Sleeker, faster and more flexible than ever, Sony's PlayStation 4 turns out to be a formidable force in the living room.

Powerful hardware hasn't even reached its full potential; Much-improved DualShock 4 controller; Multitasking allows background downloads; music over games and more; Sharing content is simple; Justifies owning a Vita

Many features still on the way; like Gaikai streaming games; Baffling lack of DLNA and MP3 support

Two years into its life cycle and the Sony PlayStation 4 has definitely reached its stride. The eighth-generation game system packs the same impressive power, excellent DualShock 4 controller, and nearly identical interface it had when the system launched, and remains a strong, compelling package.

Attractive, compact design; DualShock 4 feels much better than the Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controllers before it; Great streaming support; Many new features

Most features require a PlayStation Network connection; Non-free-to-play multiplayer requires a PS Plus subscription; DualShock 4 lightbar can't be turned off

The PS4 has better graphics than both the Xbox 360 & Xbox one , & Sony improved the social networking including adding both game chat & party chat .

Improvements to social networking including adding both game chat & party chat

A little expensive ; but worth the price

Seven years have passed since the PlayStation 3 came out. That is a long time in this industry. Think about it, so much has happened in the meantime, but the PlayStation 3 has remained relevant for the entire period.

Powerful hardware; Excellent PS4 controller; Amazing graphics & physics rendering; TV apps support; Multitasking; Price

Crippled media functionality; Power consumption; Few great games; Some user interface issues

The PlayStation 3 is a remarkably different device today than it was seven years ago, when Fatman Scoop showed it to the world. And so will the PlayStation 4 be, seven years from now, probably in ways neither Sony nor I can possibly guess.

Fantastic controller; Handsome console; Simple; game-focused interface

Not enough great games yet; Occasional worrisome performance problems; Interface doesn't scale well for power users

Sony and Microsoft have online multiplayer for their consoles, but you have to pay for them. PlayStation Plus costs slightly less than Xbox Live Gold for an annual membership, but is the same price month-to-month.

Unlike the Xbox One, there is no motion or voice sensor bundled with the PS4. The PlayStation Camera (Est. $70) can be had for an extra cost. While it works well, the PlayStation Camera is not as essential for the PS4 as the similar Kinect accessory is for the Xbox One, and relatively few games make...

Beautiful graphics; Powerful hardware; Competitively priced

No backward compatibility with PS3 games; Doesn't play audio CDs or MP3s; Dropped DLNA support

Sony really got its act together with the PlayStation 4. It created a console that is markedly more powerful than Xbox One, while also significantly cheaper. It plays host to great big blockbuster games like Battlefield and some incredible indie games like Hotline Miami 2.

It's been 8 long years since the Xbox 360 launched in North America to kick-off the 7th generation of home consoles. Since 2005 we've seen the rise of smartphone technology, mobile gaming, social gaming, tablets, and even free-to-play gaming.

Sony has ignored its rival's attempts to take over the living room, as Microsoft integrates media services such as television into the Xbox One. Instead, the Japanese giant plans to focus the PlayStation 4's abilities on pure gaming.