Technophobe needs Playstation 4 advice.

[Sara_H]

It seems Santa will probably be bringing a Playstation 4 down the chimney this Christmas (depending on the naughty or niceness of the young man in question).

As a technophobe, can I ask advice as to whether I need to buy any extra's to make sure it works on christmas morning? This is what I've ordered, if there are any games whizzes on CycleChat I'd much appreciate it if someone could set me on the right path.

LBP3 PS4 Bundle

Release date: 28 November 2014

Game and Console Bundle

The next-generation debut of bestselling fan-favourite LittleBigPlanet on PlayStation 4.

• The handcrafted adventure sees Sackboy travel to a planet called Bunkum.
• Players there uncover unexplored corners of the Imagisphere and explore the mysterious world.
• For the first time, Little Big Planet 3 features three original playable and fully customisable characters - each with their own unique set of skills.
• Leveraging key PS4 next-generation features, LBP3 offers seamless functionality with the DS4 SHARE button.
• Accessible Create tools integrated on the DS4 touchpad, and advanced gameplay performance.
• Texture resolutions have been enhanced by 4x which means the materials in LBP3 feel more tactile than ever - in full 1080p HD.
• 500 GB hard drive to play games, watch movies and music.
• Built-in Blu-ray disc drive.

Included:

• Dualshock controller.
• 1 wireless controller.
• AC power cord.
• USB cable.
• AC adaptor.
• Size H47.7, W10.6, D33.7cm.
• For ages 7 year and over.
• EAN: 0711719841418.

 

[stephec]

You might need a HD cable or similar to connect it to the TV, unless you can use the supplied USB cable?

 

[Sara_H]

You might need a HD cable or similar to connect it to the TV, unless you can use the supplied USB cable?

Thank you, I'll check this out when I get it home.

 

[Crackle]

Batteries for the controllers?

 

[Andy_R]

Batteries for the controllers?

built in rechargables

Dunno about the PS4 version, but latest version of Little big planet on PS3 needed a webcam.

HDMI cable.

 

[Sara_H]

built in rechargables

Dunno about the PS4 version, but latest version of Little big planet on PS3 needed a webcam.

HDMI cable.

Thanks for that. I think he'll be happy to forgo the little big planet game for a while, it also comes free with a copy of Minecraft, and I think Granny may have ordered FIFA 15 from Santa. That should keep him happy for a while!

 

[Vapin' Joe]

It's for you, isn't it?

 

[Sara_H]

It's for you, isn't it?

Ha! I have no interest in the world of gaming whatsoever! My son (almost 12) hasn't shown too much interest, but has asked for this contraption for christmas. I feel somewhat reluctant and have set down some very strict ground rules about what games will be allowed, and how much playstation time will be allowed.
I am a nasty, mean mother!

 

[jhawk]

Ha! I have no interest in the world of gaming whatsoever! My son (almost 12) hasn't shown too much interest, but has asked for this contraption for christmas. I feel somewhat reluctant and have set down some very strict ground rules about what games will be allowed, and how much playstation time will be allowed.
I am a nasty, mean mother!

I remember those rules well, as enforced by my Dad at the time. Only one hour a day was allowed back when I was a young'un!

I have a PS3 that I still play, but I've got friends with PS4's, and they love them. Your son will love it. Very lucky boy!

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Do you need a year of whatever the Play Staion equivalent of Xbox Live is? A lot of latest generation games don't work without it.

Careful, my son is the same age as yours and is absolutely obsessed with all things electronic. I like to see and play games myself before he is allowed them. They do allow a youngster to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

 

[Sara_H]

Do you need a year of whatever the Play Staion equivalent of Xbox Live is? A lot of latest generation games don't work without it.

Careful, my son is the same age as yours and is absolutely obsessed with all things electronic. I like to see and play games myself before he is allowed them. They do allow a youngster to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

I'll look into it.
I do a bit of training around online safety (ha! Blind leading the blind!!!) and am very suspicious of all online activity. The playstation is going in the living room where I can keep an eye on what's happening.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Can't use the USB cable to connect it to the TV, you need a HDMI cable. I'm surprised its not on the list of included items - it certainly was in my package when I got mine! On the whole these companies know you want 'plug' n'play' for today's generation, so it would be very rare to not be instantly playable out of the box.

If you have any sort of external audio system setup, it only outputs via optical cable, which isn't compatible with older audio systems like mine. I found an optical to analogue stereo converter on eBay for 10 quid. This isn't NEEDED - the HDMI wire does send video and sound to the TV.

I'm guessing by the game that its for a younger gamer? Most of the games with online connectivity require a playstation plus account to use, which is an extra (30? Can't remember) quid a year subscription based. You do get 2 or 3 free games to download a month for that too though, mostly rubbish ones at the moment though! If it's for a younger child playing offline games though, you'll get by without.

There's a whole host of extras you could get, but you should be able to get it out the box and start playing. I would double check on that HDMI cable though.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Ah, just seen he is getting FIFA 15 - if he wants to play against others online, he'll need that playstation plus account. He may already be subscribed if he had a PS3 and a Playstation Account...?

 

[Sara_H]

Ah, just seen he is getting FIFA 15 - if he wants to play against others online, he'll need that playstation plus account. He may already be subscribed if he had a PS3 and a Playstation Account...?

I think he will want to play against his mates. I'd better do a bit of homework!

He got a PS Vita last year and we never really worked out how to get full functionality from it! We had difficulty even registering it - I had to register, then register a sub-account for him, then it wouldn't allow him access to the majority of stuff cos we'd made the mistake of admitting he was under 18!

Bamboozled is the word I'm looking for!

 

[CopperCyclist]

If you have a Ps Vita they have excellent connectivity with the ps4. You can 'remote play' most ps4 games over wifi on the vita. It's quite heavy on data though - I did it using my phone as the hotspot once and burnt 800mb of data (I only have a gig allowance) in about ten minutes! I tend to use it in the house, if the wife wants to watch TV and I don't - I can then 'remote play' over the same wifi network for free. You can also use any wifi network you know the password of to connect and play in the same way - for example I can use the father in law connection at his house to access and play my ps4 sitting at home at my house. The playstation does the hard processing work and streams to the vita.

I would advise signing up for a new Sony PSN account when you get the PS4 - it should talk you through doing this when setting it up. Set it up using your details rather than your son's to avoid the 'under 18' issue. Some games don't let under 18's play online at all, as online play cannot be espa (right word ?) graded, as companies cannot control the content typed /spoken by the people your son plays against. I therefore recommend signing up in your name - just monitor what he does as you were planning to anyway. He can't do much 'wrong' - but keep him away from the Playstation Store as it will have your credit card details attached (if you subscribed to playstation plus) , and he could start buying and downloading games you may not want him to!

All you will need for a new PSN log in is a different email than you have used before. Once you have those new details, to change the log in on the vita go (on the Vita) to Settings - PSN - Sign Out, then sign back in with the new details. As I mentioned, I recommend subscribing to playstation plus if he wants to play online, as otherwise those elements of the games are locked out.

To connect the vita with the PS4, on the PS4 go to Settings - Ps Vita connection settings - add device. The playstation note shows a number on screen. Go to the Ps Vita, click the PS4 link app - remote play and enter the code. They are then linked. You'll be pleased to know you only have to do that once!

The above all seems very confusing, but if you struggle just Google it and follow some step by step instructions that are much better than mine!