You recently felt your gaming life is getting boring? Or you suddenly want to stream your game with all of your friends? Do you need to try some more advanced gaming experiences that you’ve never tried before? If one of the answers is yes, then the best PS4 camera might be something that you need.
A PlayStation 4 camera is an accessory that can help bring a lot of great experience to your gaming and can upgrade your game to the next level. This product is more beneficial than just a camera, as it has so many exciting and funny features that can definitely make you busy for a while.
The PlayStation 4 camera is always sold separately; as we can understand, this is a strategy that Sony makes to help them lower the price of launching. But is it worth buying, and what can it actually do? Let’s take a closer look at my detailed review below to see if it really worths investing in your PlayStation 4. Now, let’s find out.
Table of Contents
Things To Consider Before Buying A PS4 Camera
Who might need it
If you are the one who thinks games have become dull and don’t have enough variants for you, then you might think of new areas to discover. Now, you can find a new way of playing games with a motion tracker, streaming, and VR.
The PS camera is not an essential, must-have PlayStation 4 accessory. But if you have PlayStation VR, it’s another story. Ensure that you need to get yourself a camera separately if you set up the VR headset, as the camera now is a must-have for VR.
And who should consider
To be honest, for the other cases of everyone else, it’s hard for me to recommend you buy the best PS4 camera. You will probably not spend much time with the Playroom, and then, it will soon become a minor distraction. The games that are integrated with the camera are pretty underwhelming and slim, and there are very few games that essentially use the PlayStation 4 camera.
Moreover, it does feel great to have facial recognition to log you in automatically into the system, but if your PlayStation 4 has only one user (which is you!), then I think it will be a waste. I find it a little disappointing with the lack of gesture controls and limited voice commands. The launching games or similar voice commands are familiar, and you can find them available with any microphone or headset. Therefore, it is not the wise reason you buy a camera because you can instead invest your money into a better gaming headset.
I only recommend the PlayStation 4 camera if you buy it for VR or stream your gameplay very often. Thanks to the PlayStation 4, the streaming has become very easy, and with the added camera, your viewers can now watch you play more efficiently than ever. Otherwise, your investment will not be very wise compared to the cost you paid for an accessory of a phased-out product like PlayStation 4. Moreover, you will find its accessories are no longer available at a friendly price from official sellers.
PlayStation 4 Camera Specifications
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The best PS4 camera is a black rectangular device that plugs directly into the PlayStation 4’s back. It weighs around 183 grams and has a tiny shape. It has two wide-angle cameras, which are high-definition. You cannot manually adjust the focus as the focus of the lenses is fixed.
You can adjust the camera angle 35 degrees up or down in any direction by twisting the body while holding the camera’s fixed right side. You can also get a foldable stand convenient to adjust in many ways and attach to the camera. Moreover, you can easily put it wherever you like, whether it is placed on a flat surface or stand up firmly on top of a television, as long as it is facing the right direction.
Specification:
- Weight: 183 grams
- Dimension: 18.6 cm ×2.7 cm ×2.7 cm
- Generation: 8th generation
- Recording Format: RAW and YUV
- Microphone: 4 Channeled array
- Connection Type: AUX
- Field of View: 85 degree
- Resolutions: 1280×800@60 Hz, 640×400@120 Hz, 320×192@240 Hz
Pros:
- Very intuitive
- Top high-quality microphone
- Excellent capture quality
- Easy to use and set up
Cons:
- Inaccurate voice recognition
- Don’t have very many features
- Limited voice commands
PS4 Camera Features
Basic Features
The PlayStation camera has many functions. The most straightforward operation is to film you in the living room, just like a traditional camera works. Moreover, thanks to the microphones that are built-in, the PS camera can also record audio. With this feature, even if you don’t have a mic or a headset, you can chat with your other teammates in online games easily.
Like a Kinect device used for motion-controlled games, the best PS4 camera is combined with the light bar on the back of the PlayStation Move controllers. You can also command your PS4 with the microphone using your voice to control by saying “PlayStation” to return to the home screen or launch a game. But this basic feature can also be used with any other type of microphone, even the earbud that is already included when you purchase the PlayStation 4.
Moreover, this Sony PlayStation 4 camera’s facial recognition system will alter the traditional way you have always been using the system. With this face recognition system, the PS4 camera can also offer you a pretty secure way to log into your system locally without putting in characters manually key by key, making it very handy, especially when multiples users use one PlayStation 4.
The PlayStation 4 camera also has a head tracking system that your movement of tilting head can be set up as part of the control, proving its excellent motion tracking. You can tilt your head to look at the surroundings around the corner in some games, which is a fascinating gaming experience.
Some Apps That Requires The PS4 Camera
PlayStation VR
If you haven’t already purchased one best PS4 camera, the PlayStation VR might be the biggest reason to buy one, while it was not available at the launching system. This is probably one of the cheapest ways to step into actual virtual reality without a beefy PC. Along with the headset, you also need the PlayStation camera to use the PlayStation VR. And for some games, you will even need more than one PS Move controller.
The Playroom
The free app Playroom is pre-installed on all PS4 consoles. However, it also requires to have a PlayStation 4 camera to play. Without the best PS4 camera, you can only play a trailer when you open this game.
The Playroom is not really a game; it’s more into a tech demo. It has a total of five different functions, and three of them are interactive. You can find inside the Playroom a collection of games designed to showcase the capabilities of both the DualShock 4 controller and PS camera. It offers some fun entertainment and worth taking a look at, including Asobi – a flying robot, the AR Bots – a collection of little critters, some free DLC, and a motion-controlled Pong.
- Pong
The Pong game requires a PlayStation camera and two controllers for two players. Both players will have to use the touchscreen to control their paddles and tilt the controller to warp the play area.
- Asobi
Play With Asobi is another robot application. Asobi is the name of a droid that is quite cute, will flit around you and react to your touch with a diversity of motions and facial expressions. You can try to make Asobi angry by punching it and then watch it responds by freezing your head, using a laser to fry it or zap it with electricity.
- AR Bots
In my opinion, this is the most entertaining of Playroom’s functions. You need to swipe up on the touchpad to make the small robots jump out of it with the background of your living room. While the small robots are hurling around the screen, you can punch, kick, or flail your limbs around them, which was very fun to watch.
You can also vacuum the robots into the controller by pressing the touchpad. And sometimes, instead of robots, a huge rubber duck will suddenly come out of your controller.
Some Not-VR-Games
You can also find a list of compatible games with PlayStation camera on Wikipedia, including Tearaway Unfolded, Surgeon Simulator, LittleBigPlanet 3, Just Dance games version 2014, and Alien: Isolation. So, now you see, besides PS VR, you have a handful of games to choose to play.
PS4 Streaming
The PlayStation 4 has made it easy for you to stream yourself using YouTube or Twitch while sitting in front of your screen, while other players can watch you broadcast your playing games with the Live of PlayStation app.
This best PS4 camera is not a must-have device to broadcast the play. However, if recording yourself while playing is the thing that you want, then you will need a camera. Moreover, this is also a must if you are planning to up your Twitch viewers.
Other Features
Adjusting Options
You can access the settings to adjust some of the features that I have mentioned above.
- Go to the “Devices” section in the “Settings,” choose “PlayStation Camera” > “Mute Microphone for PlayStation Camera” if you don’t want to use the microphone anymore.
- Choose the “Share” button on the controller, choose “Broadcast Gameplay” to start broadcasting your gameplay on YouTube or Twitch. Before going live, take a few seconds to go through all the steps to sign in to your service.
- Finally, hit the “Login Settings” section in the “Settings,” choose “Login Settings,” then “Enable Facial Recognition” to start adding your face to set up the face recognition system for your profile.
Interface
For the first time logging into the PlayStation 4, the console will ask if you want to run a facial recognition setup after checking whether you set up a PS camera. The instruction will appear to tell you to make your room brighter and sit away from the camera at a certain distance.
The PlayStation 4 is excellent at recognizing faces, and even there are many people in the room. After taking a look around the room, it will ask and need you to point out your face. And from now on, your face has automatically been recognized by the system. An on-screen box will appear on the screen to ask you to follow along with it, moving your head around so that the PlayStation 4 camera can have a better view of you from many different angles. Moreover, the system will add more of your face’s profile data if you rerun the setup settings. In this way, the camera can recognize you even more accurately.
Design
When I decided that I couldn’t live without the PlayStation 4 camera, its sleek little design was the first reason. The whole device is a simple black rectangular shape with multiple other sensors, including microphones and two visible lenses in the camera. The overall design is elegant without feeling too awkward or busy.
The camera is small, with the only marking on the device is the small logo “PS” on a side that most people will probably not notice it. Thanks to its small size, it can fit nicely into almost anywhere, any entertainment system, whether with the clip licensed officially or on its own. You can consider investing for your camera the PS4 camera clip, especially if you don’t have any room left to put the camera. It features three firm adjustable segments that can wrap around a TV screen’s upper edge, a sticky pad that helps securely and easily snap to the camera’s bottom, and a little nub. Moreover, the clip will also work well with the gaming area setups, making it more aesthetically pleasing. The camera can still rotate independently from the clip and can still easily see your space even being placed from up high.
Alternatives
The PS4 camera is an excellent product. However, if you want to look at some other recommendations, you can also refer to some devices I will present to you below. Besides the PS4 camera, I would like to recommend three alternatives that I believe you will love.
- Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor Bar
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This Xbox 360 Kinect sensor bar has a black glossy look that will fit nicely under your television. It is effortless to set up this device. You will need to plug the sensor on the console’s back into a socket for the new Xbox 360 device, or you have to attach your Kinect sensor bar to the mains via USB for the older version of your Xbox. For both options, the cabling is all included in the sensor bar’s package.
Inside the sensor bar, you can find the three separated cameras. An RGB affair will the primary camera to identify anyone that stands in front of it, and it can also distinguish them and the background’s objects like houseplants, sofa, etc.
This Xbox 360 Kinect sensor bar can build an accurate view of where your limbs are and what they are doing, thanks to the ability to identify up to 20 different articulation points of every person standing in front of the unit.
Besides the RGB camera, two more cameras work together to build the room’s 3D picture and your position in it. It works because Kinect has its way of measuring how close you are standing to the sensor bar. For instance, it will know via its sense of depth if you are kicking your legs out behind or in front or if your hands are putting behind the back.
However, this Kinect device also has a limit on the motion-tracking system. I had made a test and noticed some weirdness and glitches happen when the sensor didn’t register my actions or lost my positions. Kinect can indeed figure out what you are doing and where you are.
But it’s only broad, so you don’t expect too much with it. And after reviewing some launch titles on this device, I predict the Kinect will be suitable the most to play games that only require players to do basic and easy actions instead of the fiddly movements.
You can check out our other post of the gaming pc under 600 if you are interested in this type of gaming alternatives and want to have a better-detailed view.
Pros:
- Impressive motion-tracking system
- Easy to set up
- Accessible, simple gameplay
Cons:
- Quite expensive
- Maximum two players at launch
- Often glitchy tracking
- Need plenty of space
- PlayStation Eye
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PlayStation Eye camera is designed especially for PlayStation 3. You can use the camera and the EyeCreate – the first software to edit video for the PlayStation 3, to capture photos, audio, and video and then edit them into a movie.
It also offers you a list of numerous special effects like Motion Trails, Art Filters, Distortions, and Color Filters so that you can give your video a professional, or you can experience with something more advanced like Stop Motion or Time Lapse.
This PlayStation Eye is an item that must-have for anyone who has already purchased the PlayStation 3 and wants to widen their experience in online communication and interactive gaming. You can also combine the PlayStation Move controllers, which are sold separately, with this PlayStation Eye powerful camera to experience the most advanced in your gameplay. The audio and video features are also high-end that can produce explicit video chat and audio for you to communicate online.
This device plays a vital role in PlayStation Move’s gameplay experience. The camera will track the motion controller of the Move and the movement of your head to read your move accurately, whether you are dodging an attack or crouching behind cover in-game. I also impress with the fast frame rate when it comes to pristine video quality.
It’s exciting to see yourself become the star contestant on TV or see your living room turns into the setting in the game, thanks to its ability to capture the image of the objects surrounding you. With the microphones built-in, you can now conveniently chat with other players, give commands, or have a private conversation with six friends max.
Pros:
- Fast respond microphone
- Work well
- Correctly identified camera
- Crystal clear sound quality
- Convenient voice commands for in-game chats
Cons:
- The clip is not good-quality
- The video stream is a little choppy
- Mayflash W010 Wireless Sensor DolphinBar
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Mayflash is well-known for producing several Wii devices, including the W010 Wireless Sensor DolphinBar that I want to recommend to you today. This DolphinBar has the same form as the original, which is a general slick black sensor bar. But it is still a better match for other game gear and PCs thanks to its glossy black finish.
The stand is also removable, easily put on a dresser or a desk besides attaching to the TV. When traveling with ease, you can take it with ease thanks to its compact size with 0.7 inches thick, 1 deep, and 10 wide.
For installation, this W010 sensor bar is synced easily with the Wii console. All you have to do is hold down typically the sync button, and then just follow the pairing process, and now you can use it the way you use any other Wii devices. Attach it to anywhere using the double-sided tape or set it underneath the TV; it’s up to you.
You can connect this W010 Wireless Sensor DolphinBar directly to your PC using a detachable USB cord that has three-foot. In my opinion, compared to most motion sensors, it’s much easier to use on a PC because it doesn’t need any other third-party software or emulator.
However, the operation of this Mayflash W010 Wireless Sensor DolphinBar is not as simple as the brand advertises plug-and-play. You will have to update the latest driver package before using this sensor bar, which only takes some minutes to install from Mayflash.com.
Regarding performance, the Mayflash W010 Wireless Sensor DolphinBar has four different modes to operate. The Wiimote will play as a mouse beside the PC’s keyboard in the first two.
Even though the two have some subtle differences depending on how the Wii buttons operate, both are pretty easy to use. They will work to control media for skipping, playing, or pausing tracks for the first mode. For the second, they will work to control games. And the cursor in both cases doesn’t create any stutter or shake.
For the third mode, the Wiimote will now play a role as a gaming controller. You can now horizontally use your controller as the motion controls are locked out. And for the fourth mode, you can now play Wii games using the Wiimote or through an emulator to play some third-party games. To cycle through all four different operation modes, you can easily tap the button placed on top of the sensor. And finally, you can even connect simultaneously four controllers on your PC or your Wii.
Pros:
- Long battery life
- Easy to install
- Accurate
- Value for money
- Easy to use
- High-quality material
Cons:
- The wire is too short
- The stand uses an annoying sticky base
- LEDs are too bright
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What quality does the PlayStation 4 record?
PlayStation 4 can record 720p @ 30fps and 1080p @ 30 fps for PlayStation 4 Pro.
Does the PlayStation 4 have a built-in camera?
No. It is separated from the console.
Does the PlayStation 4 camera always record?
Yes, it records at all times. However, if you don’t ask it to save the record videos, it won’t.
Can a PlayStation 4 camera easily be hacked?
This type of incident hasn’t happened before, and this is very unlikely.
Can I use a regular camera for PlayStation 4?
No. You can only use the standard PlayStation 4 camera for PlayStation 4.
Can I use the PlayStation 4 camera for Skype?
No, you cannot.
Can I use a PlayStation 3 camera on PlayStation 4?
No, you can’t. They are not compatible.
What can I use the PlayStation 4 camera for?
You can use it for many purposes, including motion tracking, VR, face recognition, etc.
What is the most appropriate way to mount a PlayStation camera?
The most appropriate way to mount a PlayStation camera for VR is to make sure that your camera has a view that is unobstructed of your controller and headset. For the most consistent experience, it will detect the LEDs that are embedded in the controllers and the VR headset.
Therefore, please make sure that your best PS4 camera will receive a crystal clear view of both controllers and headset. The best way is to mount it at 1.4m of height or a little bit higher, and put it in front of you directly around 6m. To sum up, the most appropriate way to mount a PlayStation camera is to mount it at a distance of 6m and a height of 1.4m.
Is it worth investing in a PlayStation 4 camera?
Before I answer this question, I would need you to take some time to look at the three things: do you really need it, what it offers you, and what is the cost.
This PlayStation 4 camera costs around $70 and is probably offers you some new experiences in your gameplay. To me, it’s worth buying, but I will leave the ultimate decision to you.
What is the difference between PlayStation 4 cameras?
So far, Sony has produced and released two versions of PlayStation 4 cameras: the 2013 and 2016 versions. So, which one should you choose?
It’s weird to say that both versions have almost the exact specifications. The external design is the main difference here between the two. The newer camera version is easily mountable, smaller, and lighter. It also offers you more options to mount than the older version. You can also put the camera’s lenses in your most suitable angles.
Moreover, the two versions also share the same specs. Their internal hardware has nothing different from each other. I cannot differentiate them or choose which one of them is the best PS4 camera for those reasons above. It is up to you to decide which one suits more to your personal preference.
Conclusion
Overall, the PS4 camera is a worthy and fun device to increase your experience in your gameplay. With this gaming accessory, you will have the chance to discover many genres of games that you probably never experienced before. Thanks to the camera, your gaming system now will definitely have so many interesting new functionalities. And this is probably my top choice when I want to receive the whole PlayStation 4 system’s immersive experience.
Sony has done a really good job of winning the heart of many PlayStation 4’s players. The console itself is already good and fun enough; this best PS4 camera has made it more outstanding by opening the door to more unique gaming experiences. You can do so many things you have never imagined could be possible when investing in this device. Some features it offers can help you use the system more efficiently, while some help improves your gaming experience. But to sum up, it will change completely the way you are familiar with using your system.
With this PlayStation 4 camera, you can enjoy so many games with ease. So you will definitely need to give it a try and check this one out if you desire something newer for your getting-bored PS4 gaming system.
Now you have had a detailed view of this best PS4 camera. I finish my best PS4 camera review here, and I hope you can give it a look and bring one home soon.