Sure, this might be an opinion that seems 12 years out of date, but I literally just "upgraded," and this thing is annoying and rubbish and I think it says something about technological "advances"
So, I only use my PlayStation to watch streaming services, very occasionally to play DVDs, and even less occasionally to "play video gameotrons"
And it's really no better at doing the things I use it for than the previous iteration
In fact, it's worse
It plays that incessant fucking music on the initial menu page, the worst elevator musak I've ever heard, so I'm forced to click something, rather than just turn it on and do something else for a minute
The controller turns itself off after about ten seconds, so if you want to go for a wee you have turn the controller on and then press pause, like, why
And the "turn off" option is now 3 clicks away rather than 2
Obviously all first world problems
But, seriously, how are these improvements in this big fancy piece of kit? What is the upgrade here?
How shit are PS5s now? Are you guys pressing twenty buttons to do anything?
It reminded me of how much I hate smartphones. Even typing this goddamn nonsense, I've had to correct almost every fucking typo my "smart" phone keyboard "thought" I was saying, when I used to have a phone that just fucking typed the letter I pressed
Like, seriously, is this advancement? Is this progress? Towards what???
So your view on a gaming console is based primarily on doing stuff other than gaming? The thing the gaming console was specifically designed to do?
That would be like saying a modern car isn't any better than an old car, based on how I usually use the car which is listening to music and sleeping in the back. Not, you know, driving the car.
Or just turn it off in the settings instead of just suffering through like a technologically inept elderly person.
The lowest setting is I believe 10 minutes, and there are options for 30 minutes and 60 minutes for time out as well. Again this really seems like you being old, slow, and not even trying to adapt your device to your preferences. Imagine sitting in a car and complaining about how the seat and mirrors aren't convenient without making any adjustments.
Old man yells at cloud energy here.
Wait til OP finds out about Apple TV / chromecast /firetv / whatever device that is actually for streaming video content, and costs a fraction of a PlayStation
But those things don't also play games on the occasion I might want to
Imagine the "options" being so un-intuitive as to be seemingly non-existant, or so many clicks away as might be the ocean
The older I get, the more I sympathise with my grandmother, who used to run a nursing home, caring for people she thought elderly and less capable, until she was one
This day will come for you
Settings > Sound > Audio Output
That isn't unintuitive or a ton of clicks. That is just not trying and refusing to learn.
Jeez no need to be so demeaning
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Aside from free online play, PS4 is better than PS3 in practically every way for people who used the device for its primary purpose. And it was 100 bucks cheaper at launch.
Is it possible the PS3's UI could have offered a more pleasant streaming + DVD watching experience compared to PS4 + controller with a battery at the end of its life? Sure.
But that just means PS3 is an easier to use streaming box + DVD player for people who don't care about playing games. That is, if modern streaming services even still support the device anymore. In which case, PS4 wins by default.
Yeah this was just a drunken rant tbh, pretty sure the PS3 doesn't support quite a few streaming services now - but also, that's not really the PS3's fault, that's the streaming services and no-doubt Sony forcibly nudging people to buy the newest thing
Why did you buy a PS4 if you mostly use consoles for watching content that the PS3 still support? Do you have too much money in your hands? If so I can help, let me know.
No, I was given the PS4 by one of those people who gets new stuff before the old thing is completely unusable (almost everything I have is second hand and I use it/wear it until failure - this does also mean I need less money in general, but I don't have much spare change because I spend it all on beer and then make regrettable posts on Reddit 😅)
I'll challenge your point in the PS4 not being better than the PS3 for the activities you describe.
First off, streaming services. The PS4 supports a lot more of them, and they still get modern updates with better UI's.
The store. The PS3 store is atrociously slow these days. The PS4 is also slow, but comparatively it's snappier than the PS3.
There's also streaming services like Plex that were discontinued in 2023 on PS3 that work fine on PS4.
May I inquire as to your age? (just generally, like which decade you are born in)
I think this might provide some valuable insight as to why your opinion differ from the majority of people who uses the device you are using (as clearly seen by the fact that Sony still produce newer Playstations)
I personally do own a Ps5, and it's doing pretty well for me so far. I think you might just require a bit more technogical literacy to master your new device.
I'm 37, but I've just never been into all the gaming stuff. It's just pressing buttons. I really don't get what you're all doing. You're not even shooting a pretend gun, like paintball, it's literally not anything. Now that you do the online gaming thing it's kind of a social activity, but it's not really, is it?
I know how computers work, they're supposed to make getting things done easier. Technology has broadly done that, but some things have been a one step forward two steps back kinda thing.
You...watch TV. That's just looking at a screen. It's basically gaming stuff but less interactive. And potentially less social.
I think that's a way of thinking that makes having the problems stated in the post likely. Technology doesn't make things easier, per say, they give new avenues to doing things (e. g. Don't want to go to a concert? Listen to a recording!).
But you still have to learn the new approach, like how to sue the machine. Your thought process assumes it just magically make things easier. It doesn't.
And as regards to gaming, I got over 2000 hours to my name across all my games on the Ps5, and I think it has given me an experience unlike any "real life" ones. It allows you to access a variety of experiences without needing to pay out of your butt or getting rigorous training.
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How is the ps5 complicated?
The ui
How is the ui complicated?
Ask me later
So they're getting worse
Absolutely. Most technology is getting fucking stupid bad over the past 10 years.
Bro you're gonna hate the PS5 then lol, it's got even more menu layers and the controller literally has haptic feedback that drains the battery in like 3 hours
Also yeah modern tech just assumes you want 47 different "smart" features when all you wanted was to press X and have it work
I remember when the first iPod came out and it just intuitively made sense. You scroll the wheel and you click on a song. But, to be honest, that shit wouldn't be intuitive to someone who grew up with a vinyl record player..... But I didn't grow up with a vinyl record player either. So what is intuitive?
I don't know if having to "opt in or out" of everything is the optimal solution. Maybe us complaining about stuff is how we get to the Goldilocks zone of user interface, where somehow it knows our preferences.
Or maybe the computers kill us because our preferences are illogical, nonsensical, and bad for the environment.
Merry Christmas.
I think a lot of what you are reacting to is optimization for a different user than you. The PS4 is better if you care about games, performance, and online services, but those gains mostly come with more background processes and more opinionated UI behavior. For a light media use case, that added complexity just turns into friction, not value. It is a pretty common pattern where newer systems trade simplicity and immediacy for flexibility and features that only some users actually want. If your core needs did not change, the upgrade is mostly solving problems you never had.
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PS4: has Bloodborne
PS3: does not have Bloodborne
Case closed.
in the comments you have said that the reason why you have a PS4 instead of a DVD player is that you do occasionally like to play games. since that's why you have the device in the first place that would be the main criteria to compare them on and on that particular criteria the PS4 just has a way better game selection and gaming experience, especially if you're shopping around for new games in 2025
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