It won't hit the market for a while, but it will be worth the wait.

Until today, I had been angrily using the phrase "Duke Nukem Forever" to describe the release schedule for the PlayStation 4 edition of Planetside 2. I know that's probably a little harsh, but Planetside 2 was one of the very first titles that Sony teased for the PlayStation 4 when the system was announced last year. Originally, the game was going to be released during the console's launch window, but shortly before the PS4 hit the market, Planetside was delayed until "early 2014."

Now, I'm not very good at operating a calendar, but I think we're about half way through the year and Planetside 2 still isn't installed on my PS4, which makes me feel all kinds of negative emotions.

Thankfully, the title isn't stuck in developmental purgatory. In fact, today I spent a little quality time chatting with the developers and playing Planetside 2, and those negative emotions magically turned positive.

Planetside fans will be happy to know that the visuals really flex the PlayStation 4's graphical muscles. For anyone who might be thinking about making the transition from PC, the graphics probably won't be a disappointment. Though, if you're one of those people who owns a $3,000 graphics card, you might regret making the switch.

But if you're one of those people, why would you even consider making the switch in the first place?


According to Luke Sigmund, the game's lead designer, the development team has been spending a lot of time on control pad mechanics. Porting a video game is nitpicky work, and the Planetside team wants to get things just right.

"Right now, we're still working on aim assist, trying to get it right" Sigmund said. "We don't want it to be too strong or not strong enough. We're trying to get it right, and that's definitely been the hardest part of the process."

Sigmund and his team are obviously perfectionists, which is a good thing. During my time behind the control pad, the mechanics felt silky smooth, but Sigmund describes the controls as "about 70 percent complete."

Even after the Planetside crew finishes tweaking the controller setup, they still have a laundry list of items that need to completed before the game will be ready for public consumption. But Sigmund is confident that the game will be ready in 2014.

"We're aiming for sometime this year," he said. "We haven't given the date yet, but we're having a beta relatively soon. And we'll see how that goes and decide what happens next."

This isn't the first year that I've bumped into PlanetSide 2 at E3, having played it on PC in years past. But this is the first time that Sony Online Entertainment has had a full-on playable version of the PlayStation 4 version available for a hands-on session. After a lengthy session of shooting and blasting away with rocket launchers, it certainly feels like the free-to-play MMOFPS is well on its way to making a successful transition.

While the PlayStation 4 version of PlanetSide 2 isn't quite finished, given that the development team is still ironing out some UI kinks, the shooting still feels as solid as it ever has. If anything, I felt better handling a DualShock 4 when searching for enemies. The shoulder button control scheme should feel comfortable for any console FPS player, with L2 used to aim down sights, L1 used for special abilities, and R2 used to gun down enemies. It's easy enough to get the hang of that I quickly racked up a kill streak, something I once thought unthinkable after previously playing on PC.

However, the controls aren't quite perfect, which is where the PS4 version has hit somewhat of a snag. The developers point out that while infantry controls are smooth, vehicle controls are feeling somewhat clunky. While I witnessed tanks and aircraft moving about during my session, they weren't doing so very gracefully. In fact, I saw an aircraft accidentally plow right into a mountain at one point. Refining vehicle controls is among the PlanetSide 2 team's top priorities.

On a more positive note, PlanetSide 2 looks every bit as beautiful on PS4 as it does on PC. Creative director Matt Higby previously boasted that the PS4 version would be like the PC version set to Ultra. Having seen it for myself on a 50" HDTV, it's somewhat difficult to dispute that claim. The framerate ran smooth throughout and there were no visible tears or glitches to be found. On top of being a solid shooting experience, it should be a pleasant visual one for PS4 owners, as well.

Of course, Higby wasn't about to let an E3 pass without giving some good news to PlanetSide 2's PC fanbase. The long-awaited Hossin is in line to release in July and the team is looking to issue it simultaneously with the new continent lock feature. A new Outfit class update is also expected to arrive in the next few weeks.

The PlayStation 4 version of PlanetSide 2 is expected to release later this year, with many of the PC updates included.