Parenting Gamers

Platform Guide – PlayStation 4

This post is part of my Video Game Platform series.

The next video game platform I am going to cover in the PlayStation 4. Here is the basic information on it:

Now let’s dig into these a bit.

PlayStation 4 Hardware

The hardware for the PlayStation 4 is less complicated than the Xbox One. There is one version at one price point, $399. The only question is, which game/games do you want?

As of this writing, there are 4 different bundles on Amazon with the PS4.

  • Batman Arkham Knight – This is the fourth and latest game in the Batman Arkham series. I will be posting a review of it in the next few weeks.
  • Destiny: The Taken King – This bundle includes the game and a special console. Destiny is an MMO which can only be played online.
  • Last of Us Remastered/Madden 16 – Last of Us is an end of times, zombie game. Of course Madden is football.
  • Last of Us Remastered – This bundle includes Last of Us but not Madden 16. Honestly, if you are thinking about getting this one, you should get the other to get Madden 16 for the same price.

As with the Xbox One, you will probably want to get at least one extra controller with this console. These are regularly $60. You can get one for $47 on Amazon.

The Platform Holder – Sony

Sony is the company that manufactures the PlayStation 4 hardware and curates the games that are allowed on the platform. As you can probably guess, the PS4 is the fourth console in their PlayStation line.

Sony has been very aggressive in marketing the PS4 to gamers. Microsoft tried to position the Xbox One as an all-in-one media device where you could watch the football game and check your fantasy league stats at the same time, among other things. This did not go over real well with their core audience, the gamers.

Sony saw this and used it to its advantage. When the PS4 was announced, Sony did everything it could to position it as the ultimate next generation gaming console. They also came out $100 cheaper (Microsoft as since come down in price). These two things combined allowed Sony to jump out to an early lead in sales.

Platform Exclusives

I listed some of the major platform exclusives earlier. There is one thing about these that I find interesting.

If you ask me to name the character most associated with the Xbox, I would immediately respond with Master Chief from Halo. If you ask the same question about Nintendo, I would say Mario (and possibly Zelda or Link from the Zelda games, Samus from Metroid, or a few other iconic Nintendo characters).

If, however, you asked me to name the character most associated with the PlayStation, I could not name one. This is not because the PlayStation does not have good exclusives, but because it has several, none of which define the console on their own.

This means no matter what games your gamer loves, there are probably PlayStations exclusives he will enjoy. Does he love racing games? Gran Turismo is for him. Action/Adventure? Check out Uncharted. Hard as nails games that require a lot of skill? Say hello to Bloodborne.

You check the full list of PlayStation 4 games to see what other games are exclusive to the console.

Online Subscription with PlayStation Plus

The online subscription program on the PlayStation 4 is called PlayStation Plus. The cost is $9.99 for a month, $17.99 for 3 months, and $49.99 for a year.

Here are the benefits of becoming a PlayStation Plus member.

  • Free games – Every month Sony releases 2 games for free to PlayStation Plus members. In the past, this has include games like Infamous: First Light and Rogue Legacy.
  • Discounts on games – PlayStation plus members receive discounts not available to non-members. You can find a list of the current deals here.
  • Multiplayer – If your gamer is interested in playing online with his friends, he will have to have a PlayStation Plus account.

So, is the $50 worth it? As with any of these questions, the answer is, it depends. If your gamer wants to play with his friends, you do not have any choice. The good thing is your gamer will get new games to play every month, which could potentially save you money in the long run. Of course, you will want to be aware of what those games are to make sure he is not playing something you do not approve.

Parental Controls

Modern consoles are doing a better job of including tools to help parents control the content their children can access. The PlayStation 4 is no exception.

In the future I am going to do a detailed video going over the parental controls on the PlayStation 4. For now, you can check out this guide on Tom’s Guide.