PS4 for dummies

[IAmAndre]

Hi,

 

I've just been gifted a PS4. I'm a PC gamer and it was actually my first time handling a PS4. I think it's a PS4 Slim but I haven't turned it on yet, I probably will this weekend. It will be used as a media consumption device most of the time (mainly Blurays and YouTube if it's supported). I'm also interested in playing old PS3 titles such as Red Dead Redemption and the Uncharted and Last of Us series. I've been on the PlayStation store and I find the prices quite high  $30 for Dead Redemption, $40 for Uncharted 3...

Since I will only play occasionally I'd rather spend as little money as possible. So I want to know what's the best option for me: should I just buy physical copies of these games on eBay? If so, can PS3 discs be played on the PS4? Should I wait for sales on the PS Store/Humble Bundle and buy digital copies? Should I do something else?

 

Thanks

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

2 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

Hi,

 

I've just been gifted a PS4. I'm a PC gamer and it was actually my first time handling a PS4. I think it's a PS4 Slim but I haven't turned it on yet, I probably will this weekend. It will be used as a media consumption device most of the time (mainly Blurays and YouTube if it's supported). I'm also interested in playing old PS3 titles such as Red Dead Redemption and the Uncharted and Last of Us series. I've been on the PlayStation store and I find the prices quite high  $30 for Dead Redemption, $40 for Uncharted 3...

Since I will only play occasionally I'd rather spend as little money as possible. So I want to know what's the best option for me: should I just buy physical copies of these games on eBay? If so, can PS3 discs be played on the PS4? Should I wait for sales on the PS Store/Humble Bundle and buy digital copies? Should I do something else?

 

Thanks

PS3 disks can't be read on PS4. I prefer to have physical copies of my games. Call me old fashioned.

PS4 does support reading Bluray movies (the games use Bluray disks themselves), and there is a native YouTube app you can install. 

[IAmAndre]

1 minute ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

PS3 disks can't be read on PS4. I prefer to have physical copies of my games. Call me old fashioned.

PS4 does support reading Bluray movies (the games use Bluray disks themselves), and there is a native YouTube app you can install. 

So is that it? Just buy a used physical copy on eBay and play it?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, IAmAndre said:

So is that it? Just buy a used physical copy on eBay and play it?

If you want to buy physical copies, best to stay away from Ebay and used ones in general. Disks are scratched easily so you'll never know what you're going to get when you buy used, online.

 

The debate between physical and digital download is really just personal preference.   

[IAmAndre]

2 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

If you want to buy physical copies, best to stay away from Ebay and used ones in general. Disks are scratched easily so you'll never know what you're going to get when you buy used, online.

 

The debate between physical and digital download is really just personal preference.   

I don't have any physical copies of my PC games but that's because they are much cheaper that way and I don't have storage issues. On PS4 I'm just looking for the cheapest option really.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 minute ago, IAmAndre said:

I don't have any physical copies of my PC games but that's because they are much cheaper that way and I don't have storage issues. On PS4 I'm just looking for the cheapest option really.

I don't think there's a price difference between physical and digital downloads actually... I don't go on the PS store a lot so I don't know for certain. But I do belief that's the case. 

[IAmAndre]

3 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

I don't think there's a price difference between physical and digital downloads actually... I don't go on the PS store a lot so I don't know for certain. But I do belief that's the case. 

Then I think I'll just take my chance and buy used copies on eBay. I guess I can return them if they don't work.

[Ithanul]

Horizon Zero Dawn was running as low as 19 bucks of late for brand new.  Not sure if that price is that low still.  There where a few other games as low as 19 bucks this past week.  I even bought some games (used ones) as low as eight bucks.

 

On the issue of used discs, most of my console games are used.  Just make sure the check the disc real good or buy from a store that gives a return policy if the disc turns out bad.  Or, if not sure of a game, Redbox allows you to rent PS4 games.

[IAmAndre]

17 minutes ago, Ithanul said:

Horizon Zero Dawn was running as low as 19 bucks of late for brand new.  Not sure if that price is that low still.  There where a few other games as low as 19 bucks this past week.  I even bought some games (used ones) as low as eight bucks.

 

On the issue of used discs, most of my console games are used.  Just make sure the check the disc real good or buy from a store that gives a return policy if the disc turns out bad.  Or, if not sure of a game, Redbox allows you to rent PS4 games.

Yeah I'm checking the prices and trends and it seems like @BlueChinchillaEatingDorito has actually the best approach because for casual gamers like me, paying an extra $10 is fine.

[SteveGrabowski0]

There is no port of Red Dead Redemption to PS4. It was such a fucked up kludge they figured it would be too expensive to port over to current gen and PC. Man if you would have posted this thread yesterday, as the Playstation Store had the Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection for $8 with 60 fps remasters of Uncharted 1-3. You can buy Uncharted 4 used from Gamestop for $10. The Last of Us for PS4 goes on sale a lot for $10 used. I'm sure you'll find the PS4 version of the game at Gamestop (new) or the Playstation Store for that price around Christmas. Besides, the PS4 version is night and day better than the PS3 version for The Last of Us, since the PS4 version runs at a very consistent 60 fps while the PS3 one runs around 27 fps most of the time. If you like Souls games at all you should check Bloodborne. It's $20 new anywhere you look and is by far the best Souls game IMO. Persona 5 and Horizon Zero Dawn are also highly worth checking out.

[SteveGrabowski0]

1 hour ago, IAmAndre said:

I don't have any physical copies of my PC games but that's because they are much cheaper that way and I don't have storage issues. On PS4 I'm just looking for the cheapest option really.

In my experience physical is usually cheaper on PS4 since you have Gamestop, Newegg, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Wal Mart all competing with each other on those sales. But I buy digital off the Playstation Store when it's cheaper, which is usually only when they run big sales.

[SteveGrabowski0]

Anyways, I'd say don't sleep on the PS4. True, it is not powerful hardware in any way, at least the OG PS4 or the Slim, though the Pro has an RX 470 level gpu. But it has some unbelievable games you can't get elsewhere. 2017 has been an extremely strong year for the PS4 with top notch exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5, and Yakuza 0 along with Nioh which was a PS4 exclusive for most of the year. I have heard great things about Gravity Rush 2 also, though I haven't played it. 2018 is also shaping up to be a killer year for PS4 exclusives with God of War, Days Gone, Detroit: Become Human, Spiderman and then some great multiplatform games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3 that haven't been announced for PC, though it wouldn't surprise me to see both RDR2 and KH3 on PC in 2019. I'm also expecting Ghost of Tsushima to be worth buying since it's done by Sucker Punch, who made the great inFAMOUS games on PS3 (I haven't played the PS4 one though). You should check Sony's 2016 E3 presentation when they showed off Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and Days Gone. It starts around the 30 minute mark in the video below:

 

 

I didn't give a shit about Playstation until I saw that presentation and how amazing their games looked, but I bought one not long after. 2013 through 2016 the PS4 wasn't that good a console aside from the amazing Bloodborne that came out in 2015 (best Souls game easily), but 2017 has been great and 2018 looks to be another banner year.

 

I don't know if you were talking about Uncharted 4 or Uncharted Lost Legacy at $40, but either is too much to spend on those games. Uncharted 4 is $10 used at Gamestop and goes on sale for $20 new all the time. Uncharted Lost Legacy can usually be found for $30 but you'll be likely to see it again for $20 in Christmas sales. Bloodborne sells for $20 standard, though occasionally you can find the complete edition of the game for $20 on the Playstation Store (and the DLC is a must if you're into the game, since it has some crazy boss fights).

 

If you're interested in playing Red Dead Redemption it's $5 on PS3 and $10 on XBox 360 used at Gamestop. Sometimes they run crazy deals on their used consoles at Gamestop also. I bought a PS3 160GB from them for $40 in January. But Red Dead Redemption is much better on 360 than PS3 because the PS3 was such a weird system to program on, so if you're buying a used console just for RDR then 360 (or XBox One) is the way to go.

 

Reddit's PS4Deals is a great place to find good deals on PS4 games. I don't often pay more than $35 and almost never more than $45 for new games, and often I'll find deals for $20 or less on full AAA games and $5 on smaller and/or indie games.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4Deals/

[SteveGrabowski0]

Anyways, here are a few games I recommend looking into

 

Bloodborne (usually $20, the slow loading bug they talk about in the review has long since been fixed)

 

Horizon Zero Dawn (can often be found for $30)

 

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir ($24 on the Playstation Store right now)

 

Persona 5 (can often be found for $30)

 

The Last of Us Remastered (often $10 at Gamestop, never more than $20)

 

Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection (Uncharted 1-3, sometimes sells for $8 on the PS Store, never more than $20 in stores)

 

Uncharted 4 ($10 used at Gamestop)

 

Yakuza 0 (Currently $30 new at Gamestop)

 

Dragons Crown (comes out in January on PS4. This is the review of the original PS3 version)

 

Okami HD (comes out in December on PS4)

This is the review for the Wii version. The PS3 version looks much better since it's rendered internally at 4k, so I imagine the PS4 version will be rendered at 4k also.

 

[IAmAndre]

6 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

In my experience physical is usually cheaper on PS4 since you have Gamestop, Newegg, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Wal Mart all competing with each other on those sales. But I buy digital off the Playstation Store when it's cheaper, which is usually only when they run big sales.

Yes, based on the prices I see I think it's the best option as long as you have enough storage.

[ono]

Sony offers a Netflix sort of subscription service called PS Now. I'm not sure if it has Red Dead Redemption. There is a free trial period if you want to sample it. It is a streaming service, so bear in mind that there will be some input lag and not necessarily the best picture quality. I presume the latency is going to vary from region to region, so maybe you'll have better luck on this than I did when I did my trial.

[SteveGrabowski0]

7 hours ago, ono said:

Sony offers a Netflix sort of subscription service called PS Now. I'm not sure if it has Red Dead Redemption. There is a free trial period if you want to sample it. It is a streaming service, so bear in mind that there will be some input lag and not necessarily the best picture quality. I presume the latency is going to vary from region to region, so maybe you'll have better luck on this than I did when I did my trial.

It does have Red Dead Redemption.

 

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/psnow/games/

 

I personally wouldn't ever do a subscription service with Sony though. I have heard very bad things about being even a cent in debt on your PS account. I think you get suspended until you're in the black.

[SteveGrabowski0]

Also I would never use a credit card or debit card with the Playstation Store. I would buy everything through Playstation Store cards. Sony will ban you in a second and you're completely fucked if you ever issue a chargeback even if your card was stolen. It's really sleazy, they don't give a fuck. As long as you don't use a debit/credit card with them it's an awesome console though.

[IAmAndre]

13 hours ago, ono said:

Sony offers a Netflix sort of subscription service called PS Now. I'm not sure if it has Red Dead Redemption. There is a free trial period if you want to sample it. It is a streaming service, so bear in mind that there will be some input lag and not necessarily the best picture quality. I presume the latency is going to vary from region to region, so maybe you'll have better luck on this than I did when I did my trial.

Yeah I heard about it. I might give it a try. The fact that it works on PC too is interesting.

[SteveGrabowski0]

6 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

Yeah I heard about it. I might give it a try. The fact that it works on PC too is interesting.

I bet you have to give them a CC number to get that free trial though. If you really want to play RDR wait until Gamestop has used PS3 or 360 on some kind of fire sale. It's going to happen considering they were giving away used 360 for $60 with a $60 MIR to bring the total cost to $0 on Black Friday. I got my PS3 160GB for $40 back in January in one of their sales. If you go that route RDR is much better on 360. PS3 renders at something like 640p while 360 renders at 720p.

 

 

[IAmAndre]

2 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

I bet you have to give them a CC number to get that free trial though. If you really want to play RDR wait until Gamestop has used PS3 or 360 on some kind of fire sale. It's going to happen considering they were giving away used 360 for $60 with a $60 MIR to bring the total cost to $0 on Black Friday. I got my PS3 160GB for $40 back in January in one of their sales. If you go that route RDR is much better on 360. PS3 renders at something like 640p while 360 renders at 720p.

 

 

That's too much hassle for just one game. I think I'll just RDR2 next month and move on with my life

[SteveGrabowski0]

4 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

That's too much hassle for just one game. I think I'll just RDR2 next month and move on with my life

I wish RDR2 was coming out next month. It's supposed to come out around Q2 2018.

[IAmAndre]

8 minutes ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

I wish RDR2 was coming out next month. It's supposed to come out around Q2 2018.

Well on the PS Store it says "December 2017" : https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1004-CUSA03041_00-PARENTPRODUCT000

[SteveGrabowski0]

1 minute ago, IAmAndre said:

Well on the PS Store it says "December 2017" : https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1004-CUSA03041_00-PARENTPRODUCT000

They put December 31st when there is no firm release date. It was originally supposed to come out in Q4 2017, hence the 2017 date most likely. God of War is slated for December 31st, 2018 in the PS Store even though it's rumored to release Q1 2018.

 

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-CUSA07408_00-00000000GODOFWAR

 

Same thing with Days Gone

 

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-CUSA08966_00-DAYSGONECOMPLETE