Is there life after 30 with PS4 PRO?

Content

1. Introduction
2. White, black or exclusive?
3. Equipment
4. Eyesight test with A Way Out game
5. Game cost
6. Localization
7. Exclusive games
8. Myths and reality
9. 4K
10. So is there life after 30 with PS4 PRO?
11. Conclusion

Introduction

From time to time, the idea arose to buy a PS4, but somehow he did not dare. While I was thinking, the PRO version appeared, read the reviews – I can't say that I was very impressed. And immediately there was information about the imminent release of the PS5. It was the second year, but she still did not.

After reading the review from Evgeny Vildyaev, I also learned about the need to have good eyesight. Otherwise, there will be much less joy. Days and weeks passed. And then I wondered: is there even life after 30 with PS4 PRO? After all, the PS4 PRO box says '0+ for kids of all ages'

White, black or exclusive?

The PS4 PRO could be purchased in white, black and an exclusive livery for the God Of War game, of course, along with the game. The cost of the first two was 32,000 rubles, and for an exclusive they asked for 37,500. If we subtract the cost of the game (4,000 rubles), it turns out that some paints from Sony are more expensive by 1,500 rubles.

I must admit that if the trailer for the game GOW impressed me in any way, it would certainly be worth overpaying these 1,500 rubles. But fighting with some mythical creatures is not mine. And after a while he even decided to check it out personally, having bought the game on sale with an additional discount for 2,300 rubles. But back to the console, the choice fell on white.

I don't know how to find an explanation for this, but for the last 2 years I prefer exclusively white colors: car, iPhone, Apple Watch. Therefore, having learned that PS4 PRO in white is not available from any official seller in Russia, I turned to online stores of an unknown origin for me.

I have a rule: if I do not buy from officials, then there must be a discount or some bonuses. But in Russian online stores, apparently, they monitor the situation with the availability of consoles in official retail, so the cost was the same everywhere – 32,000 rubles.

It's a pity that at that time I did not plan to write an article, so I did not take a screenshot of this fact, since on Yandex.Market now in the same stores prices start from 26,500 rubles. In principle, everything is logical here, as well as the fact that I then decided to buy a white PS4 PRO from an online store in Germany.

But fate decreed otherwise. Having ordered and paid for the console, in anticipation of the achieved goal, I receive a message from the store administration: sorry, but Sony no longer produces white consoles, in this regard, we will return your money back.

The sadness from reading the letter did not last long, as the idea immediately appeared to spend 8,000 bonuses in MVideo, ordering there a black console, a second joystick and the game A Way Out. In total, a little less than 30,000 rubles were spent.

Equipment

Opening the box, I noticed that it was impossible to open it without consequences. In other words, part of the box is torn in the process. This is probably a trifle, but it is precisely from such trifles that the approach to any device consists.

I didn't believe it right away, but the bundle includes an HDMI cable for connecting the set-top box to a TV. As you know, the company Apple didn't have enough funds to put it in a box of Apple TV 4K. This is probably why I had so much joy when I met this cable worth a couple of tens of dollars.

The rest of the package consisted of the set-top box itself, a power adapter, a cable for charging a joystick and a headset. But the pride in Sony was short-lived …

As mentioned above, the second joystick was also bought for 4,500 rubles. Official. A wonderful red joystick for my wife, which allowed me to think: has Sony moved so far from Apple in such a rivalry as redneck?

Tried to take apart the whole joystick box looking for a charging cable. Should it be charged somehow? Maybe he lost it or the marriage was sold? But no, it's okay. I read the inscription on the box: the USB cable is not included in the package.

How to charge 2 joysticks at the same time now? How much did Sony save on this meter cable, $ 1-2? As a result, my wife and I laughed at the situation. I wonder what the next company will be able to alienate this way? Only car manufacturers can surpass them, selling cars without a steering wheel or wheels.

However, this was the reason to order a separate charger for two joysticks on Ali. The cost is low, and now you don't need to use the console to charge the joysticks. Perhaps, on saving electricity in a couple of years, charging will be repulsed.

Eyesight test with A Way Out game

I can't say that I have excellent eyesight, but I don't wear glasses yet. At the same time, the information about small fonts in games alarmed. On the other hand, the TV LG OLED 55C8 can hardly be called small, so there was hope for a successful outcome.

Alas, the game A Way Out cannot boast of Russian voice acting, so you must read all the credits. I can't call the credits small, but they turned out to be even worse – yellow. And for some reason this beautiful yellow color often merged with the background. I had to read directly into the text so as not to miss anything from the plot of the game.

This was my first exposure to fonts in games on the PS4 PRO. Looking ahead, I will say that in almost all other games that I have played, the font was more positive. Until the free-to-play XCOM 2 came to PS Plus.

It was this game that made it possible to fully experience Evgeny Vildyaev's message about uncomfortable fonts. It turned out to be so small and unreadable that after 10 minutes the game was deleted like a bad dream. I decided to remember the developer for myself, it turned out to be the 2K Games company.

To sum up the topic of fonts, the opinion is still ambiguous. On the one hand, playing A Way Out together, you somehow forget that you have to read a certain amount of text. On the other hand, precisely because of the lack of Russian voice acting in the GTA 5 game, I did not purchase it at the sale even for 1,700 rubles, since in this genre of the game I often have to read dialogues and at the same time drive a car.

Game cost

I've read a lot of angry reviews about the cost of games, especially when it comes to the game of a well-known developer. At the start of sales, they ask for 4-7 thousand rubles for such a masterpiece, depending on the set.

At first, I was also surprised at such prices, but the years passed … We are asking a question for a person over 30 years old. So it works. Although I will not be cunning, I myself am not ready to shell out 4 thousand for any game. Some interesting exclusive with a full translation, like Detroit and with a Heavy Rain bonus gift, has already been ordered and passed. Something else – you have to think (by the way, Heavy Rain will be handed out for free to PS plus subscribers in July).

In general, this topic is thankless – money. The same 4,000 rubles for one person – half a month of food, and for another – a tank of gasoline with cappuccino at the gas station. However, it is unlikely that the first will buy a PS4 PRO and a TV for it. And the cost of a cappuccino can be 35,000 rubles, if you spill it on the top version of the MacBook Pro with Radeon Pro 560.

Therefore, I decided to visit the trading platforms Avito and Yula. There you can buy not only used games, but also new ones sealed with a receipt. It was this version of FIFA 18 that I bought for 1,500 rubles. I opened the box at the seller, the disc was in place.

I bought the rest of the games there used, but their cost is even less: 800-1000 rubles. Here it is already necessary to check not only the presence of the disc in the box, but also its condition. If there are scratches, then it is better to refuse to purchase.

I would also like to note the PS plus service, which you will need for online games. As a bonus, participants are given 2 free games every month, and in June, due to the E3 exhibition, they were offered 3 games. The cost of the service is not exorbitant, I connected with a discount, it turned out about 260 rubles. per month. But during the E3 exhibition there was a better offer, about 230 rubles. per month. I did not renew it, as now the subscription was issued until August 2019.

PS plus members are also offered exclusive discounts on a particular game. But I came to the conclusion that it is not worth buying digital versions of games older than 1 year at all. Most likely, in this service you will get it for free anyway. If it really breaks you and you want to buy the same digital version of Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration now with a discount for 999 rubles, then I would still recommend buying a used disc or looking for a discount in stores.

The advantage of the digital version of the game is that the console drive is not involved and, probably, it will work much longer. However, this is theory. But the downside is that the digital version purchased on your permanent account can no longer be sold. The boxed version can be put on Avito, returning all the costs of the game or part.

The bottom line at the cost of games turns out so that the devil is not so terrible as he is painted. You can buy used discs on such trading platforms, use them carefully and then sell or exchange them. In very rare cases, you will lose a maximum of 700 rubles. Well, if new items are required, then follow the sales, 20-30% discounts will certainly be there.

Localization

Again we have to return to the credits, because we will talk about the localization of games. Alas, very few games are fully translated and dubbed. Is piracy still taking over official sales? Or is it already my predicted greed of developers? It's hard for me to judge, since I don't have clear figures on game sales by year.

But it's rather sad to learn that the same FIFA 18, which has had Russian commentators since ancient times, does not have a complete translation. We start the story mode – hello, titles, and not large ones.

Or Mafia III. The first and second parts were completely localized, but the third one, the developer decided to save money. It turned out to be 2K Games, which I mentioned above. Reading dialogues while driving is a pleasure. However, 2K Games has prepared a much bigger surprise. Mafia III's ending has 3 outcomes, and unlike Detroit, you cannot replay a particular chapter. That is, in order to completely go through and learn all the endings of the game, you will need to go through it completely again 3 times. This was my biggest disappointment with the PS4 PRO.

Returning to localization, I should note that games fully translated and dubbed are only one percent. But I am ready to support only such developers, voting for them with my own ruble.

Exclusive games

It is believed that the PS4 PRO is good because it has its own exclusives. I cannot agree with this, since not all exclusive games are of interest to me. Another thing is that the selection of all available games is really great.

It's hard for me to imagine a free person who once played a console and after a while will not be able to find a suitable game for himself, with which he will quietly spend several hours. There is simply no such person.

What emotions do you want to get from the game – exactly what you will get. The main thing is that you have free time for these emotions. You remember, you are over 30, family, work is always somewhere nearby …

Sony exclusive games, I'm interested in Uncharted adventures and movie games like Heavy Rain, Two Souls, Detroit, etc. The latter are not much different from watching a regular movie, but the plot depends on you. Yes, here you will notice that these are not real people, but a game. But maybe the situation will change dramatically with the PS5 ?!

Myths and reality

PS4 PRO is cheaper than PC. Of course, given the cost of a 1080ti video card (now from 60 thousand rubles, and 2 of them can be installed in the system unit), you can assemble a computer close to a seven-digit amount.

But such disputes are unlikely to be about such computers. Looking around, I notice the average cost of a PC is about 70-100 thousand rubles. And, perhaps, some internal parts of the system unit will have to be changed next year. Although I hardly believe that most people change something at their desk friend every year.

At the same time, it is argued that the cost of a console with a pair of games will be about 40 thousand rubles. It turns out that the cost difference between the console and the PC is 2 times? That's right, until you bring the console home. It turns out that the PS4 PRO needs a 4K and HDR TV to fully function.

If you look at the lineup LG of 2018, then in official retail they cost from 145,000. In online stores you can find cheaper, around 110,000, but there are slightly different risks. The total set will cost us 110 + 40 = 150 thousand rubles. Is your computer more expensive?

4K

Of course, there is no real 4K in games. As it is not in the films. It's just a fact that you have to come to terms with for now. And don't trust the console's screenshot resolutions or 4K movie specs.

The manufacturers themselves publish on the boxes with the game that it is, at best, adapted to work with PS4 PRO, while none of them has yet announced 4K.

Movies are even easier. It is enough to turn on a 4K movie on 4K TV and next to it, turn on the same movie, but in FULL HD quality on TV with the same maximum support for 1080p. You won't notice the difference. However, this is a topic for another article.

So is there life after 30 with PS4 PRO?

I have 8 games now. Children are forbidden to play in 6 of them (and on the box of the console itself, as you remember, it is written that they are for children of all ages). Someone might think that this is exclusively my choice of games. You can approach from the other side. Let's take a look at the upcoming premium new items due to hit store shelves soon and are already available for pre-order now:

• FIFA 19 0+
• Marvel Spiderman 16+
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider 18+
• Assassin's Creed® Odyssey 18+
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 18+
• Battlefield ™ V 18+
• Red Dead Redemption 2 18+
• RESIDENT EVIL 2 18+

This, of course, is a coincidence, but again 8 games turned out, among which only 2 can be played by children.

Yes, adults and older people are more interested in developers than their children. But even in 18+ games, there are punctures. For example, the thriller Heavy Rain. The plot of the game really captivates with its cruelty, but some scenes directly shout: 'Wait, there are children!' The man approaches the woman and takes off her bra with both hands. It seems to me that even a high school student will do it much faster and with one hand. Or the intimate part of the process in jeans, after which only the bare part of the ankle of one of the characters is shown.

I just want to say that this is not serious. And such punctures periodically appear here and there. Overall, the direction of the console is clear. Many developers have matured themselves while making games.

Conclusion

PS4 PRO can be compared to movies or TV series like Game of Thrones. The second option will be more accurate. But by watching the video, you are still playing a passive role. Games will require much more attention and concentration from you.

If you are 30, then you probably have a job, family, children. All this takes a lot of your time. In order to comfortably distract yourself or immerse yourself in some kind of game, you need to find another 2-3 hours free. Do you have them? This is perhaps the most important question that you have to answer on your own. If the answer is yes, PS4 PRO will definitely offer you interesting material … for your money.

P.S. 4 games out of 8 are still sealed in cellophane. Free time is the main obstacle between you and the PS4 PRO.

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Igor Dukhovny