"If you're looking for a set-top box, the PlayStation TV isn't it. It
works best as a cheap alternative to buying a second PS4 or PS Vita. If
you're not in Sony's ecosystem already, this isn't the best place to
start, and in most cases does not warrant its $99 price tag."
For
PS4 extension
Clean design
Small form factor
Cheapest entry point for PS Now
Against
No Netflix, Hulu or Amazon apps
Upscaled Vita games look terrible
Borrowed Vita user interface
Broken touchscreen controls
Scarce content
Ask
anyone who's been up on stage at a big press event and they'll tell
you: It's easy to over-promise and underdeliver. To promise the moon and
deliver a telescope. When I use the PlayStation TV, a micro-console in the same vein as the Ouya or Mad Catz's M.O.J.O., I can't help but feel like I'm viewing the moon through my new $99 (£84, AU$105) telescope. At best, the PlayStation TV (or PSTV for short) is a bridge between a second TV in your house and the PS4 in your living room, or, as a cheap console for the kids who aren't quite ready for a full-size system. At its worst, it's a content-bare, set-top box prototype with a recycled interface from the PS Vita and almost no apps, that may - or may not - be cool in another few years.
Design
The
PSTV is unbelievably small - it measures in at just 2.6 x 4.1 x .5
inches (L x W x H), which is about the size of a deck of cards or an
average smartphone. Not only is it small, it's incredibly
clean too. The front all-plastic panel is free from any button and
blemish, while a simple inlaid PlayStation logo is the only marking on
the top of the unit. Spin it around to the right side and you'll find a
hidden PS Vita card slot. Turn it all the way around to find the
clandestine ports. From
left to right, you'll see a 2mm power button, Memory Stick Micro card
slot, USB, HDMI, ethernet ports and a 5V battery connector. Everything
here feels vital to the operation of the console and while the overall
appearance is a bit cramped, it allows the front and sides of the unit
to be clutter-free.
Setup
Despite what its 16 x
24 inch quick start user manual may otherwise indicate, setting up the
system takes just about five minutes or less if you have your PSN
account information on hand. Syncing up a DualShock 3 or
DualShock 4 controller is just as easy. Plug in one end of a mini- or
micro-USB into the corresponding controller and the other into the open
port on the back of the console. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of
the system is that you need a controller and a memory card (that's not
sold with the $99 system) for it to work. After you've got a controller
connected all you'll need to do is plug in a direct connection to your
router or, if a direct line isn't available, connect it to your wireless
network. During
the installation you'll be asked to link into an existing PSN account
or set up a new one. If you decide to link to an existing account, the
PSTV won't necessarily download (or even remember) which games you've
bought and installed on a different system, but having one is a
necessary evil if you want to download anything on the PlayStation
Store.
Interface
If the icon-heavy menu looks
familiar to you, you're not going crazy or have ESP (sorry), it's an
exact one-to-one translation of the PlayStation Vita's user interface. While
seeing the mobile-friendly interface again makes me nostalgic for my
PlayStation handheld, it's a bit of a cop-out. Without the touch
controls to poke and prod your way from app to app, you'll be forced to
use the control stick to move from one part of the desolate interface to
the next in search of something to do. Sometimes a
little innovation goes a long way, and in an already lackluster system
the recycled screen just adds insult to injury. Media, games and verdict
There's no avoiding it. Media is not the PlayStation TV's
strong suit. If you're willing to get crafty there are games to be found
- and even enjoyed - on the device, but if you're comparing the
available video streaming apps apples-to-apples against the Roku 3 or Chromecast, the PSTV is a few too many points short of a high score.
Media
When
the PlayStation TV was originally unveiled to the world it was pitched
as a streaming media set-top box, presumably competitive with products
such as Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, and priced to match. What we got instead was wildly different.
At the time of this review there are exactly two ways to
stream content on your PSTV: Crunchyroll and Crackle. They are, in very
different ways, intended for niche audiences and anyone outside of
those spaces will be hard-pressed to find something to watch. You
can of course add media to a Memory Stick Micro or download movies from
the PlayStation Store, but if you're looking to link into the services
you already pay for - such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video -
you're out of luck. The lack of media streaming apps is
one of the biggest weaknesses of the system that, even when you consider
the ability to stream games from PlayStation Now and connect the system to the PlayStation 4, it just cannot recover from.
Games
Thankfully, the PlayStation TV doesn't drop the ball quite as hard when it comes to games. Between
renting titles from PlayStation Now, downloading PSX Classics from the
PlayStation Store, natively playing retail PlayStation Vita games and
connecting to the PS4 for a remote play session, there's more than
enough here to keep your thumbs busy until more content fills in the
gaps. Where, then, do you start your gaming odyssey? The
first app you'll see when you boot up your system for the first time is
the Store - a very intentional message from Sony to inquire within. Not
every PlayStation Vita
game is available for download here, but there's a good portion of the
library and many of them are recent. You won't necessarily find
touch-dependent games like Gravity Rush, but if you have them in hard
copy the system won't stop you from firing them up. A
note of warning, though. Playing PS Vita games natively may sound like a
nice feature but unless you're prepared for severe upscaling issues
(960 x 544 to 1080i) and imperfect touch-control translations it's one
that's best avoided. One of the Store's best features is
the curated list that displays "optimized" PSTV titles like The Lego
Movie videogame and Minecraft for kids, and Killzone Mercenary and
Borderlands 2 for adults that will play in native 1080i. If you're in
the mood for something more nostalgic, the PSX Classics look good too.
(And yes, before you ask, Final Fantasy VII is on there.) Better
than the Classics, however, is the PlayStation TV's ability to play
PlayStation Now titles and stream titles from a PS4 on the same network.
Because of the non-existent memory and graphical requirements of
streaming, games play without nary a hiccup. It's such a well-rounded,
flawless experience that it leads me to think that both PlayStation Now
and PS4 remote play were deliberately designed solely for this console.Overall,
though, gaming on the console is a mixed, inconsistent bag. Some
experiences like PlayStation Now, PS4 streaming and PlayStation Classics
steal the show while others - like playing Vita games - are decidedly
dull.
Verdict
The PlayStation TV is a
half-formulated thought. A concept that looked great on paper, but in
practice came off as a contrived ploy to lure consumers further into
PlayStation's outstretched arms. However, that doesn't mean it's useless
as a whole. As a kid-friendly system that has a fair share of E-rated
games, the PlayStation TV succeeds as being a great starter console for
young ones. And, at $99 (£84, AU$105) for the basic set and $140 (about
£83, AU$149) for a bundle that includes a DualShock 3 controller, an 8GB
memory card, and a copy of The Lego Movie Videogame, you won't be hard
pressed giving it as a gift. It stumbles as a system
because the vision corporate executives painted for us just four months
ago was so grandiose. We were promised a set-top box that could rival
market leaders like Roku and Amazon with its ability to stream media,
but have the added support of Sony's outstanding game library. The final
product fulfilled less than half of that promise. PlayStation
TV is a cost-effective way to extend the range of your PlayStation 4.
It's the cheapest point of entry for PlayStation Now and plays older
games without a hitch. Ultimately this is not the best system the
console-maker has released, nor is it its worst, but a currently failing
attempt to make something that seamlessly blended streaming media and
games. It may not always be this way, but for now, the PlayStation TV
does not get our recommendation.
