Tag: Dual Shock 4

Hands On with the new Dual Shock 4

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imageLast week Sony released a lot of their peripherals for the PlayStation 4, including the new Dual Shock 4 Controller.

I gotta admit, I was kinda surprised to get a phone call saying that my preordered controller was in, even though the official release date for the PlayStation 4 isn’t until November 15th.

Never one to turn away new electronics (yup, just like a kid at a candy store), I ventured my way down to my local GameStop to pick up said controller.

After returning home, I popped open the very sparse packaging, only to discover the controller inside, and a user guide (and no USB charging cable included..). Turns out the charging cable is being released with the actual PlayStation 4 (Sony, I forgive you this once..), so for the moment, I was kinda stumped on how to charge the darned thing.

After pondering the issue, I immediately decided to grab one of my phone Micro USB cords, and plugged in the controller to my PlayStation 3.   Much to my delight, the system did indeed recognize the controller, although not wirelessly, as I had hoped.  Nor did some of the functions from the new controller work, like the touchpad, or the PlayStation HOME button.

Rather than grumbling about the whole situation, I gave the controller a spin online with Battlefield 3.  Even though I had to sit like 3 feet away from the TV (those phone cords are real short!), I discovered that the new controller was a total upgrade from the previous Dual Shocks that Sony had put out.  The triggers have been redesigned and slimmed down, and feel more responsive; the analog sticks are now concave (so my damn monkey thumbs wont slip off when playing something as intense like Assassin’s Creed); and the touch pad (even though it doesn’t work yet) didn’t seem as obtrusive as I thought it might be.  Sony also built in a small speaker, and a port for a wired headset for chatting online.  Even the weight of the controller didn’t feel like it was too much or too light..

Bonus points for Sony, just by making the charge port a Micro USB connection (unlike SOME other folks).  This also gave me the ability to plug it in and use it as a generic controller on a PC.

Overall though, the Dual Shock 4 just feels like a solid piece of electronic gold.  Sony has totally responded to the user feedback, and from what I can say, they have delivered with a excellent piece of hardware.

And yes, my wife says I am crazy. 🙂

 

 

Did someone say fight??

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Alrighty then, mid-week already, and I am slacking at my E3 postings!!

So far there has been a lot of buzz going on about the new PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, particularly in the sense that the majority of  folks feel Sony came out on top in this round of E3 fights.

Sony finally released what the PS4 looks like, along with the dozen or so “launch titles” scheduled to roll out once its released this “Holiday, 2013”. (Um, nice Parallelogram Sony! Very original vs. the VCR box that Micro$oft released!)

ps4hardware2610_jpgLooking somewhat like a “similar” box rolled out by Micro$oft, Sony amped up the competition between the two systems by coming out with a release price of $399, which includes a Dual Shock 4 Controller, 500 GB HD, HDMI cable, and mono-headset.   Micro$oft, however, is releasing the new Xbox One for an extra $100 bucks, which includes its Kinect device, 500 GB HD, HDMI Cable, and controller.

Fans totally decried foul when Micro$oft released information that the Xbox One requires a internet connection every 24 hours to phone home, otherwise, your games don’t work.  They also caused a bit more of an uproar by releasing their DRM strategy on used games (basically saying, you can’t use em unless you pay for em again..); where as Sony said “I Don’t Think So” to both aspects, giving gamers freedom to trade in their old games, and even play them offline.

All this, and being thrown in are the mix of Next Gen released games, including Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs, Assassins’ Creed 4, Tom Clancy’s “The Division”; EA Sports with Madden 25, Battlefield 4; Bungie’s Destiny; Blizzard’s release of Diablo III; Respawn Entertainment’s “TitanFall”; Sucker Punch’s “inFamous: Second Son”, and many more..

battlefield4_1Now as crazy as it may seem, this appears to only be scratching the surface, with both Console competitors stating that “online gaming, sharing, and multiplayer” are going to factor in BIG time with the release of the Next Gen systems.  Squad based mechanics, MMO functionality, and even such items as “Public Events” found in Destiny, encourage folks to team up online, and have a good time. Destiny_image017

As E3 starts to wrap up this week, look out for even more gameplay videos, new info on upcoming release dates, etc.

Catch all the 2013 E3 Press releases here:  Sony and Micro$oft.

<A big shout out to gameinformer.com and gametrailers.com for keeping us 9-5’ers informed.>