Forums > Game Talk > Practical solutions to hooking up a PS4
vedder (71070) on 11/4/2014 9:58 PM · Permalink · Report
I'll probably be getting a PS4 somewhere this year as a gift. I was wondering how I was going to set it up. The last console I owned (my brother actually) was a Master System II, so I'm a bit rusty as what I'd need to get it going.
Currently I do not own a TV. I do have a sitting area in the living room where I could place a TV. On the other end of my living room is a huge desk with my PC setup. It has two monitors and a 5.1 sound system which is quite old, but still in excellent state.
One of the two monitors is about to die so I was looking into buying a new one. I had a brief thought about buying a TV instead (for the PS4), but I'm too used to using two monitors on my PC. The only advantage to buying a TV is that they are bigger and thus suited for the sitting area and not for the desk. If I end up using the PS4 a lot I can always buy a TV later.
So just as I thought I had the monitor thing sorted out and was all set, I remembered there's also such a thing as audio. The simplest solution of course would be to buy a monitor with built-in speakers and then just attach the PS4 through HDMI. However, I'm not quite content with that, particularly since I've been playing games with my 5.1 set for 10 years now and I don't want to take a step back with this newfangled nextgen console.
So the real question here is can I hook up the PS4 to my existing 5.1 system in a convenient way, or should I buy an amplifier with new speakers to which I can hook up both my PC and console.
The thing is the only audio-out options the PS4 has is optical and HDMI (which is video and audio). The speakerset that my PC is hooked up to has 3 3.5mm audio jacks as input (left right and sub).
I found this: http://www.ambery.com/2hddodtsdihd.html which can convert the audio of the HDMI signal to the three jacks, but that would still require me to switch three cables every time I'm switching between PC and console. Which probably has another solution, but the device I linked to already goes for €200 around here so it's a bit pricey.
The other option appears to be to buy an amplifier. If I'm lucky I might be able to find one which has 3.5mm jack input and output for my existing speakers, else I have to buy new ones for those as well.
Who knew that a gift console could be so expensive! :D
Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 11/5/2014 12:07 AM · Permalink · Report
What, not even considering a projection setup? 8)
Starbuck the Third (22602) on 11/5/2014 12:33 PM · Permalink · Report
Well the PS4 only has HDMI, which also takes care of the audio as well as the visuals, so you'll definitely need something with HDMI, and you also won't have to worry about separate audio leads.
Some TV's these days have a VGA in, so you can use a HDTV as a computer monitor as well. Currently that's how I'm set up with my PS3, 360 and PC hooked up through a single 32" HDTV.
vedder (71070) on 11/12/2014 9:57 PM · Permalink · Report
But a TV doesn't have a good quality 5.1 surround sound.
I ended up ordering a decoder that converts the optical into the three 3.5 audio jacks that I need. If that works I can buy a sound card for my PC so that I can optical out on that as well and link it to the same device. Then the solution stays well under a €100.
Meanwhile my PS4 arrived and I've hooked up some old speakers to my monitor for sound.
So the next real question is are there any good games on it already?
I just bought The Last of Us, which will take a while to download. I might try out Destiny at some point, but it's way overpriced just now so I'll wait for some kind of sale I guess. I guess Watchdogs is an option, but so far I'm hearing mixed things about it. Other than that I wasn't really familiar with the games I saw in the store, or I already own them on PC or they are first person games which I'd much rather play on PC.
Starbuck the Third (22602) on 11/23/2014 11:28 PM · Permalink · Report
Sorry for late reply, forgot to tick the 'Add this thread to my watchlist' option.
Haven't really been paying much attention to the PS4 exclusives, but from the cross platform releases that have caught my eye, watchdogs looks worth a gander. Assassins Creed 4 will probably be worth a look depending on what Ubisoft has done to make it different to, oh, just about the rest of the AC games. GTA V is always a good option for me.
Otherwise, unless your a hardcore COD fan, your left with as yet unreleased games.
vedder (71070) on 11/24/2014 10:01 AM · Permalink · Report
I've played a bit of AC: Unity, and it's cool, but whether I buy it on PC or PS4 depends entirely on the price, which is bound to be much cheaper on PC. The same goes for Watchdogs and the new Dragon Age.
On the other hand, since I never owned a PS3 or Vita, anything worthwhile that gets ported over is a welcome suggestion!
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 12/5/2014 5:21 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
The only exclusives I can think about are inFamous: Second Son and DLC First Light, plus Resogun if that's your cup of tea. As for Sony exclusives, there's of course Journey and The Unfinished Swan.