PS5: The Future of Gaming

The newest generation of the revolutionary PlayStation is here, the PS5. After a lot of criticism for the design, the console is finally out there in the world. So, we decided to have a deep look into this mighty gaming device and break it down for you. If you are also waiting to know more about this strange-looking modernish piece of tech, come along, let’s review this beast.

The console

PS5 is according to ME, one of the well-designed products in 2020. It might seem a bit weird at the first look, but if you look closer, it is somewhat futuristic. The tower standing tall on your tabletop seems much cooler compared to the previous generations of the PlayStation consoles. Agree that it is a bit big and may not fit “everywhere.” However, I don’t think it is a huge issue considering the true power packed inside.

The specs

Under the hood, the PS5 is capable of producing 120 FPS, 8K/4K HDR output given that your TV is capable of expressing those pixels. The features such as the “ray tracing” make it even more realistic playing certain titles that make use of them. The games look much realistic compared to the PS4 and the characters seem much closer to the real-life forms.

The SSD storage packed inside truly enhances the speed of the gameplay and overall gaming experience. We have seen up to 80% improvement in the loading times of certain titles. While playing games that hugely depend on the storage media, the device is a beast. It can seamlessly read and write to the SSD at an exceptional speed. After the system files and everything that the PS5 needs to store to run it smoothly, you will have around 660 GB of SSD left for your games which will be more than enough for an average gamer.

The console is powered by a 10.3 teraflops-equipped GPU, powerful enough to smoothly run any games that ever produced with the best graphics. An 8-core Ryzen Zen 2 processor coupled with 16GB of GDDR6 RAM boosts the gaming performance at a level we can never imagine. When it comes to raw performance, PS5 is a beast. Nevertheless to say that we never hit a lag in performance on any of the titles we tried on the platform.

Games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales specifically designed for the new Sony console runs smooth as butter. Never faced any issue in performance with the game swinging around the city. Games such as No Man’s Sky, Death Stranding, Days Gone are also performing much better on PS5.

Starting times

The game start times are extremely fast compared to PS4. Would you mind if your game started and become playable in around 16 seconds? We were able to start the games such as the Spider-Man: Miles Morales that is specifically re-developed for the PS5 consoles in just around 16-18 seconds. In the PS4 consoles, it took no less than 90-100 seconds to do the same. How good of an improvement is that?

The same repeated for almost every title we tried on this beast. Except for the Ghost of Tsushima. That game let us down. There was a few seconds improvement, but not much. We were able to start it in around 90 seconds in PS4 but just around 80 in PS5. But, an improvement is an improvement.

So, wrapping it around, you will feel the difference in loading times of almost every game. You can just run to the couch turning on the PS5 and start playing certain titles almost immediately. You will be most-likely surprised how fast the games load, especially if you were using the PS4 for a while.

The controller

The thing you feel in your hands the most while playing games, the thing that decides how well you perform in games, The Controller. Since the introduction of the twin-stick controllers, we can consider the PS5 DualSense controller as the first major redesign. Not only the way it looks has changed, but there is something unique to the renowned controllers that we all use.

The DualSense is slightly bigger and heavier than the DualShock controllers, in a good way. It feels much stable and has a much better positioning in the palm. Even though the positioning of the buttons hasn’t changed from the previous controller, it still feels a bit better to reach them much quicker. Especially while playing shooting games that require quick response times, it feels so smooth reaching out to the desired buttons. The home button though got a new design from the typical round to the PlayStation logo. Not a big fan of that, but looks cool though…

The DualSense can be charged via USB-C and can be used for around 6-8 hours based on the usage. Most of our tests yielded a solid usage of around 6 hours. So, you can expect something around that. So, there isn’t much reduction in the battery life compared to the previous generation controllers especially considering the much-advanced features the new ones are equipped with.

Haptic Feedback

The haptic feedback feature introduced with the PS5 controllers will make the vibrations much smoother and fitting to what’s currently happening in the game. Instead of “just vibrating” the level of vibration will vary based on different scenarios inside the game. Which might actually be good to feel the game much closer to reality.

To let you experience the true power of the new controller, every PS5 will be shipped with a simple third-person shooter game known as the “Astro’s Playroom.”

The moment you start playing the game, you will start noticing the subtle footsteps the characters make, the difference while wandering around different surfaces. Walking around plane ground feels much different from running through the sand. You can feel it in your fingertips. You can “really” feel what’s happening in the game in your hands.

Adaptive Triggers

The adaptive triggers, the next big thing you can experience in the controller. Similar to that of the haptic feedback feature, the adaptive triggers simply lets you experience the game in a much better way. For example, if you are getting ready to shoot a bow at the target by holding down the triggers, you can feel the tension in the string. The tension will vary based on different scenarios and games that you use it on. A cool minute feature that could impact the gameplay experience at a huge scale.

As mentioned, the game that ships with the PlayStation is the best way you can try on all of these things. It is crafted for the players to experience the immense features that come with the redesigned controller without having to figure it out during an online battle. You can play around and feel the beauty of the latest technology at your fingertips.

Streaming

For those who don’t want to end the usage of the PS5 just for gaming, it can be used as an excellent streaming device. With the help of the newly added streaming platforms such as YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, Disney+, Spotify, and Twitch, PS5 will deliver an immense streaming experience for the users.

There is even a completely dedicated space for the entertainment separated from the gaming stuff. The Media Space contains everything you need to enjoy without even having to download them manually from the PlayStation store. It is extremely easy switching between the gaming and entertainment modes whenever you feel like.

The new remote comes with the PS5 as an additional accessory that can be used to easily control the media space and enjoy the full potential of the Sony console as a media streaming device. So, if you are expecting something more than just gaming, the PS5 is a great choice for you.

Compatibility

Assuming that you are using the same PlayStation account to sign in to the newer PS5, you will be able to enjoy your older titles without any issues. Almost all of the PS4 games will be compatible with the PS5 as well. That means you do not have to leave behind your favorite titles that aren’t yet released specifically for the PS5.

You may also use the physical game discs on the new PS5 without any issues. You can insert your old PS4 discs into the new PS5 and enjoy your games without interruption.

According to Sony, almost 99% of the titles on PS4 will be compatible with PS5 without any problems. From our tests as well, it shows the same. We never came across a game that wasn’t compatible with around 30+ games we tested on the device. So, you can trust the words of the manufacturer on this.

Wrapping it up

Good design, Excellent performance, True compatibility, a Stunning redesigned controller, what could we expect better? It is a gaming beast as it should be being the successor of one of the most popular gaming consoles of all time. PS5 didn’t disappoint us in any area. So, no need to say that, if you can afford one, you should get one to experience the true beauty of gaming.