Console launches are a once-in-a-decade event. So while Sony's PlayStation 4 might not go on sale until Nov. 15, the reviews — and boy, are these reviews! — are already here.
Thousands and thousands of words have already been spilled analyzing every little nook, cranny, and special feature in the svelte little gaming machine, which you'll soon be able to nab for a not-bad $400.
Matt Peckham at TIME says the machine "exudes refinement." Both Stephen Totilo at Kotaku and Richard Mitchell at Joystiq righteously suggest that that their reviews are less reviews and should instead be thought of as amorphous, living stories that will be updated throughout the coming weeks. And Polygon's jaw-dropping, Snowfall-esque feature package might just be the prettiest thing on the internet today. I would encourage you to read them all if you have time.
If you don't, these three sentences written by Colin Lecher at Popular Science most neatly capture what I think most reviewers are trying to get at:
This doesn't feel like a step forward; it feels like a step sideways… At some point, if you're regular gamer, you'll probably have to bite the bullet. A game will come out that you'll have to play, and you'll buy the console to play it. [Popular Science]
So while the PS4 is an amazing next-gen system, it doesn't yet have that killer can't-miss title that demands you purchase one immediately. Hopefully that changes sooner rather than later. But right now it's OK to hold off.
