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Comment by bartread | Hacker News Reader

I guess I'm not the target market for them because I don't see the point of any of these things.

I have a PS4 Pro, which provides for all my entertainment needs, including Amazon Video, Netflix, iPlayer, YouTube, and whatever else, and seems to sidestep all the annoyances and limitations. Snappy UI? Check. 4K video? Check. Frequent upgrades and ongoing support? Check. Storage, if you need it? Check.

I suppose there's a pretty large market of people who don't have current gen consoles hooked up to their TVs for whom these kinds of peripherals are more appealing.

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Another case of the old internet trope "I haven't owned a TV in 10 years. Do people still watch TV?"

Its not that hard to look up the sales of consoles and imagine that not everyone has a console. Besides, most households have more than one TV. Would you suggest they buy a PS Pro for every tv in their house?

> Another case of the old internet trope "I haven't owned a TV in 10 years. Do people still watch TV?"

No, not really.

He acts as if everyone has a game console or that people should pay $300+ for a console for each of their TVs instead of buying a > $50 streaming stick.

> He acts as if everyone has a game console or that people should pay $300+ for a console for each of their TVs instead of buying a > $50 streaming stick.

Sigh. Again, no.

I guess I'm not the target market for them because I don't see the point of any of these things. I have a PS4 Pro, which provides for all my entertainment needs, including Amazon Video, Netflix, iPlayer, YouTube, and whatever else, and seems to sidestep all the annoyances and limitations. Snappy UI? Check. 4K video? Check. Frequent upgrades and ongoing support? Check. Storage, if you need it? Check.

So you “don’t see the point” of a Cheap streaming stick to stream videos over a $400 PS Pro?

What would you suggest for a cord cutter with multiple TVs - for them to spend $400 for each TV?

For perspective, for the price of PS 4 Pro for someone who only wants a streaming video solution, you can get a 55 inch 4K TCL Roku TV.

Yes there is a large market of people who don't have video game consoles hooked up to their displays.

I bought my mum a roku (she's disabled so she spends a lot of time watching TV/movies and on the Internet) and it seriously improved her life, prior to that she only had UK digital and catch up services but now with Netflix/Amazon prime and BBC iPlayer she has more high quality TV that suits her taste than she can watch.

She's also seriously addicted to Netflix's Marvel offerings which I find somewhat hilarious.

When you remove barriers surprising things happen. Being able to stream practically any genre of music with no added cost (ala spotify), watch all kinds of television through the same immediate interface (ala netflix), get decent guides into all kinds of hobbies (ala reddit) - people suddenly start branching out, because why not.

The risks are removed and the options are clearly laid bare. I feel deeply that we should look to this for how to build societal infrastructure - tax, legal, health, finance - not just entertainment.

The PS4 doesn't allow anything other than a PS4 controller to turn it on. This does not work well with my setup. Couple that with the need to logon as a user when running anny application and it makes it much less suitable for general household usage.

That is true. If I had - especially if I had - kids in the house I'd be looking at other options.

And the login requirement gets on my nerves from time to time as PSN will occasionally sign you out for no apparent reason, and of course my password isn't one that's easy to remember. (Although definitely file the latter under first world problems.)

There are few things in my AV setup in my home that I find more infuriating than having to get out the Ps4 Controller to turn on the Ps4. I have two TVs and my devices are distributed to both of them which means I'm often fighting with HDCP being absolute garbage. Over time, I've programmed my Logitech Harmony remotes to do things in the right order and with the right timings to avoid problems. But, since the Ps4 has to be done separately, I get bit more often with that device than anything else.

> The PS4 doesn't allow anything other than a PS4 controller to turn it on.

That has changed. Both PDP Media Remotes for PS4 can turn a PS4 on. Still proprietary, but they're technically not PS4 controllers.

Reading from Amazon reviews, also the PDP PS4 IR Receiver For Logitech Harmony Remote Control Devices can turn a PS4 on. But I can't confirm this as I don't own one.

I'm going to assume it's because they lie and present themselves as legit PS4 controllers. I tried to buy the IR adapter but it was perpetually pending release and I gave up.

“Snappy UI”? On the ps4?

After the recent consolidation of all the streaming video options onto a single screen, the additional clicks and loading time has basically made me envy my mom’s roku.

I have a PS4 (not pro) and I find it far less usable than Roku and Fire TV. It takes a lot longer to boot up, is much noisier, and has poor support for my Harmony remote. Even the Playstation TV app was way better on Fire TV than on PS4 (although I haven't tried it on the PS4 in over a year).

You might compare the power draw of your PS4 to alternatives. One might end up paying for itself over a couple years' time.

That's a good point. I tend to shy away from buying loads of extra devices since I have a collection of consoles old and new already hooked up but, as you say, something designed specifically for streaming might prove cheaper in the long run.

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