In case you didn’t know, the PS4 launches tomorrow, and since its been just about seven years since the launch of the PS3, it’s kind of a big deal. Here’s what you need to know about tomorrow’s launch.
It’s going to be very hard to buy one tomorrow.
If you didn’t pre-order the PS4 a while ago, don’t expect to stroll into a store tomorrow to pick one up. If you’ve decided you’re going to buy one tomorrow AT ALL COSTS, most stores will have a set number of non-reserved units to sell as well. These will be pretty limited in supply, however, so you’re going to have to setup outside your store of choice at least a few hours in ahead of its opening time if you want a shot at one.
What games should you get?
If you’re wondering what games you should buy for your spiffy new console, that’s probably going to come down to personal preference. There isn’t really one killer title yet for the PS4, in-fact, many of the games are just recent PS3 releases with a couple of minor enhancements. FIFA 14 is supposed to run great on the new console for the sports fan out there, while the PS4 version of Call of Duty: Ghosts is supposed to be plagued with some framerate issues. If you sign-up for Playstation Plus, which you’re gonna need for online play, you’ll instantly get free access to the cool looking Resogun and Contrast PSN titles. If you’re still unsure on what to get, Gamespot has already published a number of reviews and video reviews for several of the games.
Do I need to buy anything else?
Am I going to want to buy anything besides the $399 console itself you ask? Maybe. If you ever plan to play online, you’ll want to buy a year’s subscription of Playstation Plus for $49.99. This will hook you up with a couple of free games to play right off the bat as well as give you a whole year’s worth of discounts, free games, and most importantly the ability to play online. If you want a cheap short term solution, you can also sign-up for a 1 month membership for $9.99 or 3 months for $17.99.
If you’re interested in having some friends over to play the new system with you, you also might want to buy an extra Dualshock 4 controller for $59.99. Note that PS3 controllers don’t work on the PS4, nor do PS3 games. If you’re thinking about buying multiple controllers, you might want to wait a bit until Sony releases the red and blue models, which it said would be released not too long after launch. Just in case you don’t want four dull identical black controllers.
Don’t buy the camera. Unless you really have an extra $59.99 to spend on the official Playstation 4 camera, you should wait until there are some good games that take advantage of it, if that ever happens.
Besides that, the systems this time around come with HDMI cables as well as headsets so you should be all good to go. (Although you may want to upgrade from the bundled in headset at a later date)
There you have it, those are all the essential things you should know about tomorrow’s launch! If you live in Europe or Australia, sadly you’ll have to wait until November 29th for the PS4 to grace your shelves. (Or February 2014 in Japan. Ouch!) If the Xbox One is more of your thing, that will launch just a week late on November 22nd for $499.
