PS4 Beta

[Koninbeor]

Is anyone else playing the PS4 beta? I enjoyed the PS3 version but found that if more than 20 characters, PC's or NPC's, were on the screen simultaneously, anything over 20 would simply not be displayed at all. This made RP and other group events very challenging. I promised my brother that he could have my PS3 when the PS4 came out, a decision I'd made without having FFXIV in mind. Giving up my PS3 forced me to play on my laptop. My crappy lappy gets 7-11 fps in capital cities on minimum settings. Fun times.

 

As the PS3 is the finest viewing experience I'd had in this game, the PS4 version is jaw-droppingly stunning. Smooth gameplay, sharp graphics, no stutter... it's great. I'm sure it isn't as stellar as running the game on a sweet gaming PC with everything maxed out, but it's a huge improvement from my previous experiences.

 

My only gripe is that it's still just a beta. I can't paly with anyone I currently game with and ultimately nothing I do matters. That and I won't get to play it for REAL until April 14. Still, just seeing the gaming experience ahead of me has me excited. It'll be nice to actually be able to start running end game content.

[Caeryn]

I preordered the collector's edition for the PS3 just because I wanted the physical goodies AND the in-game goodies, installed it, and found that I never played it because of the poor framerate.  I found that I much prefered the controller setup for gathering/farming, but not for doing major endgame content.  It has gone almost untouched in my house in favor of PC.

 

That being said, I was thoroughly impressed with the PS4 beta.  The addition of mouse support is a huge selling point for me as someone thoroughly entrenched in the PC experience.  Visually it seems on-par with the PC version, although since we're currently capped at level 20 a lot of hte more system-intensive visual effects have yet to be seen.  Framerates are identical though.  The touchpad functioning as a mouse is nice in theory, but I find myself rarely using it because of it's poor sensitivity.

 

That being said, Remote Play on the Vita is freakin' fantastic.  When on my local Wi-Fi network, there is barely any latency. SE went through a lot of trouble optimising RPlay features, such as being able to use the front touchscreen as a virtual mouse ((tapping the screen functions as clicking!)) and the R and L buttons automatically remapping to hotbar functionality.  It's impossible to read the text in your chatlog, but it's perfect for crafting/gathering/farming mobs on the go.  I wandered around my house last night for about 20 minutes grabbing shards.  Fun.  Being able to switch to a different TV input to watch a bluray while I keep farming on my Vita is a welcome option.

 

In the end, I doubt I'll be switching fulltime to the PS4 version, but it's going to be a much better alternative when I want to sack out on the couch for some grinding while I watch a movie.  SE did a good job.

[TheLastCandle]

Remote Play on my Vita is BY FAR the best reason for me to get this version of the game. So glad about that free upgrade. And like Selene, I've personally found the overall graphical experience to be virtually identical to the PC version, which runs at High on my system. The PS3 port was a jaggy, blurry mess so I can only imagine the difference through the eyes of a console-only player!

[Koninbeor]

I always knew the PS3 version was nothing to brag about graphically as it was near the minimum graphical settings by necessity. Only so much could be done with 512MB of total system memory, only half of that being available to the GPU. That's probably the biggest reason for the low pixel limit. Cutting out the environment would have disastrous consequences, so all that was left were the mobile elements.

 

I'm glad to hear that the PS4 version is visually on par with an actual gaming PC. If you think that the PS3 version looked bad then seeing the game on my laptop would likely cause you physical pain. It's just horrible. Anywho, I'm sure that the biggest reason that the PS4 is able to keep up graphically is because the resolution is limited to 1080p, which certainly knocks the socks off of the 720p of the PS3. Even so, truly impressive gaming rigs can output at even higher resolution, tipping the ultimate visual experience to PC over console as is almost always the case.

 

I don't have a PS Vita but I'm more and more interested in getting one as time goes by, especially with the ability to play remotely. Convenience factor, I know, but it could come in handy in certain situations. I haven't really utilized the PS4 controller's track pad. I'm just not a fan of track pads in general. I find that using the control stick is quicker and easier. If I need the track pad then I'll just hook a mouse up instead. And I do agree that being able to use a keyboard and mouse with the PS4 version is freaking awesome. It's good to see others here taking a look at this version of the game. :moogle:

[Zaiaku]

I'm currently playing on the PS4 beta atm and I absolutely love it, graphics and the smoothness are awesome. I was playing on ps3 version until I traded my ps3 in for a ps4. Cant wait to be back in the game when it releases.

[Koninbeor]

I got to play around with the touchpad a bit. While it can be a little handy to have, I find that it doesn't have the full functionality of a mouse. You can click on things but clicking and dragging is impossible. Switching up the UI is not nearly as seamless as it is with a mouse. I'll probably have to invest in a new wireless keyboard and mouse (the F1-F12 keys don't function on mine) and hook them up to the PS4. Then I can switch back and forth between them and the controller depending on what I'm doing. I have been very pleased with the beta overall and am looking forward to Phase 2. HUGE improvement over the PS3.