Sony's next-generation PlayStation 4 is here. The sleek console features an 8-core x86 AMD Jaguar chip and 8 gigs of DDR5 memory. It's Sony's first console since the PlayStation 3, which was released in 2006.
The PlayStation 4 isn't a cube, but actually a tilted parallelogram. It's also small at only 10.8 inches by 12 inches.
The console can lay on its side, or can be placed vertically with a stand, which you can purchase separately for $14.99.
The PlayStation 4's front is bisected by an LED light, which pulses blue when the console is starting up and white when it's on.
The easily missed power button is right on the front, between the glossy and matte sections, where the LED separates the console.
The back of the console is where all the heat escapes. It also holds the power, HDMI, optical, ethernet and PlayStation Camera ports.
The PlayStation 4 features a newly redesigned controller, the DualShock 4. While some aspects of the old controller have remained, such as the iconic shape-face buttons, it's a big departure from the previous PlayStation 3 controller.
The biggest new feature is the controller's touchpad in the center, which boasts multitouch gestures just like most smartphones. It can also be clicked like a trackpad.
The PlayStation 4 has its own camera, sold separately from the console for $59.99. It features two lenses to see 3D images, along with a microphone array to detect sound.
After seven years of waiting, we have finally experienced next-generation gaming. Sony's PlayStation 4 gives us hope for more powerful, jaw-dropping video games, and leaves a lot to the imagination for the future.
The Japanese electronics giant has been tantalizing fans with the PS4 since February, and now, the console is only two days away from its worldwide release. Read on for part one of our review (part two covers the PS4's online features, which haven't yet been activated at the time of this writing).

The PlayStation 4 is a sleek, beautifully designed machine. Online photos really don't do its angles justice. The device's backward slope masks its optical drive, making it visually appealing when sitting either horizontally or vertically. The entire box has clean lines, bisected on the top by a glowing LED strip that indicates when it's on. All the ventilation is hidden in the back, preserving the neat aesthetics, while still preventing the console from overheating.
See also: 63 Game Screenshots to Get You Stoked About Next-Gen Consoles
At 6 pounds, the PS4 is much lighter than you'd think, especially considering the fact that it houses all the parts of a modern PC, including a large power supply.
Its great design means the power and eject buttons are pretty well hidden — so well, in fact, that you can potentially prank your friends by making them hunt for the buttons. The touch sensors are located at the front of the console, and they only need the slightest tap to activate.
When turned on, the PS4 is quieter than its predecessor, but hardly silent, especially when it first boots up a game. The console also doesn't produce too much heat from its back — even in the heat of gameplay.
The PlayStation 4 is pretty easy to get going, especially if you want to dive right into gaming. Getting it set up in your living room should be easy, since the console only requires two connections: a power cord and an HDMI cable. You'll also need to plug the DualShock 4 wireless controller into the console the first time you use it with the included micro-USB cable.
You'll only have to do a bit of work before getting to the PlayStation home screen, and that just involves creating a system account and setting up your Internet connection. You'll quickly be dropped into the main menu without much setup, which is sure to thrill anyone who is less technically inclined.
The PS4 does away with the XMediaBar (pronounced "cross media bar"), which was found on the PS3, instead opting for a simpler menu. Instead of topics with drop-down sections, there are two streams on the PlayStation Dynamic menu. On the top stream, you'll see right-to-left icons for your messages, friends, the PlayStation Store and console settings, along with other options. Much of this content wasn't available before the update Wednesday, as we couldn't even sign in to PSN.
The bottom stream contains your social feed, web browser, entertainment apps and most importantly, games. A Sony representative said this stream can go on "to infinity" as you fill the console up with content, with the most recently accessed titles appearing at the beginning. Players must scroll right to find older content.
Sony made massive improvements to the DualShock 4 controller, and it may quickly become one of my favorite gaming peripherals. Whereas the DualShock 3 felt too light, with uncomfortable analog stick placement, the DualShock 4 feels just right.
Every button feels good to press. The triggers and bumpers are responsive without giving that telltale squeak during use that characterizes bad controller design. The joysticks have been given an updated rubber grip that allows them to better respond to every thumb thrust and flick.
But there are several new features that make this controller completely different from any other console controller. First, Sony has done away with the "start" button, a gaming staple for decades. In its place, there is an "options" button, which has virtually the same functionality. What usually would have been a "select" button has been replaced with a "share" button; this brings up a screen where players can send recorded video and screenshots to social media, as well as live gameplay to streaming services.
The DualShock 4 features a prominent touchpad in the center of the controller, which can be swiped, pinched and flicked like a tablet display; the touchpad is also clickable. Sony said they left it up to developers to decide how to use the touchpad, and I've already seen a variety of creative uses. Killzone: Shadow Fall uses the touchpad to switch between functions of a drone, while clicking it during Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag brought up the overworld map.

Finally, each PS4 controller has a bright light bar on its back, which Sony said can never be shut off. The light bar indicates whether the controller is paired, and which player is holding it. The PlayStation Camera can also identify it onscreen. Like the touchpad, there are many creative uses for the bar. In Killzone, it changes color to reflect your health meter. In indie four-player game Tiny Brains, it changes to match your character's color. What's more, the light isn't too bright or obtrusive, since you'd rarely look at the top of your controller — or even down at your hands — while playing.
Judging from its multi-month promotional period for the PlayStation 4, Sony wants consumers to know that the console is all about games and gamers. In all of its public presentations, the company has focused on the wide variety of titles coming to the PS4, from triple-A to indie. It said that games on the PS4 will look bigger and better thanks to the console's powerful hardware.
We spent time playing a variety of games that were either developed specifically for next-gen, or were developed for both the PS3 and the PS4. Some games on the PS4 looked amazing, but experienced gamers would agree that you can already see some of those amazing graphics on high-end PCs. Of course, those machines cost several hundred dollars more than your average gaming console.
Many of the improvements seen in PS4 games involve their stunning onscreen details. The skylines of Killzone: Shadow Fall, as well as a devastated war zone viewed from the top of a cliff, all looked spectacular. In fact, Killzone, one of Sony's flagship launch titles, is generally breathtaking, and the characters look very real. For a game that's over 30GB, and needs to be installed on the PS4 hard drive before play, it managed to load for the first time in only three minutes.
The new hardware also increases how much of a world a game can display; for example, Assassin's Creed IV loaded up in a decent amount of time considering it was rendering whole cities with people. (For context, think about how long the behemoth Grand Theft Auto V takes to start on current hardware.)
However, we weren't able to test many improvements at this time of this writing, including online modes. The increased CPU of the PS4 will probably better handle multiplayer matches. A 64-player match in Battlefield 4 — something current consoles can't handle — is going to be epic, considering how good the single-player campaign looks.
A few games, sadly, did not impress. Family-friendly Knack has some cool particle effects, but doesn't look like something we couldn't see on the PS3. And the Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition — a game originally released in April — had frame rate issues during cut scenes.
It's also important to note that PS4 games won't really hit their stride until two to three years down the line, when developers learn how to wring more out of the hardware, and are less concerned with programming for the aging PS3. So, there's still a lot to be excited about — even if the current crop of games didn't exactly bow us away.
It's funny that in this day and age, you can't review video-game consoles without an Internet connection. But hopefully, this review will whet your appetite for round two, which will come after we've cracked open all of the PS4's social features (they won't be released to the press until a patch Wednesday). Expect more information, and a full run-down, then.
The PlayStation 4 comes out in North America on Nov. 15. It will retail for $399.99.
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Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani