PlayStation 4 launch

[MentholMoose]

The PS4 launched today. Did anyone buy one at midnight or this morning? Anyone flip one on craigslist already?

I don't plan to buy a PS4 soon since there are no "must have" games. The launch titles and upcoming games either don't appeal to me or are non-exclusive. The only PlayStation-exclusive game I'm really looking forward to is Gran Turismo 6 and that is on PS3.

[twistedsymphony]

I had both a PS4 and Xbox One pre-ordered though I canceled my PS4 pre-order last week just before launch since there was really nothing interesting game-wise on the console. I'll probably pick one up this time next year when there are some exclusives that actually interest me.

The Xbox One has a few exclusives that has me excited for the release
-Forza 5
-Killer Instinct 3
-Dead Rising 3
-Crimson Dragon

All franchises that I loved in the past and all available at launch so it's looking like a solid list of reasons to buy. I'll also be picking up Assassins Creed IV, I've waited to buy it for next gen instead of the current gen consoles.

I'll also say that both MS and Sony have really improved their controller designs (I got to play both consoles back in August at the GameStop Expo). Somehow MS managed to make their controllers even more comfortable, the D-Pad is now PERFECT (they finally got it right) and the thumbsticks are really grippy which is cool. The force feedback triggers are incredible too.

The PS4 controller is way more comfortable than past versions, the triggers are more comfortable and way more accurate. and the sticks are finally concave instead of convex (which is a big improvement) On a whole though they're still playing catch up to MS in the controller department IMO, but this is a huge step forward.

SNAP mode on the Xbox One actually looks pretty cool too. A big thing for me is I'll be able to embed a browser on the side of the screen and this could have something like a moves list or collectables guide which would be really helpful in a lot of games.

[Porcupine]

I hate pretty much everything about the MS controllers but everyone has their own opinion. To me they are too big, too heavy, the LB/RB buttons feel weak and always break (in contrast to the PS3 controllers where the LT/RT triggers feel weak and always break), and the directional pad is horribly inaccurate (I can't do dash CC on them in VOOT because my "down" never works on any of my 4 controllers, yet I can't do dragon punches because my "down-diagonal" doesn't work either, they always mix together). And cockroaches eat my analog sticks because they think the rubber tastes good (the PS3 analog stick rubber must be yucky to them as they've never eaten it). And the Play/Charge kits always break so I have to use AA batteries, which in turn causes my controllers to randomly turn off in mid-match when the batteries are beyond half used.

Basically none of my Xbox 360 controllers have ever worked even half-decent and I feel it's amazing I can even move around or play any games at all at a half-competent level given what I have in my hands.

[twistedsymphony]

I hate pretty much everything about the MS controllers but everyone has their own opinion. To me they are too big, too heavy, the LB/RB buttons feel weak and always break (in contrast to the PS3 controllers where the LT/RT triggers feel weak and always break), and the directional pad is horribly inaccurate (I can't do dash CC on them in VOOT because my "down" never works on any of my 4 controllers, yet I can't do dragon punches because my "down-diagonal" doesn't work either, they always mix together). And cockroaches eat my analog sticks because they think the rubber tastes good (the PS3 analog stick rubber must be yucky to them as they've never eaten it). And the Play/Charge kits always break so I have to use AA batteries, which in turn causes my controllers to randomly turn off in mid-match when the batteries are beyond half used.

Basically none of my Xbox 360 controllers have ever worked even half-decent and I feel it's amazing I can even move around or play any games at all at a half-competent level given what I have in my hands.

Weird, I've never had any of the shoulder buttons on Xbox or PS controllers give out. Usually I end up having to replace the controllers when the analog sticks start to wander (reading a light push when your thumb isn't even on them).

Also never had a controller randomly shut off on me, usually there's a good 10 minutes of warning blinks and I use rechargeable AAs in all of my controllers instead of the play and charge kits (mostly because I can buy batteries that work in everything but wireless Sony controllers). I don't have anything against the quality of the Sony controllers but I've always found the hard edges and analog stick placement to be extremely uncomfortable.

The d-pads on the Xbox 360 controllers are complete garbage but they've fixed that completely on the new Xbox One controllers, I haven't had much time to use it but it seems likely it will be my new favorite d-pad on any controller ever, It's extremely accurate and it's much easier to push than the d-pads on other controllers.

Also the Xbox One controllers are significantly lighter and even smaller than the new PS4 controllers.

[Porcupine]

I got my Xbox 360 used for $100 (fat, Jasper chipset) so that's part of the reason all my accessories are in lousy shape but at the end of the day they were broken or badly worn down by someone.

For me the controller batteries can last for months after the warning blinks start (I hear regular batteries have more life in them than one cycle of a rechargeable) so I continue to use them for that time, but that is when the random shut-offs become most frequent. I'm not the only one with this issue, I've seen a few other players stop moving and stand around like idiots occasionally, too. I only hope that when I do this against Japanese VO competition that they know what happened so that they do not think I am insulting them or giving up. Usually what people do is that when the controller kicks back in, you act up and wiggle around to communicate to the opponent that your stupid controller gave out, lol.

[twistedsymphony]

Ah, I usually replace the batteries the next break I get after the blinks start, I've never tested to see how much longer I can go... I'd say you're doing it to yourself letting it go for months after it's told you that the batteries are low. lol I usually can't stand the thing blinking in my face constantly so that's enough motivation to change them anyway.

If you open the guide they have a battery gauge in the corner if you want a more accurate idea of how much life is left.

[MentholMoose]

And cockroaches eat my analog sticks because they think the rubber tastes good (the PS3 analog stick rubber must be yucky to them as they've never eaten it).

Um, seriously!?

I hear regular batteries have more life in them than one cycle of a rechargeable.

That's true but doesn't matter for my needs. Rechargeable batteries will still power a 360 controller for many hours, certainly longer than I would ever play in one or even several gaming sessions. If the AA cells in one of my 360 controllers are low I replace them with a spare pair and recharge the low ones for future use. I've used rechargeable batteries for everything that takes AAA, AA, or C cells for over 10 years so I have a few spares sitting around at any given time. Nowadays I only use "pre-charged" or "low self-discharge" cells like Eneloops, but generally not actual Eneloops unless I find a very good deal on them.

[Porcupine]

Have you guys ever left remote controls on the ground and a few rubber buttons here and there eventually look like something has torn off a corner or picked at them? That happens to me with almost all my remote controls I've ever had, and after years and years one day I discovered it was cockroaches doing that at night while everyone is sleeping.

But I'd never seen a cockroach tear into rubber like he did to a couple of my 360 controllers. In just a couple nights he pretty much ate the whole damn sticks, all 4 of them on two controllers. Underneath the stick there is a hard plastic so you can still play with that but it might hurt. After a couple weeks I managed to smash him using those same controllers as bait.

Rechargeable AA batteries or wired are definitely the way to go when it comes to 360 controllers. I haven't talked to a single player who has found peace with anything else. It's just a shame that the 360 controllers can't be powered as originally intended. For me, since my controllers are dysfunctional in other aspects too, the next investment I make will probably be a wired controller.

I look at the battery gauge obsessively but it's still not of much practical use because the controllers still last a long time when the battery is in a half-drained state and I feel compelled to save money until I get some rechargeable batteries or a wired controller. So I have to put up with the random shut-offs.

[twistedsymphony]

I can honestly say I've never had anything I own chewed on by any kind of creature... I'd invest in an exterminator if I ever thought I had bugs in my house.

I do pretty much exactly what MentholMoose does with batteries. i have a few spares charged up and ready go so when the controller starts blinking I swap them out and throw the "dead" ones in the charger for next time.

My couch is far enough away from my screen that I can't use wired controllers, as the there is too much signal degradation and USB sometimes has trouble connecting (even with a repeater, believe me I've tried). I honestly wish the PS3 controllers allowed for an external battery so I could swap them out like I do with all of my other controllers because once the PS3 battery dies it has to be plugged in and I can no longer use it due to the cord being too short.