A year ago, MLB 13: The Show was a visually arresting PS3 baseball game. It made me say, “Ooh!” Now, despite sporting essentially the same graphics as it did last season, MLB 14: The Show on PS3 instead made me say, “Oof!” And that’s no fault of the game; the PS3 hardware has been pushed as far as it can go. The difference is the PlayStation 4. The mere existence of Sony’s new console has recalibrated my internal meter for what looks impressive. Such is the price of progress.

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“ The ballparks have all been given glorious makeovers.

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But now that I’ve had a chance to play a pair of nine-inning games on PS4 in 1080p, I’m pleased to report that, for the most part, MLB 14: The Show on PlayStation 4 restores the “wow” factor to the long-running hardball sim, giving it graphics that can once again match up to its excellent gameplay.Only the presence of disappointingly jaggy foul lines made me wish for more anti-aliasing, but then again, this version was developed on an especially abbreviated schedule. What Sony San Diego has done on a compressed schedule is laudable, though of course, given that the game isn’t discounted to take its shortened timeline into account, it’s fair to have the usual expectations of a $60 title (a discussion about nine-month sports game development schedules versus consumer expectations for a yearly release is a whole separate article).And in case you’re curious, the PS4 version is functionally identical to the great PS3 game, with the microscopic change of Select button functions (like end your pitcher warm-ups) moving to a press of the touchpad button. I have a lot more to play once the final copy gets into my hands in a few weeks from now, but my initial impression is that if you’re a PS3 and PS4 owner who’s holding out for the PS4 version, you may very well be satisfied with your decision.Want more? Be sure to check back on IGN next Monday, April 14 at 11am PT/2pm ET for our MLB 14: The Show PS4 livestream, where the San Francisco Giants' Hunter Pence will square off against Los Angeles Dodgers star Yasiel Puig in the first-ever live broadcast of MLB 14: The Show for PlayStation 4.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and Baseball Guru-in-Chief. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan , on IGN , catch him on Podcast Unlocked , and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.