Five things you need to know before enlisting into PlanetSide 2 on PS4

PlanetSide 2 has been in development for the PS4 for quite some time. Our very first preview of the PC version was back from E3 2012, and the PS4 version was then announced the following year. Seriously, it's been that long.

Now the team has been working hard on the PS4 version, specifically redesigning key elements like the UI, making sure the game is optimized to run at the best possible framerate, and just ensuring that it played well on a controller. After all, this has been a PC-only game until now.

So let's take a look at the top five things you should be aware of when PlanetSide 2 launches on June 23.

PlanetSide 2 is completely free to play, but not without Microtransactions

When PlanetSide 2 launches on June 23 on the PS4, it will be completely free to download and play. That means you can get in on the action and start blasting people in the face and capturing bases without any sort of barrier of entry.

The game does support Microtransactions however, which allow you to buy pieces of equipment and various guns. However, do keep in mind that those can also be purchased with another type of currency you can earn in-game. If you plan on never spending a dime in the game, you'll be just fine.

The UI has been redefined to make controller navigation easy

One of the biggest hurdles the PlanetSide 2 team had to get over was how to translate smooth menu navigation from the PC version to the PS4 version. This might sound easy in theory, but losing access to a mouse which made navigation easy from menu to menu really makes a difference.

The PS4 version sports a completely new interface, right from the character creation down to each and every menu within the game, such as weapon loadout or choosing the right kind of vehicle for the situation.

New players can get acclimated in the Tutorial continent of Koltyr

When you create a new character in PlanetSide 2, you'll be transported to Koltyr, which is essentially the newbie continent. This is where you'll be able to play all the way to Battle Rank 15 and really hone your skills as well as learn the ins and outs of the game.

Koltyr is much smaller than the other continents, making the action feel a lot more tight and compact, and pretty much always ensuring something is happening to keep you in the action and interested.

Each continent offers a different type of playstyle

Aside from Koltyr, there are four other much larger continents, Amerish, Esamir, Indar and Hossin. Each continent isn't just aestheticaly different from one another, but actually provides a different style of gameplay.

Amerish is a continent covered with trees, making it a more tactical map that allows for a lot of cover fire. Esamir on the other hand is mostly flatland, making it the perfect map for vehicle warfare. Hossin is a swamp covered planet that also has a lot of plant life, like Amerish. Capturing each continent for the empire you're currently playing for will give you a certain boost as well.

Daybreak Cash won't transfer over to the PS4 version

This is a pretty big one. If you're a PC player who has previously invested in the game, keep in mind that your currency won't transfer to the PS4 version. The PC version now uses currency known as Daybreak Cash, whereas the PS4 will use Battle Cash. These are completely separate currencies.

The team is also currently not considering any sort of character porting from the PC version to the PS4 version, meaning you'll have to start fresh.