The PlayStation 4 really came into its own in 2015 thanks to stellar exclusive releases such as Bloodborne, Tearaway Unfolded and Until Dawn. Not to mention that the console also got some big multiplatform games, including Batman: Arkham Knight, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Mortal Kombat X and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
If you are planning to purchase a PS4 system on Black Friday or anytime during this holiday season, we also recommend picking up the following accessories.
Internal Hard Disk Drives
Aside from the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Limited Edition 1 TB Bundle, the PlayStation 4 comes equipped with a 500 GB internal hard drive. While Sony has not yet enable support for external HDDs, you can easily upgrade the default internal one.
If you don’t have the tools, you can get an all-in-one solution with the OWC DIY 2.0TB Drive Upgrade Bundle for the PlayStation 4. The bundle comes with a 2 TB HDD along with screwdriver, 8 GB Flash Drive (for backing up and transferring data) in addition to the OWC Express USB 3.0 Black Enclosure (so that you can reuse the original internal PS4 HDD as an external drive). If you are interested, you can find the bundle with this link.
If you want an even bigger hard drive with faster speeds at an affordable price, we suggest picking up the Nyko Data Bank, which will allow you to use a 3.5-inch internal hard drive with the PlayStation 4, in addition to a Seagate 4TB Gaming SSHD (which offers better loading speed than the standard HDD). You can find the Nyko Data Bank here in addition to the Seagate 4TB Gaming SSHD with this page.
Thumb Grips
The rubber on both the left and right analog sticks may wear off after some time. If you are worry about that happening, you should consider getting thumb grips to put on top of the sticks. We suggest getting the Grip-iT Analog Stick Covers, GelTabz Performance Thumb Grips and Kontrol Freek PS4 Analog Covers.
You can check the aforementioned thumb grips with the following links: Grip-iT Analog Stick Covers, GelTabz Performance Thumb Grips and Kontrol Freek PS4 Analog Covers.
Light Bar Decals
Another potential issue that you may run into is that the DualShock 4 emits a bright light, which can be distracting if you have a glossy television. Fortunately, you can place a decal over the light bar if it is too off-putting. Extreme Rate has several packs of decals that you should check out.
Take a look at each set with the following pages: Color Prints Game Theme Mix Stickers, Custom Game Light Bar Vinyl Stickers and Mix Stickers.
7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headsets
While the PlayStation 4 is a graphical powerhouse, it also produces some stellar sound. To take advantage of the system’s audio capabilities, we recommend picking up a gaming headset that can produce 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound.
Sony has two of such products worth checking out, the PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset and PlayStation Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset. By using these with the free Headset Companion App, you will be able to download custom audio profiles for games and genres. Take a look at the two first-party accessories with the following pages: PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset and PlayStation Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset.
For third-party headpieces, we suggest checking out the following: Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P, Turtle Beach Ear Force Elite 800 as well as the Astro Gaming A40 and MixAmp Pro Bundle.
PlayStation 4 Camera
Another optional accessory that you may want take a look at is the PlayStation 4 Camera. The product can be used if you want to record yourself streaming games. Not to mention that you can also use the camera in LittleBigPlanet 3, Tearaway Unfolded and Until Dawn. Of course, you will also need one if you are planning on getting the PlayStation VR headset in 2016 as well.
If you are interested, you can purchase the PS4 Camera here.
PlayStation Vita
If you would like to play PS4 games on a small screen and/or on the go, then you should get a PlayStation Vita as well. Sony had made big improvements when it comes to streaming PlayStation 4 games on the handheld via Remote Play, making the experience smoother and more inutive when it comes to controls. Not to mention that the Vita itself can also play Vita, PSP and PSOne Classic games.
If you haven’t done so already, you can buy a Vita with this link.
PlayStation Plus
If you haven’t heard already, Sony made PlayStation Plus mandatory if you want to play online. With that said, there are other benefits to being a member, including free access to PS4 (as well as PS3 and Vita games) on a monthly basis in addition to exclusive discounts.
If you aren’t a subscriber already, you can purchase a one year membership with this page.
20th Anniversary Limited Edition Accessories
If you are a long time fan of PlayStation, you might also check out some limited edition accessories as well. With 2015 being the 20th Anniversary of the North American launch of the original PS1 system, Sony released a special DualShock 4 and PlayStation Gold Headset to commemorate the event.
Take a look at both items with the following links: 20th Anniversary Edition DualShock 4 and 20th Anniversary Edition PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset.
So, if you on planning on picking up the PlayStation 4 on Black Friday on anytime during the holiday season, make sure to also check out the must have accessories we mentioned above so that you can get the most out of the system.