Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA Premium Console Experience that is Powerful, but that is just beginning to scratch its Potential
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2020
[Initial Thoughts—Please stay tuned as I plan to add to this as I go]
Opening the Box:
Unboxing the PS5 reminded me of my first experience with Apple products years and years ago. And if you are not an Apple fan, you might not realize, how, back in the dark ages, tech was haphazardly packaged or that everyone else largely does it the “Apple way” nowadays. Needless to say, my experience was refined, not clunky, with the layout making sense, and very little wasted space.
The Beast inside:
The PS5 itself, is, well, massive. It dwarfs the PS4 Pro, and hell, even the new options from Microsoft. The styling of this hunk of plastic and metal is equally in your face. There is no two ways about it, some will love it, others will hate it and pray for a refined “slim version” to come sooner than later. I am more the former than the latter as I enjoy something a bit futuristic when it comes to my console experience. In other words, I like that it looks like a vase, even if it has become the ridicule of many who make many phallic jokes about it. That said, the disc drive version, which I have is a bit awkward at the base as it is a bit more “girthy” (Yeah, I know, I know.) than the digital edition.
Setup:
Setup experience is, well, exceptional. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been gaming a long a** time. My first console was an Atari 2600 and man, oh man, have we come a long way from that thing. It is, and I will borrow the old catch phrase from Apple-land, “it just works”. Transferring of games and save information over your router in between your two consoles is rather seamless but depending on how much you are shipping from your PS4 to your PS5, it might take a bit. I had heard that there was a way to directly connect the two, however, I did not do so.
*That said, COD: MW (2019) gave me a bit of trouble because of the sheer size, which led me to popping in the install disc to help speed it along.
Noise level of the PS5:
The PS5 is rather quiet, the loudest part, and it really is not that loud, per se, is the disc drive. And, if you owned a PS4 or PS4 Pro, you would appreciate the fact that the 4k blu ray drive in this does not sound like you are opening and closing a 55’ Chevy Truck door. It loads quietly, largely runs quietly, and ejects, quietly. But what about the fan? You can hear the fan's "whirring" sound if you get up close to it. Apparently, Sony has the ability to send out firmware updates that can change how the sound works. For you tin foil hat wearing folks, be ware, BIG BROTHER is watching you....and your PS5 fan.
The UI:
The UI, as much as the DualSense, is pretty much the talk of the town, right? But, it is a bit disorienting until you start to learn it. That said, as for speed and ease of navigation, I give the overall feel of it, a solid 8/10. Why not a perfect score, well, because nothing is perfect and I feel as if it almost a mix of the Switch’s UI and the PS4 and while I think it looks great, runs great, but I am not sure I fully love it, yet. For instance, some functions, feel buried, but they are not really, it is just how you access them that has changed, which means, you and I have to change. Do note, I am not saying this is for the better, I am saying this is how it is.
Storage:
The Elephant in the room. Storage. Storage is limited. There is really no other way to say it. For instance, after installing Fall Guys, COD: Modern Warfare (2019) and keeping Astro's Playroom installed, I had roughly 300gbs of space left. Now, not everyone happens to like having a catalog of games on their drive, which is fine. But many do. And with Sony releasing a digital edition, one would think that they would, custom drive not withstanding, given a bit more. Further, Sony does not have or has not yet released a list of drives that can populate the extra M.2 port that can take advantage of PS5s incredibly speedy architecture. This problem is further compounded because currently, you cannot offload games onto a USB attached storage drive.
The Controller:
The DualSense, without any game play, feels nice and hefty. Though, I will note the D-Pad feels a bit “squishy” to me. When playing games with it, it feels good. I have average hands, maybe a tad small (HEY! They are mighty hands, you leave me be!) and I did not experience any discomfort. In games where the DualSense is programed for, you will feel things differently as you play. It really is a step forward in that regards. In games, however, that are not setup for it, you essentially get the feel of rumble, all day, everyday. However, I encourage you to play Astro's playroom or Spiderman MM to get a good feel of its potential.
The Games:
At launch, Sony has a slight advantage with games--but not with subscription service. Whether they are all new, Demon's Souls, for instance, is another issue. As for playing games, I tried a couple of "older" titles, "Fall Guys" and "COD: Modern Warfare (2019)"--most notalby, Warzone. Both displayed improved load times, especially for the latter title. MW had a graphical and textural pack applied to it and while it helped some, I did not feel it made that much of a difference on the newer system as compared to when I played it on my old PS4 Pro. Indeed, it looked a bit more washed out, but consider, I had switched over from "Fall Guys", which is a cornucopia of colors that vary the spectrum or simply, it is like playing a game inside a bag of Skittles. You get my point.
But where this thing shines, frankly, and everyone has told you this-- and they ain't lyin' brosephus and sistersephus-- is with games built for it. On the PS5 the best examples of this are going to be "Demon's Souls" and "Spiderman: Miles Morales" and "Astro's Playroom". As of this update, I have played all three and can say confidently you will not be disappointed.
