Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Which streaming service is best for you?

The rise of streaming services has continued at a swift pace over the last year, with many platforms available offering multiple kinds of entertainment for all manner of different tastes.

However, there are two that remain the most talked about: Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video. They offer similar functionality, with TV shows and movies on tap for you to watch at your leisure. And they have both even expanded to offer 4K HDR content and offline viewing. It makes the choice between them even more difficult.

That’s why we’ve put them head-to-head to find out. Which is best for you, Netflix or Amazon?

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Price

Netflix UK prices

• £5.99 a month – 1 screen at a time in standard definition
• £7.49 a month – 2 screens at a time, HD available
• £8.99 a month – 4 screens at a time, HD and 4K HDR where available

Amazon Prime Instant Video UK prices

• £79 a year – 2 screens at a time, part of the Amazon Prime membership that includes other benefits, also includes 4K HDR streaming
• £5.99 a month – 2 screens at a time, includes 4K HDR 

Amazon Prime Instant Video wins the price war hands-down. Netflix has a three-tiered pricing system that starts at £5.99 a month, but that’s for its basic package.

For that fee, you get access to standard definition streams of its films and TV content and can only watch on one device at a time (you can register up to six). The next package costs £7.49 a month and gives access to HD content – presented at 1080p – and can be viewed on two devices at the same time. The priciest plan costs £8.99, adds simultaneous viewing for four devices and gives access to Ultra HD 4K content (2160p) with HDR picture tech and Dolby Vision, depending on your TV.

Amazon Prime Instant Video, on the other hand, is part of an Amazon Prime subscription, which costs £79 a year. As well as give access to the entire range of SD, HD and 4K HDR content, you also get free next and same-day delivery (on millions of items on Amazon.co.uk), unlimited cloud storage space for photos, access to Prime Music – Amazon’s audio streaming solution – and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which gives you the change to borrow an eBook to read on a Kindle or Fire device.

Alternatively, if you don’t require the rest of the Prime benefits, you can sign up for £5.99 a month. There is no restriction on how many devices can be registered, but you can only stream to two separate devices at the same time, and they have to be different shows or films.

Amazon also has a large library of more recent movies and TV box sets to purchase or rent through the same account, which naturally costs more but is a nice addition.

• Which is the best movie streaming service in the UK? Netflix vs Amazon Prime vs Now TV and more
• How to watch Netflix on TV: Your complete guide
• How to watch Amazon Video on your Android phone or tablet
• How to watch Amazon Prime Video on TV: Your complete guide

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Offline viewing

As well as stream shows or films when you are connected to the internet, both services offer the ability to download certain titles to a mobile device in order to watch them when travelling. This is ideal if you know you will have no access to even mobile broadband – such as on a plane or Tube train.

Amazon’s offline viewing functionality is limited. There are plenty of TV shows and movies available to download, including The Grand Tour and all of the other Amazon Originals series, but you can only store two shows or films at once. That’s not great if you want to binge watch a whole season of something when on holiday, for example.

Netflix, on the other hand, seemingly allows you to download as many shows as you like, to multiple devices. It also has a large library of content available for offline viewing, although it doesn’t seem as well populated as Amazon’s. However, it does put them in an easy to find menu so you know exactly what’s on offer, unlike Amazon’s which is more trial and error.

Both services provide different quality options for downloads, to help you sacrifice resolution and bitrate in favour of smaller files and therefore save storage space.

Amazon has three picture modes:

• Good – around 300MB for 1 hour of video
• Better – around 600MB for 1 hour of video
• Best – around 900MB for 1 hour of video

Netflix has two picture modes:

• Standard – around 270MB for 1 hour of video
• Higher – around 400MB for 1 hour of video

• How to download Netflix movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Devices

Netflix wins when it comes to the amount of devices it can be viewed through. The list is seemingly endless, with almost all brands of Smart TV, media player, games console, Blu-ray player, smartphone, tablet or computer operating system having a Netflix app of some kind. Paid TV set-top-boxes from Virgin Media (the TiVo box and new Virgin TV V6 box) and BT and TalkTalk (YouView) also have access. You can find out an impressive list here, but we know of others that doesn’t even cover.

Many of the devices are now also capable of viewing 4K content, with HDR or Dolby Vision where possible.

In comparison, there are still holes in Amazon device list, including the Apple TV – either 3rd generation or the new 4th gen box. It is, however, spreading its wings a little and has recently added support for Roku – something that owners of that device line have been bemoaning for years. You can see the device list here.

Amazon also lags a little behind in making 4K video accessible on all platforms. Most 4K HDR Smart TVs are capable of playing Amazon Video in Ultra HD, but the only external device supporting 4K playback is Amazon’s own Fire TV set-top-box.

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Movies

When compared to a service like Now TV – which has on demand and live access to all films on Sky Movies – both Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video are fairly behind current trends. Bar one or two exceptions, even the latest movies in their respective libraries are a six months to a year old.

Netflix has recently started to introduce its own movies though, with The Ridiculous 6, Beasts of No Nation and the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel being funded and introduced onto the platform.

Amazon is yet to release its own films, although it does have its own original TV shows, and both sometimes sign exclusives that arrive on their platforms speedily.

Netflix has more than 2,300 movies available on its platform (almost 3,000 videos when you add TV shows), while Amazon Prime Instant Video lists less than that, with just over 2,100 videos in total. It’s hard to get exact figures, but if you apply the same percentage of films to shows on Amazon (a little over a 76 per cent split), you’d get around 1,600 movies.

It’s less but you’d be best to check out what’s on offer on each and decide based on your preferences. It would be unwise to go by the numbers alone and then find out that 1,000 of the films are Police Academy sequels or something.

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: TV shows

As we’ve proven above, there are more TV shows on Netflix than on Amazon Prime Instant Video. However, when it comes to TV content, the choice between the two is closer than you think. It’s also quite subjective.

While both have content deals with plenty of broadcasters, with many shows being available across the platforms, Netflix and Amazon have each been investing fortunes into original and exclusive programmes.

Netflix and Amazon original programming is not just making it harder to choose between them, with great shows on each – Daredevil, Narcos and Luke Cage on Netflix, Transparent, The Grand Tour and The Man in the White Castle on Amazon, for example – it is also making waves in the more traditional sense. Both House of Cards and Transparent are winning Emmys and Golden Globes, even though they are streaming exclusives.

Essentially, you might make your choice of which to subscribe to through studying which shows are exclusive to which platform.

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: 4K HDR

Both services embrace ultra high definition, with 4K content available on each and in HDR where possible. However, devices are still to catch up somewhat.

Amazon currently offers almost all of its own original programming in 4K with high dynamic response picture tech, and some UHD films are available to purchase or rent. Netflix’s 4K content is mostly limited to its homegrown shows. And not all of those come with HDR.

You can find all 4K shows on a dedicated menu section on both services if you have a device capable of playing it and pay for the extra subscription (in the case of Netflix).

At present, the apps for both on certain 4K Smart TVs (from around 2014 and up) can playback UHD content, while the latest Amazon Fire TV can play Amazon’s 4K content. Nvidia’s Shield Android TV box, the BT Ultra HD YouView box, the Virgin TV V6 box and the Xbox One S and PS4 Pro consoles can play Netflix 4K content.

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Ease of use

When it comes to the applications and front ends, Netflix seems to have it more sussed than Amazon – not least because it has a more standardised approach to presentation. Nearly all of its apps, be they on tablet, smartphone, set-top-box or TV are presented in a similar fashion. There are one or two exceptions, but the content rich user interface is generally identical across formats.

Not so Amazon, which has greater diversity in its approach. Look at the front end of the Amazon Fire TV box and compare it to the Roku channel or Xbox One app, for example. They all present the same content but often in radically different ways.

The Amazon apps can also be confusing for customers in that as well as the content included in a Prime subscription, they give access to paid-for content. There will always be a section dedicated to Prime no matter the app or channel, but you can easily accidentally stray and think a show or film is included only to be faced with a screen listing additional prices.

Also confusing is that, because Amazon Instant Video content is available to those that don’t have Prime membership, third-party apps (those on non-Amazon devices) often show the prices on selectable buttons even though it can also be streamed for free.

Video on both services works the same way though, with similar quality and variable bitrates depending on internet connections. And you can pause and pick up watching later in a similar way.

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Other features

Netflix has the ability to set profiles for each member of the family. Each person can have their own profile so Netflix will learn their particular preferences and offer suggestions based on previous viewing. It will also put their current wishlists and watchlists front and centre when they log in.

Kids too can have their own profiles, which can be locked to content appropriate to them. There is a whole kids section, with a dedicated front-end and menu system that can be locked to a child’s profile.

Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: Conclusion

We’ll say right now that choosing between Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video is not an easy task. It will likely boil down to two things though: price and preference.

For preference, you need to take into account what type of movies and shows you most like and compare the output of each – specifically the original and exclusive content. Top Gear fans, for example, will no doubt want to subscribe to Amazon’s service for The Grand Tour, in order to watch the new exploits of Jeremy Clarkson and his stooges.

Marvel comics fans would rather choose Netflix, as that has a content partnership with Marvel Studios.

Preference also comes into play with what devices you own. Apple TV, for example, doesn’t currently have an Amazon Prime Instant Video application but does have one for Netflix, which makes it simple it that’s your primary viewing source.

Some though might simply look at the price and make a decision that way, and on that front Amazon certainly puts a convincing argument, especially if you buy a lot of products through the online retailer.

One thing is for certain, whichever you choose, you’ll never be found wanting for something to watch again.

You can find out more about Netflix here and Amazon Prime Instant Video here, including subscription details and how to sign up for free month-long trials to try them out.

Doubling up on Alexa: How to use multiple Amazon Echo and Dots

Amazon is currently pushing the Echo and Echo Dot hard, making a push to dominate the connected home market before too many players – like Google – can catch up.

The Amazon Echo got off to a flying start, establishing itself as one of the hottest smart home devices, assisted by the smaller Echo Dot, a capable sidekick that brings its connected skills to existing speakers you might have.  

The Echo isn’t just a standalone device, there’s potential for it to be a playing in all parts of your house. Amazon even has a deal on the Echo Dot where you can buy five Dots and get one free.

The question is: do you really need that many Echo Dots and what will you do with them?

We’re diving into what it’s like living with Alexa on numerous devices, with Echo and multiple Dots spread around your home and whether there’s any great benefit.

Setting up multiple Amazon Echo devices

Adding a new Echo or Dot to your home is straightforward, following the same steps as when you setup your first device. Login to the Alexa app, go to settings and choose “setup a new device” then follow the process as you did before.

You can achieve the same result with your Alexa account on a desktop PC if you prefer.

It’s really as simple as that. Because it links to an existing account, it adopts the skills of the existing device, so there’s no need to setup all the individual elements again.

The next decision is where to place the new device. Amazon built the Echo to be smart enough to respond to your commands across the room. The devices make use of “Echo Spatial Perception” which means the Echo that is closest to you should be the one that responds.

Amazon

We found that if you stood somewhere between two devices then it could cause a problem. With one in the kitchen and one in the lounge, standing roughly halfway between the two confused the system, leading to neither responding, or one responding but not understanding correctly, or both attempting to respond.

You’ll need to experiment with placement to get this balance right and it will also depend on your intended usage. If one is upstairs and one downstairs, you’ve effectively added the convenience is Alexa in multiple places in your house and there’ll likely be no conflict.

Setup is easy, so what can and can’t you do with multiple Amazon Echos?

Multiple Echo functions and features

In reality, not that much. The core functionality of Alexa and the Echo (whether that’s the Dot or not) doesn’t really change when it’s doubled up, with minimal syncing between the two. There are a few areas with all the Echos will sing in harmony, but for the most part, each works as an individual. 

Synced shopping lists and to-do lists

Some things are synced to your Alexa account and those are therefore accessible on the various Echo devices you might have scattered around the house. Add something to your to-do list or shopping list and it’s immediately available elsewhere too.

The shopping list is handy because it’s stored within the app, so you can verbally add things to list through any Echo device to check on your phone when you’re next out shopping.

Music in multiple locations

Although it’s easy to add multiple Echo devices to your home, you unfortunately cannot combine the devices to sync music throughout the house. Each device acts independently and if you’ve set Spotify to your default music source then you can’t even play the same songs on multiple Echos.

You can, however, play music from different sources on different Echos in different rooms. For example, you can play TuneIn Radio in the bedroom and Spotify in the kitchen. Therefore, the devices can be positioned around the house for family members to listen to their own music though you might need separate accounts if you’re all trying to use Spotify.

This is an issue that Amazon needs to address, as Google supports syncing across Chromecast devices for audio, so the competition is very real. Sonos will be supporting Alexa in 2017, however, giving you voice support for your speakers in different rooms.

Setting timers and alarms

The Echo is great for setting timers and alarms, whether that’s for waking you up in the morning or as a reminder for when food will be finished cooking or the washing machine needs emptying.

Unfortunately, timers and alarms are specific to the device they’re set on. If you set a timer using an Echo Dot in the kitchen, it won’t carry through to the Echo or Echo Dot in the lounge or bedroom. This is unfortunate as it would be a great way to manage timers and track things remotely.

Bluetooth connections are separate

Bluetooth connections are treated separately and not common between your Echo devices, which makes sense as you might not want the devices interfering with each other or connecting to a Bluetooth speaker in a different room.

We’ve found Bluetooth connectivity on the Echo Dot to be seamless and once it’s initially setup it is easy to tell Alexa to “connect to my speaker” to re-establish the connection.

Household Profiles and multiple accounts

Within the app you can add another Amazon user to your Household Profile. This is beneficial in several ways, first and foremost in that it gives that person access to their own content (music, audio books and Google Calendar).

It’s also worth doing if you have an Amazon Prime account but the other person doesn’t, as adding them to the Household Profile allows them to take advantages of Prime benefits too. You can find out more about the benefits here and manage yours here.

Amazon

You can also use this to choose who sets up the Echo devices and which account they are assigned to. You need to get the other people in the house to download the Alexa app and sign the terms of agreement, then once accounts are connected you can tell Alexa to switch between the profiles which is handy for managing content, placing orders and more.

Distinguishing between users

Despite having the ability to add multiple users to the account, Alexa is not capable of distinguishing between users based on their voice, so you need to physically tell an Echo device to switch accounts before it will do so. This is especially relevant if you’re placing an Echo device in someone’s bedroom and you want it connecting to that person’s content.  

Unfortunately, if you tell Alexa to switch accounts and then request a song on Spotify you’ll currently find her returning a message about how Spotify playback is only available through the primary user’s account. You cannot therefore prevent household use from ruining your Discover Weekly or allow family members access to their own playlists.

The alternative might be having each user purchase their own Echo device and thereby being the primary user. It’s a shame the system doesn’t work more seamlessly currently, but perhaps we’ll see it improve in future.

Are multiple Echos worth it?

There’s a mix of functionality and syncing here that begs the question as to whether it’s worth having several Amazon Echo devices in the house. On first glance, although the Amazon Echo is one of the most advanced forays into the connected home that we’ve seen, its own devices are still rather disconnected.

In reality, each Echo works in isolation, except when it comes back to that central Alexa app or account, such as with list syncing.

But the advantage of having access to Alexa’s features doesn’t hinge on building some sort of super Echo network in your house. Being able to use the Echo’s smart voice controls across your home is the real advantage: you can control your lights or heating via voice from upstairs or downstairs. If you have a loft room, the Dot will bring voice control that’s outside the range of your Echo downstairs and so on.

At the same time it’s clear that the Echo family could offer a more connected experience and the potential for Amazon to create its own synced multiroom music system can’t be understated. With the Dot being so affordable, if you’re a fan of the Echo then it’s certainly worth the expansion, even if that’s just to give you voice control over your smart lights or heating from more rooms in the house.

Swift Playgrounds shows how anyone can learn to code

In June 2014 at its WWDC event keynote in San Francisco, Apple introduced a new coding language called Swift. The idea was to make coding easier, less frustrating and to offer you a real-time look at what your code actually meant. Swift Playgrounds, launched earlier this year, is an iPad designed to make it even simpler.

Apple’s mission is simple: to get as many kids and first-timers as possible learning the basics of coding. This week, that drive sees the company taking part in the Hour of Code as part of Computer Science Education Week which runs until 11 December. Free workshops will be held at Apple stores around the country.

If you’re not able to get to one with your kids, just fire up the iPad, download Swift Playgrounds and you’ll find a special Hour of Code session there. Or, if you’re a teacher, you can download Apple’s pre-made lesson guides and start your own session. 

Pocket-lint

Right at the outset of starting up the Swift Playgrounds app – a free download from the App Store – you’re introduced to coding in the most simple way. Half of the screen is taken up with a real-time graphic showing a character called Byte in his own 3D world. The other half is a screen for inputting your code, with a basic description and guide on how to achieve the objectives of that lesson.

In every instance, the aim is to get Byte to pick up a gem and/or flick a switch on the floor. As you progress through the lessons, commands get more and more complicated to build up your knowledge of how to string together commands.

The first chapter of lessons take you through stringing together very basic commands. You don’t have to type them all out, you can just tap on the command you want from the selection at the bottom of the screen. This immediately cuts a considerable amount of time out of inputting code, removing probably the most tedious part of real coding.

Following on from that, you learn to build complex single commands by grouping together existing simple lines. For instance, in any level where the same group of moves is repeated multiple times, it’s better to build a new function made up of individual commands.

Pocket-lint

As an example, Byte needs to go up and down four sets of steps to collect a gem in one chapter. In this instance, it makes more sense to create one function that tells him to go up the stairs, collect the gem, then come back down and turn to the next set of steps, the repeat that three more times. It’s the difference between writing 28 lines of code and writing four.

One of the other great things about Swift Playgrounds is that if you make a mistake, and get commands in the wrong order, you don’t have to delete the entire list and start again. You simply tap on a line of code and drag it up or down to reorder.

While Swift Playgrounds will never be a tool to help you build a stonking new app, and become a coding wizard, it’s a really easy way of learning the basics. By gamifying the process, making input so easy to see and so visual, it’s about as user friendly as coding has ever been. We’ve tested it with some of our primary school age kids and, although initially tricky for them, they got into the groove eventually.

It stops lines of coding from looking like a jumbled mess or words and punctuation, and makes it far easier to understand. If you want to get into coding, or help your kids or pupils learn the basics, it’s one of the best ways to do it.

The Morning After: Friday December 9, 2016

Friday is here, and we learned that Magic Leap’s wondrous demo video last year was all CGI magic, that scientists have discovered a dinosaur tail with feathers, and explain why Pebble fans might not be happy with the company’s new owners.

Always read the fine print
Surprise: That first Magic Leap demo video was all special effects

For the last couple of years, Magic Leap has been promising a groundbreaking augmented reality experience. Despite hiring hundreds of employees and snagging big-name financial backers (like Google) it hasn’t actually shown off the technology publicly, leaving all of us to wonder what’s going on. The Information reports that the company has had trouble implementing some of its patented fiber-optic technology, and may be preparing a wearable headset that’s closer to what we’ve seen from Microsoft’s HoloLens than the WETA-created demo video it posted last year.

1921 – 2016
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, dies at 95

On Thursday John Glenn died at the age of 95 in Columbus, Ohio. One of NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts, Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth, a combat pilot in World War II and the Korean War and a four-term US Senator. 36 years after his first first spaceflight, he became the oldest person to visit space at 77, flying a nine-day mission on the Discovery shuttle in 1998.

Yeah, like Jurassic Park
First dinosaur tail found encased in amber

A piece of amber found in Myanmar has provided scientists with their first well-preserved sample of a dinosaur’s tail, complete with feathers. Likely from a Cretaceous-era coelurosaur, it’s providing new information not only on dinosaurs, but also on how feathers have evolved.

Google’s Assistant is getting out there
Google opens up its Assistant actions to third party developers

Spotify shortcuts, WhatsApp replies and more could be coming soon to Google’s AI helper. Actions on Google was briefly described at the company’s October event, and is a little bit like IFTTT, making programmable ‘recipes’ for Google’s Assistant to follow. Now the developer platform is live, and third parties will eventually be able to create at least two types of Actions — Direct and Conversation. For now, only Conversation Actions are available, where “users won’t need to enable a skill or install an app, they can just ask to talk to your action,” Self-explanatory, then.

Cortana also getting the smarts
Windows 10 preview puts Cortana in control of your music

Cortana is the star of a big new Windows 10 Insider Preview build. Microsoft says that voice control of your PC was one its “top requests,” so the latest update now lets you shutdown, restart, lock or sleep your system using the voice assistant. You can also use natural language to play music on two apps, as well as control volume and navigate tracks.

Putting brakes on new Pebble hardwareFitbit’s Pebble acquisition risks alienating loyal users

Yesterday, Pebble announced that it’s getting acquired by Fitbit. It sounds like a smart combination, with Pebble struggling to gain mainstream market share in the tough wearables industry. However, it appears that the deal doesn’t include the startup’s hardware. And the only assets carrying over are key talent, software and intellectual property, Fitbit risks not only disappointing the thousands of loyal fans that believed in Pebble despite the odds.

But wait, there’s more…

• Killing children in ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’
• Microsoft’s Cortana gets a simpler look on iOS and Android
• Twitch gamers will stream from the White House next week

Microsoft Releases Office Diagramming App ‘Visio Viewer’ for iPad

Microsoft yesterday released an iPad version of popular Office diagramming and graphic app Visio. The iOS incarnation is limited to viewing Visio documents, leaving the editing of files to the desktop application, and instead focuses on bringing a touch-based browsing experience with intuitive pan and zoom features to users on the go.

Visio diagrams often comprise details that customers could miss on smaller screens. Built for iPad Retina display, Visio Viewer for iPad brings high-fidelity viewing of real-world processes and plans on the go. With the new exploration experience, plant managers can zoom in to production line issues from remote facilities, financial advisors can examine detailed workflows of a loan approval process while visiting clients around the world, retail district managers can conduct store management trainings with associates using detailed CAD-based store layouts and much more.

Visio Viewer for iPad can import documents from OneDrive, SharePoint, and email, with a search functionality built in to the interface for finding shape names, text, or data. Users are also granted the ability to adjust the visibility of different layers to reveal more structure in plans and diagrams.

Visio is a free download for iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Office 365
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The Last Guardian review: Well worth the wait

There are few games that have been as hyped as The Last Guardian over the years. The spiritual follow-up to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus has been in development for almost 10 years and made its debut at the E3 games show way back in 2009.

But issues along the way forced the game’s release further and further back to the point it looked like it would never materialise. Finally, however, Sony confirmed it at E3 2015.

Originally destined for the PlayStation 3, given the time-frame, The Last Guardian is now a firm a PlayStation 4 exclusive, with some enhancements if you play on PS4 Pro.

So what has designer/director Fumito Ueda been doing in all that time, and was The Last Guardian worth the wait?

The Last Guardian review: Puzzlingly brilliant

Thankfully, the answer is yes.

Like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian is a puzzle adventure. It has platform elements, but relies heavily on problem solving to get from one location and set-piece to another.

These invariably involve encouraging a massive cat-dog-bird-thing you’ve befriended to leap chasms or stand in the right place so you can climb him to get to otherwise impossible ledges. And that’s mainly it. The gameplay mechanics are pretty straight-forward and basic, but extremely involving. And the story and emotive ride you’re taken on more than makes up for complexity.

You play a small child, who wakes in a strange place near a giant, hurt beast. After calming him through the removal of mysterious broken spears, freeing him from his shackles and naming him Trico, you embark on a journey of discovery – presumably to get back to wherever it is you came from in the first place.

Sony Computer Entertainment

By being suitably vague to begin with the narrative unravels along the way, feeding nuggets and clues to what the heck is going on. In many respects it echoes Ueda’s back catalogue and more recent hits, such as Journey, and it falls slap bang in the middle of baffling and whimsical, which is not a bad place to be.

The Last Guardian review: Measured storytelling

You care enough to keep going but the story never gets in the way of the majesty of the game. In essence, it is a sequence of massive, puzzle-oriented set pieces, with few requiring speedy action so you get plenty of time to take in the scenery.

It reminds us of Tomb Raider played through the eyes of a contemporary dance outfit. Most puzzles follow similar themes – pull this lever to do such and such – but the inclusion of Trico makes it altogether more heartwarming. This is a tale of friendship between one boy and his giant, dog-bird-cat beast rather than a pair of hotpants, couple of pistols or a sidekick called Sully.

Sony Computer Entertainment

One of the reasons that The Last Guardian couldn’t have been made for PS3 lies in Trico himself. The enormous beast has great AI and movement, acting like a real animal. It gets scared, curious and angry – often elements of puzzles or their solutions. And it moves beautifully. As do all the feathers on its back, which you can climb.

The Last Guardian review: Graphical marvel

To have such an enormous character on screen with so many nuances in behaviour and motion takes a lot of computing power and the PS4 copes wonderfully.

The game is graphically impressive as a whole, with outdoor locations seeming vast in their detail and scale. Indoors it’s all a bit murky, but that’s down to the art style rather than limitations. And if you’re playing the game on a 4K TV through PS4 Pro, you get extra resolution to play with and HDR (high dynamic range) pictures.

Sony Computer Entertainment

Some have bemoaned the frame-rate trade-off for higher resolution, but we didn’t notice too many dropped frames or stutter. We were too busy marvelling as our feathered chum leapt across chasms.

There are points in the game where it isn’t quite as perfect as we’d like, with climbing Trico sometimes a little clumsy, but the spirit and beauty more than make up for them. It truly is a wonderful example of measured storytelling.

Verdict

The Last Guardian has old school roots but is a very modern game. In an age where the top titles are effectively action movies you control, this is an indie classic that you’d happily sit in a trendy London cinema to see.

The 12-hours of play time are fraught with frustrations and head-scratching puzzles, but you never feel that the game is halting your progress, just your own inadequacies in not being able to solve each puzzle. Those 12-hours, therefore, could easily be extended.

It is also magically presented, with a main character in Trico that you will long remember after the final scenes play out.

Some things are indeed worth the wait.