Playstation 4 (Japan) Unboxing

Sony Building - PS4 release countdown last night, just before midnight

Despite the fact that I live in the country of Sony, I actually had the misfortune of getting the PlayStation 4 over a month after you guys in the Philippines did. Nevertheless, February 22nd has finally arrived, and now the PS4 is available in Japan. I wanted to make sure I was home when the delivery guy came today, so I waited about 8 hours in my apartment (had no idea what time it was going to arrive). Every time I thought I heard someone in the hallway, I would get really excited. I felt like a kid again!

A short side story: Early this week I got an email from Yodobashi Camera, the electronics store I pre-ordered my PS4 from last October. They gave me the tracking number of my shipment. I checked the status of my order and to my surprise, the tracking details indicated that my PS4 has actually been at the main post office in my city since February 15th! The place where it was being kept was just 20 minutes away, and so had it not been for my work schedule, I would have gone down there and tried to pick it up myself.

So, anyway, it eventually arrived this afternoon, carried by a visibly tired old post office worker. He was smelling of cigarettes, which I really hate, but I did feel sorry for him for having to lug my fairly large package up the stairs to my apartment. My building doesn't have an elevator. We was huffing and puffing when he greeted me and read my name out to confirm that I was actually the recipient before handing me my wonderful box of next-gen goodness. They never check ID though, so I  never saw the point of doing this.

The electronics store had my PlayStation 4 packed in a nondescript white box. It's a pretty big box.

Looking at it closely, I saw this sticker:

Basically, what that says is, the package must be delivered on February 22nd. Delivery before that date, or handing the package over to the recipient at the post office is strictly not allowed. Well then, glad I didn't bother dropping by!

Next, I opened the box to reveal... a half empty box!

That's a Yodobashi Camera pamphlet with ads for PS4-related goods, and some paperwork, receipts, etc.

Digging further into the box we finally see the actual PS4 packaging. As you can see, it's the First Limited Pack with PlayStation Camera. Knack is on the cover because the system also comes with a free download code for the game. It also comes with an extra one-year warranty, giving you a total warranty period of two years.

And here we have the PS4 package outside Yodobashi Camera's box.

And the back of the box.

As I opened the packaging, I noticed that this Knack-design box is actually just a cover. I also found underneath the top flap some instructions for how to open the box, which I thought was kind of funny. I never knew boxes needed instructions.

Here is how the actual box looks like under the cover. Much more simple-looking. I wonder if this is the same design every country gets?

You may also notice, if you click on the image, somewhere on the bottom right, it says "Jet Black". Though it is usually standard since the last few generations that consoles will eventually be available in other colors in the future, that's a clear indication of Sony's intent.

And again, the back of the box. Basically, both front and back are the same as the cover, except without Knack.

Now to open it up.

It's a white interior box. The console on the left, and the controller, camera, cables, and manual on the right. At the bottom is the download code for Knack and the extra one-year warranty card.

Behind the Knack code card is another code for three months of free PlayStation Plus membership.

Finally, here's everything out of the package. Aside from the console and controller, it comes with:

• The PlayStation Camera (bottom) which comes with a little sticker (left side of camera) to attach the device to your TV
• A power cable
• A USB cable for the controller
• A really flimsy looking earphone/mic that attaches to the controller. The width of the wire is about 1mm. This is surely going to break soon.
• An HDMI cable (a first for Sony - even the newest PS3 Slim model doesn't have this)
• The manual, quick start guide, and warranty 
• Codes for Knack and PlayStation Plus membership.

One thing I noticed that the system doesn't have is the PlayStation Camera mount. It looks like the North American version has some kind of plastic mounting peripheral for the camera. The Japanese version simply has a sticker. Cost cutting?

I've already set it up and have been playing most of the day. In terms of the main system, getting around, starting a game, and other functions and features, I can tell that it is way, way better than the PS3. Some initial impressions:

• Games can be played almost instantly and will download/install in the background. 
• You can suspend a game and change system settings without having to close the game.
• The PlayStation Store loads so much faster.
• There are a few Kinect-like voice commands - but they're not that useful.
• The camera's video quality doesn't look so good.
• It's a little confusing at first since I've been used to the PS3's XMB system, but already I can see that the new system is easier to navigate and much more simplified.
• The system is constantly recording your gameplay. At anytime, and without quitting your game, you can trim and upload gameplay to Facebook very quickly. The video quality is pretty good too, but your friends will have to hit HD on the Facebook video player to get high resolution playback.
• Aside from being able to broadcast your game, you can watch other peoples' live broadcasts. It's pretty awesome to actually see others play games.

The PlayStation 4 is still pretty early in its life, and there are yet more features that will be added later on this year, such as PS3 game streaming. I'll be sure to add more posts as the system evolves.