Anything one should know when shopping for a PS4?

[Zhukov]

So enough exclusives have accrued to make the PS4 an appealing prospect for me and, wouldn't you know it, I'm going to be getting a modest windfall of cash in the near future.

Just wanted to check in with our resident PS4 owners for any advice and/or warnings they might have.

For example:
Are there any particular models I should avoid?
Are there any region-locking shenanigans I should know about?
Is there any reason to get a pro model if I don't have a big TV/monitor and have no intention of getting one?
How much storage space done one actually need if only using it for games?

 

[Saelune]

The Pro is useless without the TV (and the games). Supposedly it works -a bit- better than the standard, but not enough for the increased price.

Sony doesnt do region locking anymore, and have not for awhile. PS4 thus is not region-locked.

I...dont actually know how much storage space I have on my PS4, but, mostly due to GTAV and Elder Scrolls Online, I have been limited. Honestly, more is always better, but it depends on how much you intend to use it. I did get a PS4 sooner than later though, and maybe more current models come with more storage by default.

 

[Casual Shinji]

If you have or at some point plan on getting a home theater set avoid the Slim model, as it doesn't have an optical output.

The Pro benefits seem very hit or miss, with some games, like The Last Guardian and Hitman running all around better, and others, like The Last of Us Remastered running slightly worse. Some of these are negligible, but it's ridiculous that they're even there on a more powerful system.

And get ready to play musical chairs with the games on your harddrive if you get a 500gig model. Most AAA games eat up at least 45gb, and seeing as only 400 of those 500gigs are available it'll fill up really fast.

 

[Saelune]

If you have or at some point plan on getting a home theater set avoid the Slim model, as it doesn't have an optical output.

The Pro benefits seem very hit or miss, with some games, like The Last Guardian and Hitman running all around better, and others, like The Last of Us Remastered running slightly worse. Some of these are negligible, but it's ridiculous that they're even there on a more powerful system.

And get ready to play musical chairs with the games on your harddrive if you get a 500gig model. Most AAA games eat up at least 45gb, and seeing as only 400 of those 500gigs are available it'll fill up really fast.

I have a 1TB Xbone, and I still feel like its not enough at all.

 

[sXeth]

Make sure you get the newer generation of controller (has a light bar in the touchpad).

The first wave of them had analog sticks that break constantly.

 

[gorfias]

If you have or at some point plan on getting a home theater set avoid the Slim model, as it doesn't have an optical output.

Also, some of the best headsets for PS4 out there require the optic output (mine does).

I have a 1TB Xbone, and I still feel like its not enough at all.

It isn't and the 1 TB model at one point was using the oldest hardware. Off topic, but I have a 500 Gb and I get to continue using that 500 Gb while attaching a 3 TB USB 3.0 external HD. XB1 wins the storage round.

For the PS4, you can replace the internal drive, which is cool but you are now out whatever the initial drive had been. I would recommend getting the 500 Gb and buy a 2.5" 2 TB to replace the 500 (and then put the 500 in your PS3 if it is much smaller). (There is also a Nyko attachment that will allow you to replace the top of the PS4 with their attachment with a faster 3.5" drive but I read that anything over 2TB has problems. 4TB and you'll pretty much only be able to play download games. Games from disc are problematic. 6 TB and you will have to manually power the system up and down. Or so I hear.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Since we're asking questions about the PS4, I have an odd one.

Due to a freak microburst causing rain to start flying sideways, my old PS4 has a bit of water damage, and I'm looking to upgrade.

Do the plastic top plates of the PS4 fit on the Pro? I've got the cool Darth Vader bits that I'd like to swap on.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

If you are getting an original PS4, make sure it's not one of those that have sensitivity problems with the eject button. No idea how you would check that, but I would advise the instant you think the PS4 randomly ejected, have it exchanged for a new one

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Since we're asking questions about the PS4, I have an odd one.

Due to a freak microburst causing rain to start flying sideways, my old PS4 has a bit of water damage, and I'm looking to upgrade.

Do the plastic top plates of the PS4 fit on the Pro? I've got the cool Darth Vader bits that I'd like to swap on.

Probably not, the case design is different so I doubt it'll transfer.

 

[Lufia Erim]

If you have the cash, the pro is a good investment.

The ps4 slim doesnt have a audio digical optical out.if you care about that.

If you can find it, i would rather get the regular PS4 instead of the slim IF you don't want to drop the money on the pro.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

For the PS4, you can replace the internal drive, which is cool but you are now out whatever the initial drive had been. I would recommend getting the 500 Gb and buy a 2.5" 2 TB to replace the 500 (and then put the 500 in your PS3 if it is much smaller). (There is also a Nyko attachment that will allow you to replace the top of the PS4 with their attachment with a faster 3.5" drive but I read that anything over 2TB has problems. 4TB and you'll pretty much only be able to play download games. Games from disc are problematic. 6 TB and you will have to manually power the system up and down. Or so I hear.

I haven't heard of these problems, not saying you're lying, I'm just sayin' this is interesting news to me because I got a Nyko Data Bank with a 1TB hard drive in there and it's almost full.

Looked around a tiny bit and it looks like a PS4 with a data bank and hard drive runs almost as much as a Pro but that's at first glance, I wouldn't doubt they can be found cheaper elsewhere.
I won't tell ya which one to get, I don't know your situation with games and tv's and (apparently) optical cables, I'm just putting in my experience is all.

 

[stroopwafel]

It's not currently worth it to upgrade to a Pro if you already own a PS4 but if you buy a new PS4 I'd definitely buy the best model(which is the Pro ) Granted without a 4K TV and games making full use of the resolution the difference isn't worth much(then again I believe the price difference is only 100 bucks and the Pro comes with a standard 1TB harddrive).

Standard 500GB PS4's are sold for chump change so if price is an issue that is definitely still a good option. Limited harddrive space isn't really an issue for me as I never play more than 5 games at the same time anyway but if you really want to collect games or keep them on your harddrive it's quite easy to replace the stock HDD in the PS4.

Either way you get great value for money and you can't really go wrong with either option.

 

[gorfias]

(There is also a Nyko attachment that will allow you to replace the top of the PS4 with their attachment with a faster 3.5" drive but I read that anything over 2TB has problems. 4TB and you'll pretty much only be able to play download games. Games from disc are problematic. 6 TB and you will have to manually power the system up and down. Or so I hear.

I haven't heard of these problems, not saying you're lying, I'm just sayin' this is interesting news to me because I got a Nyko Data Bank with a 1TB hard drive in there and it's almost full.

Understood, which is why I'd skip paying an extra $100 for a PS4 w/ 1 TB installed. I'd get the 500 Gig and R&R it with either a 2.5" 2 TB drive (last time I checked, that is as big as they get) or get the Nyko with a faster 3.5" 2 TB drive. I initially was using the 500 GB mine came with and was shocked at how fast it filled up, so I skipped 1TB and went to 2. It is filling up anyway! I've had to delete a bunch of PS+ games.

4 TB is tempting in that if it is true, that the optic drive will not work for games, I'm still tempted in that so much that I play these days are digital downloads.

I've watched a number of youtube videos about the Nyko and I've not read yet of anyone NOT having the 4/6 TB problems. I do have to think Sony could fix the issue with a firmware update.

I'd prefer they do what XB1 does: allow me to continue using the .5 TB that came with the system and add a 3 TB external USB 3.0 drive. Again, a software system udpate patch could do that for us. I think.

 

[Zhukov]

Alright, thanks for the info folks.

 

[Zhukov]

If you have or at some point plan on getting a home theater set avoid the Slim model, as it doesn't have an optical output.

The Pro benefits seem very hit or miss, with some games, like The Last Guardian and Hitman running all around better, and others, like The Last of Us Remastered running slightly worse. Some of these are negligible, but it's ridiculous that they're even there on a more powerful system.

And get ready to play musical chairs with the games on your harddrive if you get a 500gig model. Most AAA games eat up at least 45gb, and seeing as only 400 of those 500gigs are available it'll fill up really fast.

Hasn't optical out been outdated ever since HDMI became standard anyways? The TV I bought nearly 12 years ago even has it. Being without HDMI at this point is reason enough to upgrade the rest of a setup before springing for a current gen console.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

If you have or at some point plan on getting a home theater set avoid the Slim model, as it doesn't have an optical output.

The Pro benefits seem very hit or miss, with some games, like The Last Guardian and Hitman running all around better, and others, like The Last of Us Remastered running slightly worse. Some of these are negligible, but it's ridiculous that they're even there on a more powerful system.

And get ready to play musical chairs with the games on your harddrive if you get a 500gig model. Most AAA games eat up at least 45gb, and seeing as only 400 of those 500gigs are available it'll fill up really fast.

Hasn't optical out been outdated ever since HDMI became standard anyways? The TV I bought nearly 12 years ago even has it. Being without HDMI at this point is reason enough to upgrade the rest of a setup before springing for a current gen console.

Many of the better surround headphones use optical their input so its absolutely not outdated, and the difference between HDMI and Optical quality is very slight, unless you're a major audiophile you probably won't tell a difference.

 

[Zhukov]

If you have or at some point plan on getting a home theater set avoid the Slim model, as it doesn't have an optical output.

The Pro benefits seem very hit or miss, with some games, like The Last Guardian and Hitman running all around better, and others, like The Last of Us Remastered running slightly worse. Some of these are negligible, but it's ridiculous that they're even there on a more powerful system.

And get ready to play musical chairs with the games on your harddrive if you get a 500gig model. Most AAA games eat up at least 45gb, and seeing as only 400 of those 500gigs are available it'll fill up really fast.

Hasn't optical out been outdated ever since HDMI became standard anyways? The TV I bought nearly 12 years ago even has it. Being without HDMI at this point is reason enough to upgrade the rest of a setup before springing for a current gen console.

Many of the better surround headphones use optical their input so its absolutely not outdated, and the difference between HDMI and Optical quality is very slight, unless you're a major audiophile you probably won't tell a difference.

I've only had wireless so that's where I'm out of the loop. I always thought the difference is not being able to take advantage of hi definition audio like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA and beyond over optical. I can tell the difference in sound from basic Dolby to either of those as much as going from DVD to Blu-ray video.

 

[Tanis]

I have a 2TB and it's great.

There's a few tuts out there on how to get their for a bit cheaper, given that it's actually going to cost you LESS to buy a 2.5HDD in a case than it is naked.

I don't know why it's that way...but it is.

So, it's kind of a win-win.

1) You get the same (sometimes better) drive for cheap AND you get a case to enclose your old drive!