PS4 replacement help

[Lampy]

My girlfriend's PS4 died due to a power outage recently, and I told her she could get a pc about the same price as a PS4 but without all the paid multiplayer, etc., etc. She seems really into the idea, but she wants a direct replacement. We're talking couch and tv, full controller support, the whole shabang. What sort of parts should I be looking into? Here's what you need to know.

 

-She lives in Texas, (ambient temperature about 72F in the particular room) so I'm assuming cooling is gonna be an issue (I live in Canada)

-She wants something that can sit by her tv, so I'm thinking mini-ITX or mATX

-We're both a little tight on money, so something around the same price point as a PS4 but can perform the same if not better

-She plays a few fps games (namely CoD), MK, racing games, and the Batman: Arkham games.

 

This is kinda where my (admittedly short) knowledge of PCs end. How do I make a PC that has full controller support? Would SteamOS be a viable option? Or is there a way to make Steam boot into Big Picture mode?

 

Thanks in advance for putting up with all my questions and helping me out.

[pomaranc]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($52.39 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.99 @ Best Buy) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($38.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($42.49 @ Newegg) 

Total: $465.83

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-18 05:17 EDT-0400

[TheCaptain53]

@Lampy, have you considered taking the PS4 back to the store where you bought it for a replacement? Is the upgrade a necessity or are you opportunistically suggesting a PC instead? In which case, fair enough.

For a console grade experience, you could get away with an i3-4160/70 and a GTX 750 Ti. I say the GTX 750 Ti because pumping out as little heat as possible in a SFF rig is REALLY important.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pNpjD3

That should serve you well. Bare in mind that I haven't included the cost of peripherals or an OS, and depending on your location, that $430 may fluctuate.

I also picked an EVGA PSU because I really like their products. Again, take some of those parts with a pinch of salt (although, their PSUs are generally quite good). I also picked this one because it's fairly cheap, so if you want an easier build, get a modular power supply. Something like an EVGA 550GS would be fine.

Building a SFF rig should be a challenge. Have lots of fun.

EDIT: In terms of the living room experience, this is the MASSIVE upside of the console market. PCs just aren't optimised for the couch. You could use an Xbox One controller and a dongle (of which an official one will be coming out soon), so this makes the experience easier.

In my eyes, SteamOS is kind of dumb for a PC builder. It would make using a PC on the couch easier, but you're now limited in terms of games availability. Just launch Steam with a wireless keyboard and open up big picture. I'd go with Windows OS.

There also isn't any real way to make a controller completely control a PC. It can't be turned on with the controller (in a conventional sense, I'm sure someone has figured out a work-around), you can't navigate Windows with a controller, so the experience will certainly be less smooth using a PC. I'd have an integrated keyboard and mousepad next to you.

There is also the downside of PCs in that they are (generally) less well optimised for titles as consoles. Not so much with a lot of titles, but you get the occasional one like Ubisoft titles which are a massive ballache playing on the PC (I can play Black Flag, but my GTX 970 more or less makes up for the performance issues, despite all the tearing).

However, when she tries out just how awesome PC gaming is, she will finally understand the #pcgamingmasterrace

Also, I would advise against using a controller on the PC for FPS games. She will get absolutely ANNIHILATED. You have been warned.

[Virtual01]

The Dualshock 4 works well on PC and is compatible with Steam big picture, all you have to do is download the xbox 360 controllers drivers and install DS4windows. Downloading the package will take you through all the steps. You will be able to use the controller through a bluetooth connection, as well as wired through any microUSB cable. Bluetooth may gimp your internet if you use wi-fi, so be aware of that.

 

http://ds4windows.com/

[Starelementpoke]

My girlfriend's PS4 died due to a power outage recently, and I told her she could get a pc about the same price as a PS4 but without all the paid multiplayer, etc., etc. She seems really into the idea, but she wants a direct replacement. We're talking couch and tv, full controller support, the whole shabang. What sort of parts should I be looking into? Here's what you need to know.

 

-She lives in Texas, (ambient temperature about 72F in the particular room) so I'm assuming cooling is gonna be an issue (I live in Canada)

-She wants something that can sit by her tv, so I'm thinking mini-ITX or mATX

-We're both a little tight on money, so something around the same price point as a PS4 but can perform the same if not better

-She plays a few fps games (namely CoD), MK, racing games, and the Batman: Arkham games.

 

This is kinda where my (admittedly short) knowledge of PCs end. How do I make a PC that has full controller support? Would SteamOS be a viable option? Or is there a way to make Steam boot into Big Picture mode?

 

Thanks in advance for putting up with all my questions and helping me out.

Prices vary, what does the ps4 cost where your girlfriend lives?