PlayStation 4: Value For The Players

November is perhaps the best time of the year for gamers. Looking to latch onto holiday sales, publishers strategically keep their heavy hitters in the wings, ready for launch come mid-to-late Autumn.

2013 has been no exception as already proved by the likes of Call of Duty Ghosts, Battlefield 4, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Though all well-established series, they’re are showing few signs of fatigue in and consistently have the punters queueing.

Again, it’s a great time of the year. However, as many of us all know, these later months of the year often take their toll on our poor wallets. If we’re not skipping big releases, then we’re usually buying and tearing through them in a week, just to make sure we aren’t missing out on a decent trade-in price.

It has to be said that this year is a little different. Aside from juggling the latest and greatest in the world of gaming software, there are two new players on the console market, one of which clearly holding more value than the other.

I am, of course, talking about the PlayStation 4.

With a launch price of £349, Sony’s next-gen platform already has a leg-up on its rival, the Xbox One. The main reason for the difference for Microsoft is that each of their consoles come with the all-new, Kinect-enabled, camera, with a starting price of £429.

Judging from initial reports, the camera is a solid piece of tech, though it’s debatable as to whether it’s really needed for gaming or just another vehicle for Microsoft’s push towards a unified entertainment hub. With that said, Sony has a counterpart available at launch, the PlayStation 4 Camera slapped with an RRP of £54.99.

Throwing down the best part of half a grand on gaming hardware is a big statement, even at launch. However, it’s when consumers actually get their consoles home and start eyeing the catalogue of games available that they really start to feel the pinch.

Here, the difference is harder to pick up on. Boxed titles, for either platform, are coming in at £50-£55, or a little less depending on which game we’re talking about. There is also a suite of premium downloadable games to be had too, including Trine 2, Crimson Dragon, Super Motherload, and LocoCycle.

Dig just a little deeper though, and Sony comes out on top again in terms of providing gamers with better value. Let’s face it, no one likes paying just to get access to multiplayer, but at least for PlayStation fans the deal is made sweeter. Only yesterday Sony delivered its monthly PlayStation Plus update, a free supply drop instantly giving users free access to titles such as GRID 2 and Guacamelee for PS3, and even a pair of PS4 games: Contrast and Resogun.

But wait, there’s more. In the wake of conventional, in-store releases, it’s easy to forgot Sony’s secret weapon, the dark horse kicking around in the back of the stable.

Even though it has been around for a while now, free-to-play is still a fairly new concept in the realm of console gaming. Over the past few years publishers, including Sony itself, have dabbled with the business model with mostly positive feedback. When the PlayStation 4 launches this Friday, players will have immediate access to three promising free-to-play titles straight off the bat. All you need, of course, is an internet connection.

Leading the F2P march is a game which currently exists on both the PlayStation 3 and PC. DC Universe Online, developed by Sony Online Entertainment, allows players to craft their own heroes and villains to explore an iconic, comic-inspired open world. It’s not your conventional MMORPG, nor is it your everyday action title so, in that respect, it isn’t going to be everybody’s cup of tea.

Next up we have Warframe from Digital Extremes, the same guys that developed The Darkness II. It’s a fairly fast-paced third person shooter that takes a unique approach to sci-fi. Banding together with up to three other players, you are the Tenno, an ancient alien race caught in an ongoing war with the Grineer. Select a Warframe, develop it, and watch as you become a co-op killing machine as you look to take back the galaxy one operation at a time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5wvLky7MZE

Lastly, we have Blacklight: Retribution, which will probably serve as the biggest surprise out of the three. It’s predecessor, Blacklight: Tango Down, launched a while back for Xbox Live and PSN but failed to captivate gamers despite some unique ideas. A few years down the line and developer Zombie Studios has sculpted a high-octane online shooter experience. It’s one that feels both refreshing and familiar with a boat load of customisation options to create your own loadouts.

What’s best about all three games is that they are completely free to download from the PlayStation Store right away, and sit outside of the PS+ online play paywall. Yes, there may be micro-transactions tucked away but, as far as F2P games go, Blacklight, Warframe, and DCUO are among the best that can be played without shelling out a penny.

We won’t go into too much detail but Sony is also offering savings elsewhere. Those who purchased Flower, Sound Shapes, or Escape Plan in the past will be able to download their PlayStation 4 counterparts right off the bat.

These cross-buy savings and the presence of F2P won’t be to everyone’s taste but for those who get on board, you’re already saving a shed-load of money on day one. Microsoft will surely need to step up their efforts in this area, and although its Games With Gold promotion has sought to emulate PlayStation Plus, there is a noticable gap between the two, both in terms of value and the free games on offer.

What about you? Are you making the most of Sony’s F2P games and cross-buy offers or have you been saving up to splooge on a next-gen day one library?