PS4: The Ultimate FAQ – North America

PS4: The Ultimate FAQ – North America

Looks like just about everything you'll need to know.  Some of the things seem strange to me though, like not being able to play MP3's in the background but instead forcing you to pay to their subscription service to listen to music.  Inability to turn that bright led light on the controller off.  How annoying is that?  Can only play movies if you download the "day one" patch or get an activation disc sent in the mail.  Restrictions on what you can and can't record.

I'm sure the XB1 will have it's quirks too, but some of this just seems silly.

Some bullet points that stick out to me...

-  No audio CD playback support
-  No MP3 playback support (Must sub to Sony's music service for music).
-  No video/movie streaming from PC/server
-  No pause/resume at launch
-  Cannot turn off colored LED light on controller
-  Devs can restrict recording any part of a game they want
-  Cannot install disc data and then buy digital license.  Must delete disc data and download the full install of a game.  (Bad for people with low bandwidth caps)

I'm very interested now with how these particular points are handled on the Xbox One.  If the Xbox One treats me like this I'll seriously consider cancelling my pre-order.

Cd play back now a days is meh anyway.
MP3 playback is sucky but I honestly almost never listen to music on my xbox anyway. 
Video music streaming from PC only happen on Xbox because of Microsoft/windows. I never streamed from my computer so no big.
No pause resume at launch, not sure what that means and if I did that on the Xbox 
Dev restricting recording , I'm sure could be the same on the Xbox one
Digital license after disc installed would not be surprised if it was the same on the Xbox one. 

Nothing to shocking or upsetting to me not that I am getting a ps4 but also nothing earth shattering that would stop me from getting a Xbox one either.

S7 OC wrote:Cd play back now a days is meh anyway.
MP3 playback is sucky but I honestly almost never listen to music on my xbox anyway. 
Video music streaming from PC only happen on Xbox because of Microsoft/windows. I never streamed from my computer so no big.
No pause resume at launch, not sure what that means and if I did that on the Xbox 
Dev restricting recording , I'm sure could be the same on the Xbox one
Digital license after disc installed would not be surprised if it was the same on the Xbox one. 

Nothing to shocking or upsetting to me not that I am getting a ps4 but also nothing earth shattering that would stop me from getting a Xbox one either.

I hear ya.  I guess it comes down to me streaming a lot of stuff from my pc.  To me that's quite a big deal.

Just hook that PC to the tv.

The restriction on recording certain parts of the game is for the case of spoilers, and other things of that nature. Sucky, yes, but I can see why they did it. As long as you can record any part of MP I'll be fine with it.

meh either way really  both console have up and down points here are just some of ps4 finally coming to light  ( which was good on sony part )


most people wont even care so much for em anyways

OneBadHuskerFan wrote:

S7 OC wrote:Cd play back now a days is meh anyway.
MP3 playback is sucky but I honestly almost never listen to music on my xbox anyway. 
Video music streaming from PC only happen on Xbox because of Microsoft/windows. I never streamed from my computer so no big.
No pause resume at launch, not sure what that means and if I did that on the Xbox 
Dev restricting recording , I'm sure could be the same on the Xbox one
Digital license after disc installed would not be surprised if it was the same on the Xbox one. 

Nothing to shocking or upsetting to me not that I am getting a ps4 but also nothing earth shattering that would stop me from getting a Xbox one either.

I hear ya.  I guess it comes down to me streaming a lot of stuff from my pc.  To me that's quite a big deal.

Whoa Whoa whoa OC. Video streaming has nothing to do with Microsoft. I run a DLNA media server off my raspi and stream to EVERYTHING. The PS3 even has support. I'm honestly a bit shocked they're removing support for such a common feature.

It's just a lame move to push some video service I'm sure. Rather annoying.

ya the DLNA is a shocker, being able to stream anything from a networked pc is awesome, I used to use the playon service and the media center app on the xbox all the time to listen to my music, watch all kinds of stuff with playon, mainly web casts from revision3 and cartoons and hulu stuff. I don't use it as much but is nice to play your lirbary of music, movies, and pic without having to use physical media. As long as the media center app is on xb1 ill be happy. And if you never connected your 360 with a pc, then really you missed out on some nerd points

Atrum I kind of bulked that one in it was meant to be only music streaming part.

Ahh gotcha. Yeah, I stream music too via the DLNA. It's the video streaming that gets me. I'm kinda disappointed as my PS4 is going in the living room (XBO is bedroom) and I was hoping to stream my library to it. I bet they'll patch it in.

AtrumX wrote: I bet they'll patch it in.

Not anytime soon.  Apparently they never even thought people would want the functionality.  Gotta wonder where these peoples heads are at sometimes.

I don't want it.  Guess I am the minority.  Don't get me wrong, I am not against having it but do not use that functionality on my current gen consoles and have no need in the next gen either.  I also assume it has to do with pushing their proprietary streaming services and not just leaving it out for the fun of it anyway.  Sucks for some but doesn't effect me either way.

The only thing here that remotely effects me is the pause/suspend games feature.  While it's cool, I can wait for it to be implemented so it's not too big of a deal.  In fact, the list of features NOT available at launch is surprisingly small:

• Share controller via the internet to assist a friend
  
• Suspend/Resume mode
  
• Wireless Stereo Headsets support (note that some are supported from day 1)
  

All in all that's not bad and there was a TON of good news that was confirmed.  Highlights for me include...

What network services will be free on PS4, without a PlayStation Plus membership?
Some of the features users can enjoy for free include:

• Accessing entertainment, film, and TV services (Users must subscribe separately to individual services)
  
• Share options, including sending gameplay video and screenshots to Facebook, screenshots to Twitter, or livestreaming gameplay via Ustream or Twitch
  
• Sharing video to Facebook,
  
• Playing PS4 games remotely using the PS Vita system (Remote Play)
  
• Comparing Trophy data with other users
  
• Sending and receiving text messages from other users
  
• PlayStation Store access (users must pay to purchase premium content)
  
• Live item, activity feeds on Dynamic Menu
  
• Party (cross game voice chat)
  
• Web browser
  
• PlayStation App services (on iOS/Android devices)
  

Can I access content I’ve purchased on another PS4?
Yes, you can use content you’ve purchased on up to two PS4 systems simultaneously — simply sign into a friends’ PS4, and the content you’ve purchased will be available as long as you remain signed in.

Can more than one person access my content from my PS4?
By setting your home PS4 your “Primary” console, the content you’ve purchased on your account is available to other family members without needing to sign in on your account.


Can two people use my account’s content on two different PS4 at once?
Yes, this is possible.

If I’m not a PlayStation Plus member but I log into a PS4 system owned by a PS Plus member, will I be able to play online multiplayer?
Yes. If you don’t have a PS Plus membership, you can still access online multiplayer modes if you log into a PS4 which is set as “Primary” by a PS Plus member. This means that, for example, if one housemate is a PlayStation Plus member, everyone in the household will have access to online multiplayer. Additionally, on the same PS4 system, any games or content purchased by one user are available to other users who play on that console (unless that content has expired).

How many users can play online multiplayer modes on a single PS4 system set as “Primary” by a PS Plus member?
All users can play online multiplayer modes. Up to four users can log in simultaneously to a single PS4 system, and all will have access to multiplayer as long as PS4 is set as “Primary” by a PS Plus member.
How many local accounts does PS4 support?
PS4 supports up to 16 local accounts, in addition to temporary guest accounts.