It also means you'll have to look closely at the power button to check the system's status if it's set up in a bright area. Just like the PS3 Super Slim before it, the work put in by the Japanese manufacturer to shift the bulk of the original model really pays off. The PS4 Slim can play Blu-ray discs, but like the original PS4 and PS4 Pro, it doesn't support Ultra HD Blu-ray disc playback. The Xbox One S has the media benefit of playing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs in addition to standard Blu-ray discs, letting you watch 4K HDR video on physical media.

The PS4 Pro is very impressive for certain games, rendering at resolutions up to 4K or otherwise adding enhanced graphical effects or improving frame rates. I’ve been PCMag’s home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them.Live television is also available on the PS4 through the PlaySation Vue subscription service, and major streaming video services like Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube all have PS4 apps.

It is now entirely matte black plastic, with slightly rounded corners to make it look a little friendlier and less stark than the sharp-angled, three-tiered PS4 Pro.Another benefit to this console is that is easily convertible – if you want to expand HDD capacity as it is filling up and struggling, carrying this out yourself is relatively straightforward. Instead of touch-based power and eject buttons like on the original PS4, the PS4 Slim has two simple, mechanical buttons placed on the left edge of the front panel's protruding lip, under the slot-loading optical drive. The sleeker design is nice, and less prone to accidental power-ons and disc ejections thanks to its mechanical buttons, but is not reason enough to trade in your old model. Discover your next great adventure with access to catalogues of hundreds of current and classic games, limited-time trials, online multiplayer, member-exclusive discounts and more, with a choice of three membership options 2.

It also consumes a lot less power than the regular PS4 console, giving you energy efficiency savings. Several genre and niche favorites are also available, including Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Nier: Automata, Persona 5, and Yakuza 0. While it's much newer and currently has far fewer games, the Nintendo Switch stands as an intriguing alternative with its ability to function portably as a handheld game system, and the Xbox One S has some nice media playback benefits. An iconic design that fits perfectly in your hands, intuitive controls that keep you on top of your game and a vibrant array of colours to suit your style. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and I’m here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you don’t need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years).It shares the same parallelogram profile with angled front and back panels as the PS4 and PS4 Pro, along with a similar prominent groove running lengthwise around the front and sides of the system. Besides releasing the larger, more powerful PS4 Pro last year, Sony also rolled out a smaller, thinner version of the original PS4. Only reviews that feature the label "Verified Review" have been checked to ensure that the author actually used or purchased the product. Sony has been shying away from touch-sensitive controls with its new console iterations, just like Microsoft has between the Xbox One and Xbox One S .

com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. You won't get 4K gaming or enhanced graphics like on a PS4 Pro with compatible games, but the system can still run PlayStation VR software in addition to all standard PS4 games. PS Plus membership also includes a small selection of free games that rotate on a monthly basis, along with discounts for game purchases. Besides the possible difference in storage, the PS4 Slim is identical to the original PS4 in hardware specs.The PS4 Slim comes with the same accessories as the launch PS4: a DualShock 4 gamepad, a monaural wired earpiece, a power cable, an HDMI cable, and a micro USB cable. It doesn't offer the extra power of the PS4 Pro, though the 1TB of storage available does give it extra capacity if you plan to download a lot of games.