The "What are you playing now?" Thread

[Surge]

There are two hardware revisions for the PS4 Pro, AFAIK: the 7000 and 7100. The 7100 runs slightly cooler and quieter, and is also cheaper to manufacture. Performance-wise, there is no difference.

Is it worth upgrading from a slim?

 

[gourimoko]

Is it worth upgrading from a slim?

IMHO, this entirely depends on the TV you have, how much money you're willing to spend to improve picture quality, etc. Not only if it's 4k, but how good the upscaler and motion processor are when operating in 1080p and in 4k (could be very different). If you have a really good 1080p->4k upscaler in your TV, you might decide the upgrade to not be worth it; but if your upscaler isn't so great, then letting the PS4 Pro handle it could be worth it depending upon the upgrade cost (i.e. selling your PS4 or trading it in for a PS4 Pro).

Your TVs pre-processed motion scaling, artifacts, color depth and gamma while operating in 4k are all important here; so if you really like your TVs 4k WHILE IN GAMING MODE (or PC mode for no postprocessing) then it might make sense to make the upgrade.

It might also be worthwhile to download some footage of gameplay from the PS4 and PS4 Pro and to play it back on your TV at 1080p, 1080p->4k upscaled, and native 4k... To see how the imagery looks on your TV.

Lastly, does your TV do 4k HDR well? If not, then IMHO, it's not worth the upgrade. If so, then that's something you just can't get from the PS4. FWIW, I am a huge proponent and fan of HDR and Dolby Vision, and think it's a bigger qualitative improvement in picture quality than what you get going from 1080p to 4k.

All in all though, from what I've seen, the Xbox One X is more worth the upgrade since the PS4 is already rendering native closer to 1080p, while the Xbox One was rendering most titles closer to 720p; so the scaling difference on a 4k TV is noticeable between the two consoles. So, in effect, if you asked "is the Xbox One X worth the upgrade?" .. then yes, it is. But is the PS4 Pro from a PS4? ... Kind of, but the argument isn't as clear cut since you're not going from ~720p->~4k but ~1080p->~4k; and FWIW, the Xbox One X does 4k better; so again, the upgrade path is more clear.

...

FWIW, if you know someone with a PS4 Pro that you can borrow, or, if you can get your hands on one for a week; you can test it yourself and see if it's really an improvement, visually.

 

[Surge]

IMHO, this entirely depends on the TV you have, how much money you're willing to spend to improve picture quality, etc. Not only if it's 4k, but how good the upscaler and motion processor are when operating in 1080p and in 4k (could be very different). If you have a really good 1080p->4k upscaler in your TV, you might decide the upgrade to not be worth it; but if your upscaler isn't so great, then letting the PS4 Pro handle it could be worth it depending upon the upgrade cost (i.e. selling your PS4 or trading it in for a PS4 Pro).

Your TVs pre-processed motion scaling, artifacts, color depth and gamma while operating in 4k are all important here; so if you really like your TVs 4k WHILE IN GAMING MODE (or PC mode for no postprocessing) then it might make sense to make the upgrade.

It might also be worthwhile to download some footage of gameplay from the PS4 and PS4 Pro and to play it back on your TV at 1080p, 1080p->4k upscaled, and native 4k... To see how the imagery looks on your TV.

Lastly, does your TV do 4k HDR well? If not, then IMHO, it's not worth the upgrade. If so, then that's something you just can't get from the PS4. FWIW, I am a huge proponent and fan of HDR and Dolby Vision, and think it's a bigger qualitative improvement in picture quality than what you get going from 1080p to 4k.

All in all though, from what I've seen, the Xbox One X is more worth the upgrade since the PS4 is already rendering native closer to 1080p, while the Xbox One was rendering most titles closer to 720p; so the scaling difference on a 4k TV is noticeable between the two consoles. So, in effect, if you asked "is the Xbox One X worth the upgrade?" .. then yes, it is. But is the PS4 Pro from a PS4? ... Kind of, but the argument isn't as clear cut since you're not going from ~720p->~4k but ~1080p->~4k; and FWIW, the Xbox One X does 4k better; so again, the upgrade path is more clear.

...

FWIW, if you know someone with a PS4 Pro that you can borrow, or, if you can get your hands on one for a week; you can test it yourself and see if it's really an improvement, visually.

Appreciate this. I game more casually, so unless there was some improvement in FPS gameplay wise, im probably sticking with the slim for now.

 

[gourimoko]

Appreciate this. I game more casually, so unless there was some improvement in FPS gameplay wise, im probably sticking with the slim for now.

Here's a list for some of the games:

http://www.ign.com/wikis/playstation-4/PS4_Pro_Game_Upgrades_and_Differences

Some games allow for "Performance Mode" where you get double or unlocked frame rates; so if the game was 30 FPS before, it might be 1080@60 in this mode. It really depends on the game. But honestly, it's likely not worth the upgrade for most people -- the PS4 was already really good at presenting 1080p.

 

[RuanuLaw]

There are two hardware revisions for the PS4 Pro, AFAIK: the 7000 and 7100. The 7100 runs slightly cooler and quieter, and is also cheaper to manufacture. Performance-wise, there is no difference.

So in short, I'd want the 7100?!!

 

[gourimoko]

So in short, I'd want the 7100?!!

If you had both in front of you, and both were the exact same price; sure, I suppose...

 

[RuanuLaw]

If you had both in front of you, and both were the exact same price; sure, I suppose...

I just pre-ordered the GOW PS4 PRO edition, so I'm hoping that they send me the 7100.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Had some more fun times on Sea of Thieves today. Got in a group with three people who were using Discord to chat and they invited me. Ended up playing with them for a couple of hours and we made a shitload of money server hopping and doing the game's raids (a giant skull cloud appears in the sky over the site of a raid so you can find them easily if the server has an active one). It was awesome.

Every time we saw a ship we attacked just for the hell of it. We lost one ship during the course of the play session, but we sank eight or so. I went suicide bomber on one sloop, carrying a keg of gunpowder onto it while the guys manning it were on land and then shooting it and blowing both myself and the bottom of the ship up.

The game was a ton of fun with two people but it's a hell of a lot better with four, as you get to pilot the massive galleon instead of the sloop, and it essentially requires some legitimate communication to get it running optimally. Gliding across the water in a massive ship is just a hell of a lot of fun.

 

[TyGuy]

Sea of thieves is quite clearly about playing with other people and making your own adventure. A lot of people are poo-pooing this game for not holding your hand or having a lot of scripted content, or having a carrot on a stick to chase. I'm glad a game like this exists. There just aren't a lot of games that give you the ability to play out a pirate fantasy with friends. Actually, this is probably it, unless there is some obscure MMORPG out there. The problem with MMOS though with progression is you can be left behind, or your friends can be left behind because they have out leveled or out geared you.

The mic I have doesn't work, so I really need to get a new one and just join up with people on a discord like jack mentioned.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I do think the game needs a significantly better tutorial. If I have to go on to YouTube to watch videos to figure out basic functions of the game, that's a clear design problem. There's holding your hand and then there' just poor design, and this game has the latter in that regard.

It's hella fun with a good crew, though. Honestly, I love just working together to get the ship moving. That's so much more fun than it should be.

 

[TyGuy]

 

[Jack Brickman]

Yeah, I've friended a group of guys and our sole purpose is to try to become some of the first people to achieve Pirate Legend status in the game. We're doing pretty well, as we've all got our reputation numbers in the low twenties already. We're all having a lot of fun too, even if the game loop is repetitive.

But then, isn't every game loop inherently repetitive? When I play TF2, I mostly play the same class all the time, and thus do the same thing over and over again. Hasn't stopped that game from being fun. Fun is fun. If you enjoy a game, you should keep playing it. If you're not having fun, find a game where you are and play that instead.

 

[TyGuy]

Yeah, I've friended a group of guys and our sole purpose is to try to become some of the first people to achieve Pirate Legend status in the game. We're doing pretty well, as we've all got our reputation numbers in the low twenties already. We're all having a lot of fun too, even if the game loop is repetitive.

But then, isn't every game loop inherently repetitive? When I play TF2, I mostly play the same class all the time, and thus do the same thing over and over again. Hasn't stopped that game from being fun. Fun is fun. If you enjoy a game, you should keep playing it. If you're not having fun, find a game where you are and play that instead.

Yeah, I don't agree with the chasing a carrot on a stick model. I don't need a reason to play a game other than for it to be fun. It makes it a chore if I think of a game like I need to complete this objective in this amount of time and then move onto the next.

It's why I don't really like unlocks in multiplayer games and bonus objectives to earn more stuff. I ignore all the bonus stuff in battlefield 1 because id rather play the game how I want to play it. The game itself is the reason I play it.

What makes tf2 fun is the human element. You get different people and they don't react the same way. You get that same thing in sea of thieves. Nobody will ever react the same way.

 

[Walter White]

Is there any fun open world online multiplayer games on the Ps4? Just trying to find a good 3 player game I can play with my brother and sister. I was thinking Ark (never played it), but the mechanics look straight trash so that may be a pass. Any ideas? I have Borderlands but they never want to play it.

It seems all the good open world online games are on PC. Can't find jack for Ps4.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Had a hilariously awesome encounter last night in Sea of Thieves. A skull cloud was in the distance when we loaded into the server, signaling that a raid was available, so we sailed toward it. As we approached, we saw two other galleons fighting near the skull island. One of them sank while we were still several minutes out. We made it to the island and engaged with the remaining ship. During that time, the other ship had respawned with its crew and made its way back to the island. They came near our ship and offered us a truce, saying that all they wanted was revenge. Apparently they'd been dueling with the other ship for about an hour off and on and just wanted them to die. We accepted. We had like two loot items on our ship and thus not a lot to lose.

I'd been stockpiling explosive barrels for fights like this and keeping them in our crow's nest (they can't blow up and make holes in the ship up there). As the enemy ship neared us, I grabbed a barrel and dove from the crow's nest into the water. I swam under the path of the enemy ship and grabbed the ladder on the side opposite from our ship. They were all busy looking toward my ship, so none of them saw me. I ran down into their hold, dropped the barrel, walked an appropriate distance away, and shot it. It exploded, creating four holes in their deck.

I quickly ran next to the stairs down from the hold and hid beside them. First guy comes down and doesn't notice me. I follow him and shoot him in the back with my blunderbuss. Instant kill. I see another guy using a bucket to remove water from the ship, so I wait until he runs back top side. I hide next to the stairs again and, when he appears to get more water, I shoot him. Instant kill. The ship is half full of water and sinking and I move onto the second deck. Third guy sees me and starts shooting. I use a wood column in the ship to dodge him and gun him down. The ship is gone now, so I jump off and go to shore.

I see their fourth and final guy running on the bowsprit. He jumps into the water. He's got a pistol, which is much better at a distance than my blunderbuss, so I do some bunny hopping and get in close. I shoot him once. He's still in the water. I see a shark come up behind him and the shark finishes the kill for me.

Shit like this is why I play games. I got to kill an entire enemy crew and sink their ship, all because I have a fondness for explosive barrels. We didn't even make any money from the run, as the skull disappeared while we were busy fighting other players, but it was still the most fun I've had with this damn game so far.