Couple of PS4 Questions

I am going to be picking up PS4 this week and was wondering how well it plays? Also if I can play my PC account on PS4 granted I know I will actually have to repurchase it for the PS4?

I've only played the game on PS4, and it seems to work quite well - although I suggest having a keyboard connected to the PS4, and possibly a mouse as well. (Any USB keyboard/mouse can be plugged into the console.)

Fitting all the skills onto the controller is a bit of a pain, but there are ways of setting up a few 'layers' of easily accessible hotbars, and you can still have icons onscreen to use with the mouse as well. Or set the whole thing to PC-style keyboard/mouse controls if you prefer.


As far as I'm aware, there are no issues with using the same account on both PC and PS4, as long as you have purchased the game for both systems. It might get a bit fiddly if you bought expansions for one and not the other, though - I have a feeling I've read elsewhere that if you logged out in an expansion-only area, you wouldn't be able to log in on the other system that doesn't have that expansion installed.


Edit to add: The primary use for a mouse is navigating some menus more easily - like retainer sales and particularly the glamour dresser, which doesn't seem to have been tested for controller-friendly navigation or consistency with menus elsewhere. (The amount of times I've closed it thinking that Circle would take me one level up through the menus is ridiculous.) But also good in an emergency when your controller has accidentally gone into a mode where you can't target a particular type of targets - interactive objects, or party members, or something else you're urgently trying to lock onto - you can grab the mouse and directly click on it.

Yeah it generally feels like the only difference between the two is loading times, some PC players tend to get in to areas slightly quicker and they get the benefit of unofficial mods (not promoting any btw) but otherwise there isn't much else between them.

Having a mouse isn't a big deal unless you prefer to use k+m, but definitely if you use controller then also having a keyboard helps immensely as the communication is so much easier.

I play PS4, do not own a keyboard or mouse for a host of reasons. It is playable but the faster you are at typing things out on a controller the easier life'll be in that circumstance. Depending on what you want to do with the game will effect what you need to learn. Basic control stuff, I advise learning how to use the hotbar 1) using the R2 key to rotate between options 2) just not even caring about erasing previous stuff that was placed in parts of the hotbar if it helps you. Maybe most people wouldn't have this issue but newbie-to-MMO's me did.

If you ever want to know how to do something on PS4 don't hesitate to ask!

PS4 is generally easy, and offers a majority of the same benefits as a PC. The only "main" difference I'd say is that the PS4 is stagnant in its system, whereas a PC isn't; ie a PS4 can't be upgraded but a PC can. Other than that the systems basically function the same. In regards to hotbar/crossbar space, I've heard varying thing, but generally all of your abilities can fit on your bars. I personally need more space for Emotes more than abilities. The one thing I've heard recently is, it's easier to accidentally hit the wrong set of crossbars/hotbars on a PC, compared to PS4.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

As far as I'm aware, there are no issues with using the same account on both PC and PS4, as long as you have purchased the game for both systems. It might get a bit fiddly if you bought expansions for one and not the other, though - I have a feeling I've read elsewhere that if you logged out in an expansion-only area, you wouldn't be able to log in on the other system that doesn't have that expansion installed.

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This. You absolutely must buy ARR (base game / Starter Edition) for all platforms that you want to log in on at all. You don't have to buy the expansions for all platforms, but each platform keeps track of which expansions you have bought for that platform, and if you are missing expansions, you can only access areas and content that you have the expansions for on the platform you're playing on. If you log out in an area that you don't have access to on another platform, you can't log in on that other platform; so really, you have to buy the expansions on all platforms.

PS4 version runs great. If you plan on chatting a lot, I'd highly suggest a keyboard. Even cheaper Logitechs tend to work well with it. Typing on controller is honestly a hassle (it opens a second dialog window that is unnecessary with a keyboard).

Also, I don't know if you're getting a PS4 Pro or not, but if you're getting the PS4 solely for FFXIV, I would say that the Pro is not worth the extra money. Save the extra money for PS5 (or a keyboard/mouse). :P

Account:

Yes, you can register both a PC and PS4 copy of the game to the same account so that you can play the same character(s) with either.


Hardware and performance:

The PS4 holds up pretty well. You might see somewhat longer load screen times than on PC if your PS4 has the original HDD, though that can be sped up by upgrading the hard drive to an SSD. Whether that would bring it in line with your PC depends on the specs of your PC. The PS4 isn't a cutting edge gaming rig, but that's mostly immaterial since FFXIV doesn't really require a cutting edge gaming rig.


Control scheme:

You'll at the very least want a keyboard for chat. While it's possible to type with the controller, it's pretty awkward and I wouldn't recommend it. The most common pattern among PS4 users (myself included) is keyboard for chat and controller for everything else. But if you use a keyboard / mouse control scheme on PC and want to keep it for the sake of familiarity, that control scheme is supported by the PS4 version. Well, more accurately I should say a standard keyboard / mouse control scheme is supported. If on your PC you use a gaming mouse or keyboard with a bunch of extra programmable buttons, I'm pretty sure the PS4 will only recognize the standard buttons and ignore the additional ones.

If along with going from PC to PS4, you're also planning on going from keyboard/mouse to controller as your primary interface, it will take a bit of getting used to. The controller will feel awkward for a while, the same way keyboard mouse control feels awkward for me. (I primarily play on PS4 but also have the PC version, and switch control schemes along with platforms.) While movement is easier and more intuitive on controller, it takes a bit of configuration to make actions and targeting work easily. Once configured, I'd say actions are easier with controller except for ground targeted actions which are easier with a mouse. Targeting might be slightly easier with keyboard/mouse if only because the controller doesn't have an equivalent to mouseovers.

Let us know if you want controller configuration advice, as that can get a whole topic on its own.

I have been playing for a couple of days now and as weird as it is I love the controller it’s pretty comfortable and with the expanded controls it does everything thing nicely

Glad you are enjoying yourself. I first started this game on PS3 around 5 years ago and this game plays great on console, the expanded controls are a must.
Targeting could be issues at times but you need to just tweak some of the settings.