Introduction
Sony’s PlayStation 5 is finally here, and it arrives with a bang. The console itself is powerful and easy to use — and it comes in two flavors: standard or digital edition. But there are plenty of games you can’t play on the PS5 yet (including many new titles), and accessories like controllers are pricey. That said, if you’re looking for a home console that delivers some serious gaming power without breaking your bank account, this is the platform for you!
The PlayStation 5 is a marvel of not just engineering but also design.
The PlayStation 5 is a marvel of not just engineering but also design.
The PS5 is a marvel of both engineering and design.
It’s the best looking console Sony has ever made.
The PS5 is absolutely gorgeous. It’s the most powerful console Sony has ever made, and it’s so beautiful that you’ll want to keep it on display like a piece of art. It also happens to be one of the most expensive consoles ever made.
The system itself is sleek and slim, with two controllers that connect wirelessly via Bluetooth (and charge by USB). There’s an HDMI input at the front for your cable box or other devices, but no outputs on the back or bottom—they’re all hidden away in a compartment under an elegant lid overtop where you insert your hard drive(s) and game discs (you can only install games from physical discs; digital games aren’t supported yet). When you open up this compartment using its button in front of it (which also serves as its power button), there are three USB ports for additional accessories such as a controller charging station or external hard drives for data storage (the PS4 Pro supports up to eight).
The PS5 is huge, so measure your entertainment center accordingly.
We don’t yet know the exact dimensions of the PS5, but we can make some educated guesses based on its relative size to other Sony consoles. It’s likely that it will measure around half the size of the PS4 Pro, which measures about 13.2 inches wide, 11.6 inches deep and 2.1 inches tall (33cm x 28cm x 5cm). The PS5 is a little wider than that at 35 cm across and 3 cm taller according to this image in a recent patent filing that shows off an early prototype model of it.
PS5 fans should also be aware that if they want their new console hooked up directly into their TV without needing any additional hardware like an HDMI cable splitter or AV receiver (which most modern TVs have these days) they’ll need to make sure they have enough room for its ports on either side: two USBs plus one HDMI port per side means there’s very little room left over for anything else unless you use some kind of fancy dongle system instead!
The console is whisper quiet even when running intensive games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales or Demon’s Souls.
The console is whisper quiet even when running intensive games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales or Demon’s Souls. The PS5 runs so quietly that, if you have it in an open environment, it won’t be too hard to hear conversations from across the room—even if the people are whispering. This is certainly not the case with other consoles like the Switch and Xbox One (let alone old-school consoles).
You’ll also find that there’s no need to worry about any sort of noise pollution coming from your PS5 either; it will never disturb anyone nearby as long as you don’t put it right next to your bed—and even then you’d need really sensitive ears to detect any noise coming out of this console at all.
It may be big, but the PS5 is surprisingly light.
A lot of the specs we’ve seen floating around for the PS5 are in line with what we’d expect, but there are a few surprises. One big one is how light it is: Sony claims that the PlayStation 5 weighs just over 6 pounds, which makes it significantly lighter than its predecessor—the PS4 weighed about 3 pounds more than that. It’s also about half as heavy as Microsoft’s Xbox One X (which tips the scales at 8.4 pounds), so if you’re looking for a console that won’t weigh down your entertainment center or block access to other devices on your shelf, this could be worth considering.
The dimensions are roughly similar to those of both previous consoles in this generation—it measures approximately 10 inches long by 6 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches high—and when I held one in my hands and compared it side-by-side with my existing PS4 Pro model, they felt very similar too (both have rounded edges). However, there were two noticeable differences between them: First off was weight; not only did the new model feel lighter overall but also when holding them vertically with both hands each against their respective sides (right side up) they had different balances; while both versions were balanced toward their top ends if held vertically like this after flipping them upside down neither felt better supported by gravity alone without having anything else like another hand placed nearby supporting its base
Setup process is super simple if you’re upgrading from a previous PlayStation platform.
If you’re upgrading from a previous PlayStation platform, you’ll need to download the latest system software update. From there, it’s business as usual. You can also use the PS5’s built-in network test to check your connection speed.
There are two versions of the PS5 available at launch — a standard model and a Digital Edition that lacks a disc drive.
The standard model is similar to previous generations of PlayStation consoles, with a disc drive and hard drive that allows you to play physical games. The Digital Edition is a bit different, though — it has no disc drive and instead relies on digital downloads from the Playstation Store. This saves you money if you’re planning on playing mostly new titles, but it does mean that if there’s an older game or one not available for digital download, you’ll have to find another way to play them (such as borrowing from someone else). You can still buy physical copies of games if you’d prefer — these will cost more than their digital counterparts due to production costs — but they won’t be able to play those games until they obtain an external USB-C drive or PS4 Pro compatible with said format.
The Digital Edition also lacks any kind of storage capability beyond what comes preinstalled when purchased directly through Sony’s website: 500 GB SSD storage capacity and 8GB DDR4 memory module (with 1TB HDD storage & 16GB RAM option available later in 2020s), which may be insufficient depending on how much data needs saving between installations; however they do allow future upgrades via software patches so once released this might not matter much anymore anyway!
The PS5’s new DualSense controller feels great, but it’s pricey to replace if it gets damaged.
The DualShock controller has a touchpad and motion controls, making it easy to play games. It’s also pricey to replace if you accidentally break it. The DualSense controller is comfortable and responsive, with a built-in headset jack so you can chat while playing online games with friends.
The DualSense controller costs $100 on its own or $150 when you buy it bundled with the PS5 console—which means you might be tempted to hold onto your old PS4 controllers in case of emergencies. But if that happens, remember that they won’t work on the new system unless Sony updates them first!
The PS5 is an excellent console with plenty of power and speedy load times, but it’ll cost you a lot to build out your library of games and accessories.
The PS5 is an excellent console with plenty of power and speedy load times, but it’ll cost you a lot to build out your library of games and accessories.
The PlayStation 5 is the latest iteration of Sony’s flagship gaming console, which launched in Japan last November. The new console features 8K graphics and a solid-state drive (SSD), making it one of the fastest switching consoles out there. It also comes with an improved controller that feels more like a mouse than ever before.
As always, this upgrade comes at a cost: The PS5 will set you back $400 more than its predecessor—and even more if you want all the bells and whistles that come with it. If you’re happy playing on your current PlayStation 4 or Xbox One X (or earlier), then there’s no need to rush out to buy this device now—but if you’ve been itching for an upgrade, then it might be worth holding off until next year when prices settle down slightly after launch day hype dies down around October 2020–unless money isn’t an issue for you!
PlayStation 5 Console
Available through invitation only
Conclusion
We like the PlayStation 5, and we think you will too. It’s expensive, sure, but it’s also one of the most powerful consoles on the market right now and has some really cool features that make it stand out from the pack — especially if you’re into VR or want to play games in 4K resolution. Plus, with Sony’s promise of backwards compatibility with all previous versions of its console family (including PS3 titles!), you won’t have to worry about losing access to your old favorites when upgrading.
The lauded and scarce PS5 console finally arrived for this humble reviewer after winning a chance to buy via Amazon (the third entry, the second win). The machine is enormous, as other have no doubt noted, dwarfing its predecessor to the point of near absurdity. Thankfully, apart from a familiar whir when starting up, it is whisper quiet. Once a game or film is loaded, there are virtually no load times. The interfaces are easy to use and downloads are quick from the Playstation Store. If you have a mounted TV, beware that the HDMI cable provided is woefully short and despite its towering height, you’ll probably need to prop your console up on something in order to reach to intended input port. Be sure to affix to the stand first as the beast does tend to be top-heavy. If you’re like me, you’ll tire quickly of the loud, sometimes obnoxious sounds emanating from the controller during play. The haptic feedback is a nice touch, though. The graphical improvements over the PS4 are the true stars of the show, however. Do yourself a favor and download Demons’ Souls, even, or especially, if the lack of graphical polish in prior From Software games has depressed you. Flip the game to Vivid mode and prepare to be wowed by the the cleanness, the shimmer, the smoothness. Indeed, from top to bottom (and what a journey that is geographically across the console!), the PS5 is very, very smooth.
Summary: If you’re currently using a base PS4 – I recommend this. If you’re using a PS4 Pro – wait a bit.This is a HUGE upgrade from my 2013 base PS4. The games run much better, the console is silent (disc drive aside), and the UI is easy to get used to.In my opinion the console looks better in the vertical position, but if you plan to have it horizontal you can easily hide an extended storage drive under it!The controller is very nice. It’s not much different from the Dualshock 4 controller, but to me it’s more comfortable with it’s chunkier size. Believe it or not, the built-in mic in the controller is actually pretty decent and the mute button is a very welcome addition!With all that said, there still isn’t much games exclusive to the console that really take advantage of it’s hardware. I can’t imagine there’s much of a difference with the current games between PS5 and PS4 Pro.I kinda do wish I waited another few months, but it is definitely a big improvement over the base PS4.In fact, the only thing that doesn’t seem to carry over are the themes. But that aside there isn’t much of a reason to keep a PS4 afterwards.All in all, an excellent console and I’m excited for future games!