PlayStation TV Review
Summary: The PlayStation TV is a great little addition to the PlayStation 4 but unfortunately is hurt by the lack of 1080p or Dolby Digital 5.1, not to mention lag
3.5
Evolution needed
PlayStation TV
Compatibility – PlayStation 4 and Sony DualShock Controller 3/4
Developer – Sony
Product – Video Console Accessory
Price – $149AUD (November 2014)
Reviewer – James Wright
This tiny little device for the PlayStation 4 enhances the capabilities of this amazing next-gen console that basically allows you to wirelessly stream games, music and video across your existing home network to another HDMI compatible TV plus the ability to access a wide gamut of classic Sony titles. The PlayStation TV is even compatible with the DualShock 3 controller which is definitely a bonus when “wirelessly” moving your gaming to another room, provided it doesn’t need the touch pad. In terms of the device itself, the PlayStation TV measures at 65.0 × 105.0 × 13.6 mm and weighs in at just 110 grams that makes it a very compact product from Sony.
Key Features
• Includes voucher for 3 PS Vita games: Worms™ Revolution Extreme, Velocity®Ultra and OlliOlli.
• Play Fun PlayStation Games Together: Hundreds of titles to download and play including PlayStation Vita games, classic games from PS One® and PSP® systems, and more.^
• Remote Play: Stream most of your PS4 games from your PS4 system to your PlayStation TV over local wi-fi.
• Easy to Set up and Play: Plug in and play on almost any TV in your home.
• Movies, TV Shows, Music: Download, rent, or stream from PlayStation Store, Music Unlimited or other entertainment apps.
*A DUALSHOCK 3 or 4 controller (sold separately) is required.
^PlayStation Now Service may not be available in all areas. Games sold separately. Playstation Network account required. Internet connection required. See your internet provider terms & conditions for all applicable fees and download restrictions.
In order to make all this magic, the brains inside the PlayStation TV is basically a PS Vita which makes it all this happen. The streamlined PlayStation TV device also has a HDMI connection, Ethernet connection, USB Port, a socket for a power adapter and two memory slots with one taking Vita memory cards and the other, a Sony Memory Card. With the Vita connectivity, the PlayStation TV can play some games, provided they don’t need the native control abilities of this portable console and more games will be released digitally next year. If you purchase the PlayStation TV, the product comes with three games that include Worms Revolution Extreme, Velocity Ultra and OlliOlli. Although they’re not as impressive as a PS4 title, they are still quite fun and I guess reminiscing is all part of the PlayStation TV.
Setting up the PlayStation TV is a very easy process which takes the user through a wizard in order to select your language, time zone, link the unit to the Sony Entertainment Network Account, set-up your internet connection (LAN or WiFi but wired is preferred), connect it to your PS4 via the Remote Play Setup and finally perform any updates and then you’re ready to go. It actually took more time taking the product out of the box opposed to connecting it to another TV/monitor and the PlayStation 4.
We did have one issue with setting up the PlayStation TV to our PS4 because it was not logged onto the Sony Entertainment Network account so we had to perform a manual setup. By accessing setup and remote play on the PS4, it gives the user a code to enter into the PlayStation TV and once this was done, we were good to go. When the user does turn this device on, they are treated to a very similar interface as the PlayStation Vita, see below;
The PlayStation TV comes with some apps to enhance the overall experience of the unit that include PS Store, Browser, Trophies, Friends, Messages, Party, PS4 Link, Videos, Music, Photos, E-mail, Calendar, Content Manager and Parental Controls. It’s a shame that the Australian version of the PlayStation TV is missing some of the apps which are available to the American market but I’m guessing this way change over time.
Fortunately there’s a plethora of Sony titles available for the PlayStation TV with titles such as The Amazing Spider-Man (PS Vita Games), God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP), Final Fantasy V (PS One), Vanguard II (PS Minis) and even Alien Breed (PS Mobile). There’s actually quite a bit of online content available for the PlayStation TV!
As mentioned, the product allows you to stream multimedia content and even buy/rent movies from Sony in standard definition only and hopefully Australia will get services like NetFlix soon. It’s also interesting that the PlayStation TV does not support Sony Unlimited which is Sony’s music store.
However, there are a couple of limitations behind this product which is totally understandable, especially as some of the features are streamed over a wired or wireless connection. For instance, the PlayStation TV supports resolutions from 720p to 1080i with no surround sound. Even though 1080p is missing, it is still quite impressive but on our BenQ monitor, the graphics did look a little blurry and we did suffer from a touch of lag. You can tweak the settings of the PlayStation TV depending on your network but once again, you cannot beat the native resolution of the PlayStation 4. With that said, Apple TV has the ability of doing both FULL HD video and sound but to get the best out of this product, Ethernet connectivity is vastly superior than WiFi.
Navigating the PS4 via the PlayStation 4 was were the power was found, especially playing games like Grand Theft Auto V or Dragon’s Age Inquisition. Although the resolution of 1080i looked a little blurry on our BenQ 24″ LCD, hooking the PlayStation TV to another FULL HD TV was okay in terms of the clarity. However you do notice the lack of high quality when it comes to PS Vita titles but then again, these were never designed to play on the big screen.
Final Thoughts?
The PlayStation TV is a very interesting product that unfortunately misses its mark in relation to FULL HD graphics or access to PlayStation 3 titles. Nonetheless, it does stream the PlayStation 4 quite well over both wired and wireless networks. However for less lag, a wired connection is where to go. Setup is very easy and it’s a great little device to channel your PS4 gaming into another room. Let’s hope that Sony improves some of the hiccups in the next few months!
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