The PS4 Slim: Worth It?
Hey guys, this is Austin, and this is the PS4 Slim. Now, this is a fairly new console. In fact, it literally arrived here 23 minutes ago, courtesy of my good buddy Ken. However, I think the big question is: is this worth it? Slim consoles are nothing new, however, what is a little bit interesting about this is that there is another PS4 coming, the PS4 Pro, in just a couple months.
Not only is it a redesigned console, but it's also seen a price cut. So, this now runs $300, versus the original PS4, which used to go for $350. On top of that, as you might be able to guess from the wonderful artwork, it now includes Uncharted 4 in the box. I'm really curious to see how this PS4 Slim actually performs, because with that Pro coming out, there's very little reason to get this, if you know that there's something better just a couple months.
Alright, so, if we open up the box, we'll see, first of all, a headset. It's the same little mono headset they've been shipping with the PS4 forever. Also have a Micro USB cable to charge the controller. You also get an HDMI cable in the box. Now, something interesting about the PS4 Slim is that, unlike the Xbox One S, it does not support 4K, but there is an update to support HDR. However, that HDR update will now work on all PS4s. Super confusing, I know.
There's also the power cable. So, just like the Xbox One S and the original PS4, there's no power brick. Now, this time around, the controller's actually been slightly redesigned, I'm curious to see. If I could open it up and find out how they managed to make it smaller without sacrificing any functionality that would be awesome. However, I'll have to wait and see if my curiosity is rewarded.
The PS4 Slim's design is a major improvement over the original. It's sleeker, more compact, and looks like it was made by a designer. It feels premium in your hands, which is great because when you hold it, you feel like you're holding a high-end gaming console.
The PS4 Slim's performance is essentially identical to the original PS4. In theory, it can support HDR for apps and games, however, there's nothing out yet and I imagine most games will focus on the PS4 Pro on the HDR side. Where you will notice the difference is in sound. The older PS4 was always noisier than I'd like, and a lot of it was thanks to the Blu-ray drive.
The new Slim drive is a bit quieter, but not by much. Switch to a digital title, like Rocket League, and the Slim is still a fair bit quieter. However, there's one issue that can't be ignored: power consumption. Both the Xbox One S and PS4 Slim are based on an updated hardware architecture, which enables the same performance in a smaller package, and the Slim definitely takes advantage.
At idle, it's a noticeable difference, but while playing Uncharted 4, the original model needs nearly twice the power. It also runs a bit cooler. The original only really got warm when it didn't have access to clean air, but the Slim runs a few degrees cooler across the board. A less obvious, but seriously needed upgrade is in the Wi-Fi department.
The original PS4 had only 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi, which not only is fairly slow, but incredibly prone to even worse slow-downs in areas like apartments where there's a lot of interference. The Slim thankfully has at least upgraded to 5 gigahertz wireless, which delivers up to triple the speed on my connection. It's not perfect, but a huge improvement.
Is the PS4 Slim worth it? Well, it depends. If you currently own a PlayStation 4, this is not a great upgrade. Sure, it's better, however, with the PS4 Pro on the horizon, it just doesn't make sense. However, if you haven't jumped on the PS4 bandwagon yet, it gets a little bit more complicated.
If you don't have a 4K TV, the PS4 Slim is totally fine. However, the PS4 Pro will still have some upgrades in performance, even on a normal TV, and you're also getting a one terabyte hard drive. So, is that worth the extra $100? For most people, probably.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(rubs hands together)- Hey, guys, this is Austin,and this is the PS4 Slim.Now, this is a fairly new console.In fact, it literallyarrived here 23 minutes ago,courtesy of my good buddy, Ken.However, I think the bigquestion is: is this worth it?Slim consoles are nothing new.However, what is a littlebit interesting about thisis the fact that thereis another PS4 coming,the PS4 Pro, in just a couple months.Not only is it a redesigned console,but it's also seen a price cut.So, this now runs $300,versus the original PS4,which used to go for $350.On top of that, as youmight be able to guessfrom the wonderfulartwork, it now includesUncharted 4 in the box.I'm really curious tosee how this PS4 Slimactually performs, because,with that Pro coming out,there's very little reasonto get this, if you knowthat there's something betterin just a couple months.Alright, so, if we openup the box, we'll see,first of all, a headset.So, it's the same little mono headsetthey've been shippingwith the PS4 forever.Also have a Micro USB cableto charge the controller.You also get an HDMI cable in the box.Now, something interestingabout the PS4 Slimis that, unlike the Xbox OneS, it does not support 4K,but there is an update to support HDR.However, that HDR updatewill now work on all PS4s.Super confusing, I know.There's also the power cable.So, just like the Xbox One S and the original PS4,there's no power brick.Now, this time around,the controller's actually beenslightly redesigned, I'm curious to see.If I could open it from theright side would be helpful.It actually feels like...Wait, no, this is the same thing.So, this is an original PS4 controller,and this is the Slim.I'm not seeing a lot ofdifference at first glance.Oh.There is a little bit of light up there.I also have a full diskcopy of Uncharted 4.This is actually a nice touch.I feel most of the time youjust get a digital download.I think that's everythingfor the unboxing.Let's actually get the console itselfand I can already see it's tiny, wow.Whoa, that is a lot smaller.Now, I was surprised whenI saw the original Xbox Oneversus the S at how much smaller it was,but this is even bigger of a leap.First of all, no more glossy plastic.That is a lot better-looking in personthan any of the picturesor videos that I've seen.When I first saw the leaksand some of the earlyhands-on pictures, I was like...But this is not bad.So, it's kind of like someone tookan original PS4 andchopped off the top half,but the big difference is in the height.So, the Slim is, well, slim.Unlike the original PS4,which had these annoyingtouch buttons for powerand eject, the PS4 Slimhas dedicated physical buttons.Not only are they much nicerto hit, but they're alsodifferent sizes, so youknow which one's which.You know what? This isa nice little touch.So, Sony has all thefeet, are these square...I completely pointed at atriangle and said square. (laughs)Around back, we have the port for the power,we have PlayStationCamera, HDMI, and Ethernet.There's no optical audio, but, honestly,I don't think that'sa huge loss andunlike the Xbox One S, whichdropped the Kinect port,you're pretty much gettingthe full experience here.There's also what lookslike a port here, I wonder.Oh, hello.Ah.This is how you get to the hard drive.One fancy PS4 screwlater, we should be ableto get at the hard drive.So, this should be a normal500 gigabyte hard drive.I've gotta give Sony props.They've made it even easier to getat the hard drive on the PS4 Slim.Still 5,400 RPM.So, this should be pretty much identicalto what you would findin the original PS4.However, all you do isfind basically any sortof SSD or small 2.5-inch hard drive,it should fit in this caddy and you candrop it right back into the PS4.Especially considering this is only $300,it actually might not be crazy to considerjust upgrading the harddrive when you first get it.500 gigabytes is decent,you'll be able to store a fewgames, but stuff like Uncharted,it's like 50 gigabytes,it does not take longbefore you'll fill that up.Hardware-wise, the PS4 Slim is pretty muchwhat you would expectout of a slim console.What I'm curious about ishow does it actually perform.Get into a game and it'sessentially identicalto the original PS4, whichshouldn't be a surprise.In theory, it can supportHDR for apps and games.However, there's nothingout yet and I imaginemost games will focus onthe PS4 Pro on the HDR side.Where you will notice thedifference is in sound.The older PS4 was alwaysnoisier than I'd like,and a lot of it was thanksto the Blu-ray drive.(consoles hum)The new Slim drive is a bitquieter, but not by much.Switch to a digitaltitle, like Rocket Leagueand the Slim is still a fair bit quieter.(console hums)The only issue is when youput a disk in the Slim.(console hums)Yeah.Hand in hand with noiseis power consumption.Both the Xbox One S and PS4 Slim are basedon an updated hardwarearchitecture, which enablesthe same performance in a smaller package,and the Slim definitely takes advantage.At idle, it's a noticeabledifference, but,while playing Uncharted4, the original modelneeds nearly twice the power.It also runs a bit cooler.The original only really got warm whenit didn't have access toclean air, but the Slimruns a few degreescooler across the board.A less obvious, butseriously needed upgradeis in the Wi-Fi department.The original PS4 hadonly 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi,which not only is fairlyslow, but incredibly proneto even worse slow-downsin areas like apartmentswhere there's a lot of interference.The Slim thankfully has at least upgradedto 5 gigahertz wireless, which deliversup to triple the speed on my connection.It's not perfect, but a huge improvement.So, is the PS4 Slim worth it?Well, it depends.If you currently own a PlayStation 4,this is not a great upgrade.Sure, it's better.However, with the PS4 Pro on the horizon,it just doesn't make sense.However, if you haven't jumpedon the PS4 bandwagon yet,it gets a little bit more complicated.If you don't have a 4K TV, thePS4 Slim is totally fine.However, the PS4 Pro willstill have some upgradesin performance, even on a normal TV,and you're also getting aone terabyte hard drive.So, is that worth the extra $100?For most people, probably.However, the Slim isstill a solid console.As always, if you guyswant to check this out,I will have a link in the description,and you can also check outone of my recent videoswhere I took a look at theforgotten Nintendo console,this crazy contraptioncalled the Panasonic Q.Hey, guys, this is Austin,blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
