You just got a PS4, here’s what you should get now

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Games By James Plafke Dec. 26, 2013 12:00 pm
It’s the holiday season, which is not only the time for gifts, but also the period when Sony and Microsoft promised that their newly released PS4 and Xbox One would be back in stock. Both companies kept their promise, and Sony’s pulled ahead in the sales race. Due to the two-to-one sales advantage of Sony’s console, there is a higher probability that you received a PS4 over the holidays instead of an Xbox One.
Now that you have obtained the once difficult-to-find console, on what should you now set your sights (and gift certificates)?
[h=3]An extra USB cable[/h]A second DualShock 4 controller is an obvious supplementary purchase, but the obnoxious and somewhat sneaky bit is that the extra controller doesn’t come with its own charging cable. Sure, you can just use the one that came with the PS4, but then you won’t be able to have both controllers plugged in at the same time. A USB cable for the controller is a cheap purchase, so it’s only mildly irritating that the extra controllers don’t come with their own.
The DualShock 4′s USB cable, a Micro-B, is different from the PS3′s, a Mini-B. The DualShock 4′s Micro-B is the same cable that, for instance, is used to charge the 2013 Nexus 7 tablet, so they’re fairly common. A six-foot USB Micro-B cable can be found for about a buck or two on sites like Monoprice and Newegg.

[h=3]A device that streams and plays external media[/h]For now, both the Xbox One and PS4 don’t fully support streaming media from an external device (such as setting up a media server with your computer), nor do they play external media (such as from a USB stick of external hard drive). Considering both consoles have a multitude of media streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, this isn’t a deal-breaker. However, sometimes you just really want to play some media not found on those services — whether it’s a homemade video, or something obtained from the internet via legally murky means. You can’t stream your funny film project to your PS4 from your computer, nor can you put it on a USB drive and play it from there.
The cheapest ways to maintain this functionality in your living room is either with a Roku or — surprisingly — an Ouya. The Roku is the easiest solution, and doesn’t have any headache — it’s a breeze to set up, and you can just plug-and-play your external media. You can use the Plex app to stream from another source. The Ouya is the other cheap solution, as it can also handle external media, and has a few streaming app options, but controller support for the media players can sometimes be a pain. The Chromecast cannot play external media, but can stream using the Plex app (and others). All three devices are under $100, with the Chromecast being the cheapest at $35, but you miss out on the ability to plug-and-play media from external storage.
Alternatively, you can attempt to wait it out. Sony has previously hinted that it might put external storage and DLNA support back into the PS4 in a future update, but nothing is concrete.
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