In the ever-changing world of gaming, Sony’s PlayStation consoles have consistently been at the forefront, setting standards and reinventing gaming experiences. The PlayStation 5 (PS5), which debuted in late 2020, represents a significant advancement in gaming technology, providing unprecedented power, speed, and innovation. In this Sony PS5 Review, we will look at the features, performance, and overall gaming experience provided by the PlayStation 5.
Sony PS5 Review: Design
When the PS5 was first announced, there was a lot of discussion about its design, and for good reason—it completely deviates from the style that Sony had so far established for the PlayStation line. The Xbox Series X’s subdued black color scheme contrasts sharply with the striking black-and-white design of the PS5, which is almost unique. It’s reasonable to state, though, that although experimenting is enjoyable, this design isn’t perfect. For every person we speak with who finds it appealing, there are two more who find it confusing and overly large.
The latter is crucial because those side plates give an already large console an extra inch of space so it can fit on or beneath a TV stand. Even though it comes with a neat stand that can be switched to hold the console either vertically or horizontally, many users don’t seem to use it.
Controller
The DualSense controller that comes with the PS5, which is necessary for all PS5 games, has been an unqualified success. It is undoubtedly one of the best gamepads, and it is really beautiful. With more precisely positioned curves and grips, it improves the DualShock 4’s comfort and ergonomics, but the technical advancements are truly striking. The brand-new haptic feedback is a huge improvement over the antiquated Rumble, and if developers take the time to fine-tune it, it can produce remarkably accurate sensations (which happens mostly in PS5 exclusives).
This also applies to the adaptive triggers; pulling them can produce a wide range of sensations due to their ability to provide active resistance and tremble when squeezed. If developers like Insomniac use the motion sensing, microphone, and built-in speaker appropriately, this controller has the potential to be an immersive tool. Nevertheless, the DualSense’s battery life isn’t all that impressive; depending on haptics, it usually provides 5-7 hours, and these technological advancements have probably slightly hampered it.
PS Plus
PlayStation continues to face a notable gap compared to Microsoft, particularly in its subscription offerings, despite a complete overhaul of the PS Plus service in 2022. PS Plus now offers three tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium. The Essential tier retains the original PS Plus features, providing access to monthly free games and the PlayStation Plus Collection, which includes 20 popular PS4 titles playable on both PS5 and older hardware.
By upgrading to PS Plus Extra, subscribers gain access to the Game Catalogue, a library of around 400 games spanning this and the previous console generation. All games in this collection can be downloaded and retained for the duration of the PS Plus membership. The highest tier, PS Plus Premium, takes things further by offering a selection of retro PlayStation titles dating back to the original PlayStation console.
PlayStation VR
Apart from their game libraries, it’s challenging to distinguish between the PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, Sony holds a significant advantage with its VR support. The PS5 is compatible with both the PlayStation VR and PlayStation VR 2 headsets. The latter, launched in 2023, boasts an impressive game lineup, including titles like Horizon Call of the Mountain, Resident Evil Village, No Man’s Sky, Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge, Thumper, and Rez Infinite.
The PlayStation VR 2 delivers an exceptional VR experience, featuring a stunning 4K OLED screen, immersive haptic feedback, and cutting-edge eye-tracking technology. However, it requires a constant connection to a PS5, which can be cumbersome due to the tethered wire. The primary drawback is the price—the PlayStation VR 2 headset sells separately for a hefty $549.99/£529.99. This price tag exceeds that of the PS5 console itself, making it more of a niche product.
Hardware
The PS5’s hardware is extremely impressive, even if its raw power is slightly surpassed by the Xbox Series X – it’s a lightning-fast and powerful console. The key appears to be its SSD, which Sony has long been proud of. It’s extremely fast and enables insane loading times and world switches in games like Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart.
The major disadvantage is that storage that appears to be close to 1TB in size on paper is closer to half that size due to the existing program files. That means you’re limited in how many games you can install because many of them are now extremely large.
Fortunately, you can solve this quite affordably because the PS5 has a slot under one of its outer plates that allows you to install your own M.2 SSD drive, giving you up to 4TB of extra space.
User Experience
Since its initial release, the PS5 user interface has undergone numerous changes and tweaks to add new features and make others more accessible. A home page displays a scrolling bar of your games in the order in which you last played them, with additional titles available in your Library if you require an older title.
You can easily switch between tabs in this menu to access your settings or the PlayStation Store, and there is also a page dedicated to the benefits of PlayStation Plus. It’s all extremely fast and responsive, and loading into a game takes seconds. When you’re in a game, pressing the PS button on your controller will open a quick menu where you can change settings like social parties, volume control, and power options.
This will also take you to your home menu, which is a very useful quick menu that we find gets us where we want to go the vast majority of the time. Parties are simple to organize and invite friends to, and voice quality is noticeably high – better than 90% of games’ call quality, making it a go-to for social play.
Media
The PlayStation 5 comes in two flavors: the more accessible standard version has a disc drive, while the more compact Digital Edition does not. This indicates that 4K Blu-rays can be easily accessed and played, making them perfect for anyone who has a physical collection of discs to enjoy.
A vast selection of apps for popular media streaming services, such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Discovery+, as well as regional options like BBC iPlayer, are also available for the console. In our testing, all of these functioned smoothly and responsively. 4K HDR video is supported, and the PS5’s settings menu offers a range of customizable sound options.
A major improvement that makes the PS5 a far more adaptable media hub and an excellent choice if you own an Atmos-capable surround sound system is the addition of Dolby Atmos sound in a recent update.
Conclusion
Sony PS5 Review, gaming technology has advanced remarkably. The PS5 is a highly innovative and performant device, even with its daring design that has divided critics. Revolutionary haptic feedback is provided by the DualSense controller. PlayStation Plus’s multi-tiered subscription model enhances the gaming experience. PlayStation VR compatibility improves the experience and makes the PS5 a formidable gaming machine.
