[Closed] PS4 - What do I need to know

I'm watching with interest because, at the age of 30, I've just agreed to let myself buy one.

Just get the normal slim one. That's enough for most normal people, if your kids are hardcore gamers or you just want to spend the extra then get the Pro.

I upgraded from a 3 to a 4 about 6 months ago. Don't forget to take into account the (significant) cost of extra controllers and the cost of the online service so they can play with friends. Other than that it's pretty straightforward, just don't give young kids a game like GTA and then get upset when they start dropping c-bombs!

They are brilliant!

Pro is only worth considering if you are going to hook it up to a 4K HDR TV. Otherwise the slim (which also does HDR) is fine. All the games work on both so you aren't missing out on anything unless you want 4k. (which looks awesome btw..!! )
A PS+ account is probably worth the money, you can pick up deals at various points through the year on Amazon etc. and it gets you 2-3 free games every month which you can add to your account and keep as long as your PS+ account is active.
Games recommendations are age dependant, although if they want one then they likely have at least a few games in mind already.

Just incase you haven't considered the basics.. you'll need a TV (1080P HD or better ideally) with a free HDMI socket. It has built in WiFi but connecting to your router with a cable works better if possible.

#EDIT: Oh and think about getting the official Sony charging stand (takes 2 controllers) as the batteries in the controllers don't last all that long and having to connect it to the PS4 with a cable is a pain

Thanks much.

Yes, little fella was doing his research last night and sent me a bunch of links with various bundles. Hadn't realized the online service thingy. Is that about 35£ a year?

Oh yes def no GTA, though I was told one his mates has GTA. I must admit I looked a bit askance at him.

Yeah £35 per year although as I mentioned there are deals throughout the year and it stacks onto your sub. I got a 15 month additional subscription from Amazon last week for £23

😆 Yeah, I've had that conversation with my 10yo too. He's mentioned a couple of his friends play GTA.. I was almost driven to speak to the parents about it but was convinced by the Mrs to bite my tongue.

yes def no GTA, though I was told one his mates has GTA. I must admit I looked a bit askance at him.

TBF, it's perfectly possible. A friend used to work at Game and he sold GTA to parents who were obviously buying it for their kids (down to about 7). He tried to warn them about the graphic violence, sex, drug use and bad language but the parents always seemed to act as if "it's a game, how bad can it be?". I wonder how happy they'd be if you sat little Jimmy down to watch Reservoir Dogs?

That's not to knock GTAV btw, it's great, it's just not for kids.

Can I just say
GTAV can be a brilliant game to play with your kids as long as you play only online in private session.
MTB rides in the mountains & Jet Skiing through the caves etc.
Just dont go anywhere near the playboy mansion obvs..

Oohh and get Minecraft x 100

I moved from XBOX360 to PS4 a few weeks back when the stars aligned and I got both a decent Telly and PS4 Pro for hefty discounts (got to love in store pricing errors).

A reasonably fast internet connection is helpful - especially for gaming online. A gaming headset was a frivolous purchase on my part but has emphasised how good the surround sound in the games I've played so far is.

I will echo what has been said about about how Sony are good at getting you to pay more for different services such as PS+. Also watch out for EA games - they are notorious for charging you more money to unlock more features as the game develops.

In all honesty though, it's been remarkably easy to get going and I've really enjoyed it so far.

Question to all that own one, it is a 4k bluray player as well?

You need to know that they seem to have no means of recording time spent playing them. This will lead to arguments down the line. XBOX has this facility, and I would choose that instead. They will moan about what their friends play.

And keep it out of a bedroom.

PS4 doesn't play 4k blu-rays, they left it off to keep the cost down. I think it does 4k netflix and amazon though.
Xbox S does 4k blu-ray and is the cheapest way to do so at the moment but isn't up to the current decent 4k players apparently.

Just dont go anywhere near the playboy mansion obvs..

Well, I didn't know that existed!

Very useful info all, much appreciated

No way in the bedroom.. we don't have any devices in the bedroom and he's just about to get a cell phone but the caveat it stays downstairs in the night.

Gaming headset might have to wait.. might try and wrangle a new TV out of this deal!

That's not to knock GTAV btw, it's great, it's just not for kids

Definitely this. It requires a good deal of maturity to understand the pretty black humour in it. And I'm talking about adult maturity.

Re the topic - I want a PS4, and I'm tempted to save up for a Pro even though I have no 4K telly, because of future proofing basically. I keep these things for a long time.

For a PS4+ sub, have a look at http://www.electronicfirst.com/ and https://www.cdkeys.com/ to see what deals they have on. Buying it through the console is likely to be the single most expensive way of doing it. Certainly on the Xbox, new titles are always RRP rather than discounted, you pay for convenience.

the parents always seemed to act as if "it's a game, how bad can it be?"

There is that mindset sometimes, yes. Same with cartoons being "for kids" - sure, sit little Timmy down in front of Urotsukidoji.

Urotsukidoji

Just googled that wtf and I used to think Tom & Jerry had too much violence

Thanks Cougar for the sub tip