FFXIV On PS4 Closes The Gap Between PC And Console Gaming

11 Apr 2014
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Early access has begun today for those that pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn! After getting some hands on with the PS4 version of the game, we can say that this is a great version of the game and one worth picking up if you’re not the proud owner of a higher end PC.

Read on for some further thoughts.

When the PlayStation 3 version was being shown off before launch, it wasn’t surprising that there were limitations when compared to the PC version. The resolution was being up-scaled to 720p, fewer characters were shown on screen, and you couldn’t use the PC user interface. Now we have the game on a new console, the PlayStation 4, and it runs circles around its last-gen brother. The game runs at 1080p, players can choose to use a keyboard and mouse with the PC styled user interface and on top of all of that we have the features that come with the Dualshock 4 and the PlayStation Vita as well.

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After hooking up my keyboard and my Logitech G600 mouse, I went and configured my UI to how I had it on my PC. After everything was set up and I got to playing, there was more than one occasion where I forgot that I was playing this game on the PS4. The PS4 version of FFXIV is evenly matched next to the PC version and for those who might not have a newer computer to run the game on, this is great news. Even better was that my Logitech G600, (an MMO mouse with the twelve additional buttons on the side-) worked perfectly on the PS4. Because I had used the mouse on my computer and set up all the keybindings (which are then saved to the memory of the mouse itself instead of the PC) I was able to plug it in and use the buttons on the side of the mouse like I always have. It’s little things like this that allow PlayStation 4 players to get the PC experience on their home console.

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Of course, not everyone has a fancy mouse like the one I have, or perhaps their buttons are tied to software. If that’s the case, you can still go the mouse and keyboard route, or if you want, you can sit back on the couch and curl up with the Dualshock 4. One of the great features of the game on the PS4 is the ability to use the touchpad on the Dualshock to control the on screen cursor and act as a mouse. You can easily slide your finger along the pad to move your cursor where needed and with a gentle tap, you can click. While it may not feel terribly natural for some people to control the cursor this way, the fact that this option is even there is nice and it lends itself to the idea of couch gaming nicely.

Last but not least is the ability to remote play the game through the PlayStation Vita. You certainly won’t be running the Binding Coil of Bahamut via the remote play feature. However, for smaller things such as crafting or gathering it works quite well. The only issues that I have with the PlayStation 4 version of Final Fantasy XIV is the same issue that I had with the PlayStation 3 version- trophies are not retroactive. It’s quite possible that somewhere down the road we’ll have ways to activate the trophies that we’ve met the requirements for, until then however, those that are out to see e-fame and e-fortune through their trophy ranks on PSN would do best to play exclusively on one of the consoles.

At the end of the day, if you’re an active Final Fantasy XIV player with an older PC and you have a PlayStation 4, this version is a must buy!

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is playable now for those with early access and launches for everyone else on April 14th.