need more, just good - quality vs quantity. In MY opinion the exclusives I am mostly interested in are on x1. Not because I'm a fanboy, but because it just happens to work out that way based on my tastes, not brand preference. We don't need big lists that sub in for stat sheets subtly implying there are tons of games coming. Trust me, I want a good exclusive on ps4 cuz aside from a few games having higher resolution I personally don't have a good reason why I bought it. I'm disappointed that the ps4 hadn't debuted with some of its best IP. Gran Turismo, God of War, Uncharted etc... After 7 years those should have been no brainer launch or first year titles for a new system. Instead we got knack, drive club, killzone (polished turds) and a revisiting of the best of the ps3 library rezzed up. 2015 offers a lot of niche exclusives which are great for fans, but the real heavy hitters with mass appeal seem lacking I my opinion

[DigitalRaptor]

To everyone saying they prefer quality over quantity - just suck it up.

The delusion i'm seeing is just too much to take some days. PS4 has MORE games and ALSO (factually) has better rated games, pound for pound. Look it up. You may not prefer the games, and you may not like certain indie games, but it has more quality games than the direct competition. Next year is not going to make a damn difference, because PS4 starts strong and has an even better lineup throughout the year.
-------

@ u4one

You guys need to gain some perspective.

Sony was supporting their PS3 with the games you just mentioned (GT, GOW) up until the very end of 2013. How do you not know this? Microsoft stopped going strong on supporting the 360 long ago and so did Nintendo of their Wii. Sure, the 360 is now getting games like Titanfall and Horizon 2, but that's only because MS felt like they could manage to outsource to another studio for cross-gen.

Sony was directly outputting on PS3 in 2013 and that delayed their efforts on PS4. Still, Sony managed to publish more first-party exclusives on PS4 in their first year, when MS took to third party developers to make games for them (and many of those have ended up on PC). Traditionally, Sony takes a couple of years to get their exclusive games rolling at the start of a generation, and 2015 is where they begin firing the heavy shots.

Also…. I laugh at your complaint about PS4 having indies and multiplats, when in fact, for the first 6-8 months of 2015, that is all Xbone is getting. Seriously…. Everything else is fall/holidays. You'll be without a AAA exclusive from now until another 9 months' time. Look into these things before you convince yourself of them, because it's embarrassing to see people trip over the same talking point, and I personally can't stand delusion.

[higgins78]

@Kid-Prodigy-KP Sure, I'm a Nintendo "fan boy" if that means I have owned a PS1, 2, 3 and now 4, Xbox, 360, Dreamcast, ect, ect, but still continue to prefer Nintendo consoles and the games (exclusives) they offer. I unlike some - and let's be honest - don't knock 'rival' consoles and games without owning and experiencing them myself.

I have over the years enjoyed numerous non-Nintendo consoles and games, the Dreamcast being a particular favourite...I also see the PS4 coming good, fingers crossed - the reason I bought day 1. Let's be honest though, as it stands today, if you (like me) happen to own a Wii U and PC you have got the best quality of games available.

The Wii U is currently the only console (again, for me) showing its 'next gen' credentials at this stage, its 2 competitors feeling more like .5 versions of their predecessors - at best. Remember all the propaganda BEFORE both PS4 were released regarding 1080p/60fps...looks a tad premature now. The Wii U on the other hand...

[Relientk77]

Good so far, looking forward to 2015 though!

bring on some JRPGs and Action Adventure games

[No_Limit]

It is a pretty good year for my PS4...just wish it would have one or two more big exclusives to play. Haven't said that I have 8 third party games on it and it plays and looks great. No regret and 2015 should be much better. Looking forward to Uncharted 4 and Bloodborne the most.

[A LIVING LEGEND]

The PS4 hasn't impressed me yet,it hasn't been terrible but I expect more.
I find the games pretty run of the mill for the most part with TLOU remaster being one of the few exceptions,truly superlative game.
Killzone,Infamous,LBP,AC,Farcr y,etc;I've personally had my fill of most of them.

I would like to see some improvements to the PS4 interface as well,I find it awkward and clunky,actually preferring the PS3 UI in most instances.
The controller has some issues as well,notably the laughable charge time.

The good news is that going forward,the PS4 has plenty of potential

[Rimeskeem]

You should put your console into rest mode more often and plug in your controller when you are done playing. As for the UI, have your tried to use voice control? It's the most useful thing ever when you start to get a larger library.

[A LIVING LEGEND]

Been trying the voice command system just now,seems fairly slick.
An improvement no doubt

[bleedsoe9mm]

my ps4 controller decides when i'm done playing not me , thats my biggest gripe with the ps4

[higgins78]

For me - and I bought day 1, the PS4 has been while not quite a disaster, not far from it. The quantity of games was never a problem, the quality was. Take away games you could have played on other machines, exclusively it left/leaves a lot to be desired. By comparison my Wii U has grew and grew and grew. In the last 6 months my Wii U has been a constant source while my PS4 is getting used infrequently, and NOT as a games machine - NO, rather a Blu Ray played and occasional Catch Up player.

[PizzaSteve]

Best console out

[bleedsoe9mm]

not getting instant resume in the first year is disappointing , since it was a main feature at the reveal event and its a great feature of the xb1 .

[A LIVING LEGEND]

"Best console out"
That is debatable in my opinion,Microsofts offering hasn't exactly wowed me either.If pressed I would probably give it a slight edge software wise,and I mean slight.
Both have some serious work to do

[BX81]

Ps4's first year. A lot of promise with medium delivery. Great console but I think it will really show it's worth in 2015.

[sovkhan]

Never buy a console with its first year in mind, ever!!!

The ps4 is the way to go, for me...No regret here!!!

[DialgaMarine]

Well, even with a first year that contained some droughts here and there, I still have zero regrets for my purchase. At least a not so amazing first year means things can really go up from here, and 2015 is showing a shitton of promise for PS4 owners. I, for one, am excited for what's coming.