After months of waiting and a roller coaster of emotions while attempting to secure a pre-order, I finally got my hands on the PlayStation 5 (PS5) this past Friday. This was one day after the 19 November ‘rest of the world’ launch, so I was slightly late to the party – but that didn’t dampen my excitement. The internet was ablaze with discussion about Sony’s latest console release, and I couldn’t wait to finally get in on the action and try it for myself.
So, what did I think to the PS5 after the arduous wait since its announcement? Having only spent one weekend with the machine, it might be a little early to say for sure. But it’s definitely worthy of the hype and a major step up from the previous generation of gaming hardware. As reports surface of the console selling online for four times the asking price, you might be asking yourself if it’s worth that? No, it isn’t – but nothing is. However, that’s not to say the £449/$499 you’d fork out for the PS5 wouldn’t be money well spent. This is a slick bit of kit that refines everything that made its predecessor so great and pushes it one step further. Here’s what stood out for me – good and bad – during my first weekend with the PS5…
It looks better in person
If, like me, you were torn on the PS5’s unusual form, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised once you’ve unboxed it. While comparisons to WiFi routers are justified, I wonder if these memes will be condemned to the dustbin of internet history before too long. In my opinion, the PS5 looks futuristic and is clearly designed to blend into its surroundings. Obviously, this may depend on the colour scheme of the room it’s in, but at a glance it could easily be confused with an ornament by someone none the wiser. In addition, its unique greyish white tone makes for a nice aesthetic and helps it stand out – but not too much.
The PS5 is pretty quiet, too. Although the degree of its silence may have been overstated as there were some noticeably louder moments – particularly when installing games, launching them for the first time, or when on-screen action significantly picked up. At one point, my girlfriend even commented on the noise it was putting out and questioned if something was wrong – but this only lasted for a moment or two.
For those hoping for a neat, compact console, you probably already know that you’re in for disappointment. This machine is thicc af. It’s noticeably bigger than my launch day PS4. Personally, I don’t mind this – it certainly makes a statement sitting there on my shelf. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it deterred some people from picking up a PS5 until the inevitable slim version is released in a few years.
It’s all about the DualSense
The DualSense controller is undoubtedly the highlight of this already impressive console. Aside from its sleek design, its functionality is a gigantic leap forward from anything we’ve seen before.
Astro’s Playroom serves as an excellent demo for the controller and helps familiarise you with each of its features, including dynamic vibration and adaptive triggers. It really sets the benchmark for controllers of the future and it’s hard to imagine going back to the way things were. The DualSense is something that few people asked for but so many will be thrilled to have once they’ve experienced it for themselves. I felt spoiled with innovation at every turn and I’m excited to see how it will be utilised in future titles. For now, Astro’s Playroom and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War help showcase its potential perfectly and are worth checking out if you want to see what the DualSense is capable of in these early days.
A familiar but much improved user experience
If you played the PS4, the PS5’s user interface will feel like more of a continuation than revolution. And that’s OK. The PS4 user experience was fantastic and its tiled home screen was intuitive and a pleasure to navigate. I always hoped some of its key elements would be retained in Sony’s ninth generation outing and I’m pleased to see they were.
This time round, everything has been enhanced for the sake of increased usability and accessibility. You’ll seamlessly transition between activities, screens, cards, and settings using the Control Centre, where you can manage everything from games to friends to group chats to devices and much more. I even spent a brief time using the hints and tips features available to PlayStation Plus subscribers – a useful ‘nice to have’, if not entirely essential. As you play, a quick flick to the Control Centre will show your level progress so you can see how close you are to completing the current section of your game. Similarly, if you’ve been invited to a group chat, you can join friends and then effortlessly switch to whichever title you’ll be playing together in a matter of moments.
When it comes to load times, the PS5 is lightning fast. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is near instant and it’s difficult to imagine how it could be any quicker. Other games may not be quite as speedy but waits seem impressively short across the board. Having said that, PS4 games stored to an external hard drive load remarkably slower. And when playing Monster Hunter: World (part of the mighty PlayStation Plus Collection line-up) on my external hard drive, the audio was out of sync. Upon moving the game to the PS5’s SSD, it booted up in no time and the issues were gone.
When starting up your PS5 for the first time, you are greeted by a helpful series of setup screens which allow you to tailor the experience to your liking. This initial requirement of user input is offset by the automation the system is rooted in. Once I’d completed setup, I felt like the PS5 was doing everything for me to save time and effort. My games were ready to go. My saves were there for me to access. My PSN account was just as I’d left it. I could even view my entire library of PS4 games – although admittedly, some were locked owing to disc requirements and poor old P.T. “isn’t playable on PS5” (damn you, Konami).
Some jarring technical hiccups
Alas, my weekend wasn’t without its problems. Prior to getting my PS5, I’d seen reports online of various crashing issues and system software failures. Suffice to say, I experienced two such instances. Of course, when you buy a new console so close to launch this shouldn’t come as a surprise. There will always be technical wrinkles that need ironing out. But when you’re £449 down, it can be a tough pill to swallow when something goes wrong.
The first crash came during the opening moments of Miles Morales. As I pursued Rhino through the streets of New York, I was suddenly stuck in mid-air. The PS5 quickly rebooted itself. I reloaded the game and picked up where I’d left off. The second crash happened late on Sunday during a game of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies. The session froze and my screen went black. The PS5’s lights began to pulse to suggest it was rebooting, but nothing happened. Ultimately, after what seemed like three attempts at restarting, the screen came back on and I was informed of a system software failure. Much like with the PS4, the PS5 then carried out a system rebuild. Thankfully, everything seemed OK afterwards but I’m hoping Sony can sort these problems ASAP. It certainly put a downer on an otherwise excellent first weekend with the PS5.
Do you have a PS5? How has your experience been so far? Let us know in the comment section below, and don’t forget to take a look at our other gaming articles…
