As we all know, PlayStation is one of the A-listers of the gaming world. In celebrity terms, we’re talking… somewhere around Kanye West or Elton John. Since that fateful moment when the Nintendo/Sony deal fell through and Sony decided to drop a console of their own, the course of history was changed forever. 25 Things Tha𝐆t Make No Sense About PlayStation 4.
I’ve always been a PlayStation fan. Throughout the generations, I’ve owned every current-gen system so💯 I don’t miss out on anything, but the PS1 was the first home console I ever owned. You never forget 𒉰your first, friends, you definitely don’t.
PS2 was an incredible success, (155 million units sold, with Nintendo DS coming in second at🍷 154.02 ꦚmillion). PS3 had a pretty darn magnificent catalog by the end, even if it didn’t quite live up to the performance of its predecessor.
In November 2013, we were introduced to the latest member of the family🌊, the PS4. The system is currently winning this generation, in terms of raw sales (Xbox One had a PR nightm♑are around the time of its launch, which did not do it any favors), but it certainly hasn’t had it easy.
It’s been a darn bumpy ride at times. From questionable decisions about E3 2019, to tentative steps with VR and Snoop Dogg having a copy of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy flown across the country to him by a Spyro-drone, there are a lot of things 𝕴that just don’t make sense about the PS4. Let’s jump on board and take a look at some.
25 The Backward Compatibility Situation Is Weak
Now, granted, this probably wasn’t much of💜 a surprise to anybody. It’s a sad fact that, as new consoles are 𒈔released and new models of them follow, backward compatibility tends to take a back seat.
This rankles a little more with me than 🐬it does with other systems, though.
This is because, not𝔍 only do older PlayStation games not work with the system, downloadable versions of them aren’t available on PSN, either.
Heck, the PlayStation Vita has access to generous range of PS1 and PSP 𝄹titles, while the PS4 store ♋only offers a select few PS2 titles for download. It’s a shame.
24 The Vita Should’ve Been A Companion
Sꦇpeaking of the poor, ill-fated PS Vita, wasn’t that a t🥂ravesty? Sure, its claim to offer home console-quality gaming on the go was a little ambitious for its time (Nintendo Switch is just managing to achieve that now, and that’s with technical concessions), but it still had a whole lot of potential. It was first released in Japan back in 2011, and was a darn portable powerhouse at the time.
All it needed was a littওle appreciation. Some support. A meaningful way of connecting with its super-successful daddy, the PS4. Ma🎀ybe that would’ve been gimmicky, but it would’ve helped.
Darn it, Sony, what did you do to this🍌 poor l🦹ittle system?
23 The Light (Not So) Fantastic
Another thing about the Dual Shock 4 that confused me to🤪 no end was the light bar🌺.
Once I had gotten over the "SAVE THE LAST HUMANS!" incident, I made my peace with the speaker in the controller. It was anℱ odd idea, true enough, but it had some neat functions. The light bar, on the other hand, was just baffling to me.
That is to say, the positioning of it was. Earlier models of the Dual Shock 4 display the 🔯bar only from underneath. How in heckola are you supposed to see it? Fortunately, newer vers🥀ions have a thin bar atop the controller too, so you can see which colour it’s glowing while it’s in use.
22 Hey, Remember That Final Fantasy VII Remake?
Ah, yes. Do you remember that fateful E3 presentation, where the Final Fantasy VII remake was revealed? Fans ♏had been clamoring for this for years, and the reception that met the news was… well, an explosion of noise that would have knocked you off your feet from five blocks away.
Sadly, this was back in 2015. While we’ve seen trailers and teasers and the like, we’re not very much further along than we were bac🍒k then. All we have are occasion updates and apologies about the game’s troubled development.
This one’s goiꦛng to be huge, there’s no doubt about that, but as to when? That’s an❀ybody’s guess.
21 Fortnite-ing With Friends
Needless to say, Fortnite continues its unerring march towards world domination. In the process, it’s become available for just about every system out there, which naturally includes the PlayStation 4. Sadly, though, Sony’s system hasn’t had the🐎 best relationship with the game and its fa💞nbase.
Why? Because they were so resistant to cross-play, that’s why. Their insistence tha👍t PS4 was the best place to play the game led to their refusal to allow play with other platforms, until the outcry became such that they felt force to relent.
I don’t ꦫquite know how all of this clam about, but clearly it was nobody’s finest hour.
20 PS4 Pro: All That Horsepower And No Room To Gallop
Hardware upgrades are as popular in this industry as they are in any other. Take Nintendo’s handhඣelds, for instan▨ce. We started with just the 3DS, and suddenly there’s the 3DS XL, the 2DS, the New Nintendo 3DS…
In the case of dramatic changes to the hardware, you’ve got to be s🔯ure that they’re supported. How many New Nintendo 3DS exclusive games are there? Not darn many.
PS4 Pro is 🌼in a similar situation. If you already own a regular model, it’s an expensive upgrade, and doesn’t make a dramatic difference in a lot of situations. Microsoft and theirඣ Xbox One S have fared a little better, in terms of getting developers on board.
19 Touchpad Troubles
Back when the PS Vita was first revealed, there was one feature that seemed to attract the snark of gamers: that awkward touchpad. The system has a regular touchscreen (and a rather fancy OLED one at that, with original models), but it also has a ⭕touch-sensitive pad on the reverse side.
Similarly, the Dual Shock 4’s design is dominated by a rather strange feature: the touchpad. Replacing the familiဣar Start and Select buttons was a controversial ch🧸oice from the get-go, but it seems that developers have largely been unsure how to best utilize the pad.
It’s quite a niche one, and to have it so dominant on the control🔥ler’s face…
18 PlayStation Now: Right *Now*
We’re beཧcoming increasingly reliant on subscription services for our entertainment, aren’t we? Netflix and similar show-streamers demand a subscription, even Nintendo have hoped on the online subscription bandwagon… everybody’s at it.
As I say, backward compatibility is a thorny issue with the PS4, because they do offer a range of PS3 and PS4 titles. They just want another subscription from us, this time for PlayStation Now. This is particularly galling when you actually own the game in question on disk, but must pay again for the privilege of streaming it. Not to mention the connection issues that you really don’t want ꦦto ౠpop up mid-game and ruin your progress.
17 Where’s Bloodborne 2?
If you’ve been a PlayStation 4 owner since the system’s release, you’ll remember that… well, big-ticket exclusives were super thin on the ground ღat the system’s release. This year, we’ve been spoiled by big names, but we weren’t so lucky back then.
The first exclusive title that really took off was Bloodborne, which hit in March 2015. Three and a half years later, vague h🍸ints in east♏er eggs of another FromSoftware title seem to point at a possible sequel, but there’s still nothing concrete.
It’s such a shame, particularly when you consider what a huge deal a potential Bloodborne 2🀅 is sure to ✅be.
16 So, Where Are We With PlayStation VR?
VR gaming is still a bit of an enigma, isn’t it?
It’s always tough to gauge how these new innovations are going to work out. The touchscreens of Nintendo DS, for instance, were a real oddity back when that system launched, and now where would we be without touchscreens? Wii-style motion controls don’t🍸 seem to be going anywhere either.
The jury’s still out on the case of VR gaming, though. The expense of systems like PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift is quite prohibitive, and we haven’t entirely passed the tech-demos-as-games stage of VR softwar🐟e. We’ll just have to see how things pan out.