PlayStation TV – Hardware Review
PlayStation TV might sound like a new competitor of Netflix, but in reality it’s a streaming device for your PlayStation 4, 3 (beta) and also a ‘limited’ PlayStation Vita device that allows you to play your Vita games on the big screen. Sadly, the device is hardly known at all, and perhaps this has to do due to the fact that only the streaming functionalities seem to have been promoted. This little black box might prove to have some potential, especially for those who do not own a Vita yet.
Design
Sony’s PlayStation TV device looks quite simple, as it could resemble a small USB-hub. The box itself is quite small which leaves less room for actual design features to be that visible. Other than the rounded left en right sides and the PlayStation logo on top, there is not that much to see. That being said, the PlayStation TV, even with its simple look, looks quite nice.
Comfort
Comfort wise the PlayStation TV device will not give you that much of a hassle. You will notice that the device only has a power button and several ports. These ports are aligned next to each other, making them easy to reach/use.
Hooking up the device you will need to connect it with your TV, as you would do with any other console. The device only supports a HDMI cable, so older TVs will not be able to support the device. It’s pretty much a case of plug and play.
Because of the size and the light weight, the device will never become a bother. However, when using a ‘stiff’ HDMI cable, the cable might push away the device itself, not keeping it in the spot you want it to remain.
Specs
- 65 x 105 x 13.6 mm
- 110 grams
- PlayStation Vita system software
- Quad-core ARM Cortex-A3 MPCore
- 512 MB RAM
- 128 MB VRAM
- 1 GB internal storage
- Expandable memory via PlayStation Vita memory card
Overview
As stated earlier, the device has several ports outside of the HDMI port. You will also find a USB slot, an Ethernet slot, a Vita game slot and a memory card slot. The latter is only for Vita memory cards though.
The USB port is used to connect your controllers to the PlayStation TV device. You will have to do so every time you wish to use a different controller or even when you start your remote play sessions. Overall it works quite smoothly but it gets quite tedious to reconnect your controller to the device, every time you wish to start a remote play session.
With the internal memory of only 1GB, you are pretty much forced to buy a memory card to expand the limited storage room. Add the fact that three digital games that come for free with the device, your storage room will be immediately filled. Whilst it is great that the storage room can be expanded, it’s sad to see that it has to be a Vita memory card, as they are quite expensive. Sadly, Sony did not opt for more internal storage room.
It is advised to use an Ethernet cable in order to guarantee a better streaming experience. Also it seems the wireless internet capabilities of the device are not stable at all. Disconnects are quite frequent and it gets quite frustrating when it occurs in the heat of battle. With the wired setup, you will experience smooth sailing all the way, at least to a certain extent. Keep in mind, streaming is never really perfect, especially when combining streaming with gaming. You might experience a bit of lag when implementing commands. Most of the time you will not notice it but at other times there is a decent amount of time between your command and the actual execution onscreen.
With the PlayStation TV running on the Vita operating system, the menu looks the same as on the Vita. The lay-out might look a bit more practical for a device with touch screen but it still runs fairly smooth. Navigating is easy and nearly everything will point itself out.
Playing Vita games on television is one of those things that might convince gamers, that rather game on a television, into buying the device. The PlayStation TV will support a fairly large amount of games from the Vita library. The biggest exclusions are mainly games that work with touch controls.
When playing Vita games, be it downloaded ones or straight from the cartridge, it’s possible that some games show a bit more lag than they would do on the Vita itself. Overall it’s not a real bother but it can become annoying for certain titles.
Conclusion
Outside of the features listed above, the PlayStation TV does not have that much extra to offer. You will be able to enjoy your PS Vita games on the big screen and stream your PlayStation 4 games when the television set is occupied. Overall the device proves to be very interesting for those who either don’t own a Vita yet and/or constantly have to battle for the television set which is connected with the PS4. If you do own a Vita or have a PS4 hooked on your personal television set, you’d might consider waiting for a price drop. That being said, the PlayStation TV is a fun, simple device with some potential but also some missed opportunities.
PlayStation TV - Hardware Review,
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