Companions are great, much better than New Vegas.
On the surface yeah - they are initially a lot more interesting.. but after about 5 minutes you realize there's not really gonna be anything new to them and they add very little to the gameplay, they are like static NPCs that just follow you around.. Much like Skyrim.
Fallout 4 companions with NV companion quests would've been awesome.
It's great how they comment on different locations and situations, even actions your character takes. They're not static at all. And some do have interesting quests.
I agree that Piper is boring.