After competition between Sony and Microsoft for many years now around their respective gaming console brands, this ninth generation of gaming consoles has seen the competitors deviate into their unique approaches. The Xbox Series X|S very much feels like an Xbox One with greatly improved hardware and facilitates unity between the two + Windows 10. On the other hand, the PlayStation 5 feels like a brand new experience, offering a substantially different physical console, a revamped user interface, and offering a couple of experiences which are exclusive to it at launch. I like Sony Interactive Entertainment’s approach more, as there is nothing like those first few hours exploring and discovering what the development teams have put months if not years into developing exclusively for the platform.
Released on Thursday last week, the PlayStation 5 offers two variants – the standard model which comes with an Ultra Blu-ray Disc Drive built into it, and the digital version which locks its users to the PlayStation store digital store-front for all purchasers. I will begin by saying that unless the initial saving of $150.00 AUD is absolutely-positively worth it, you are much better purchasing the standard edition which will likely be cheaper over the long-term due to decreasing physical game costs over time.
Like its competitor, the PlayStation 5 boasts generally enhanced specs over its predecessor. This includes a speedy 1TB SSD, 3D Audio technology, 4K 120 fps display and ray-tracing technology. While I wouldn’t rule out a PS5 Pro or anything along those lines, I expect this console will be more than capable of handling whatever developers throw at it for the next half-decade if not longer. This level of increased power carries across into the new DualSense Controller, which receives several improvements on top of being more comfortable to hold, including haptic feedback through the L2/R2 triggers, a built-in microphone and a more immersive rumble/speaker. It might not be virtual reality level of realism, but the small attempts at immersion are welcome.
Furthermore, the PlayStation 5 boasts backwards compatibility with a majority of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games. This means that if you are like me and have limited space in your living room to store consoles, you can move or pack away your PlayStation 4 and not miss out on much if anything at all. It may not be the full PlayStation library (PS1-PS4) some would have been hoping for, but it is a start towards something that will hopefully continue forward into the PlayStation 6 era and beyond.
Like the Xbox Series X|S, the PlayStation 5 comes with a revamped new user experience which is designed to get your console connected to the internet, linked with your PSN ID and have all updates installed. This is done through either the console itself or through a smartphone app upon boot up. I again would recommend taking the app approach, especially if you are like me and had to reset your account passwords cause you have been auto logged-in for so long. The new user experience also includes the ability to port over games and save files from your PlayStation 4, which is something you should certainly do! But if you want to dive into the experience immediately and don’t have your two consoles connected via an ethernet port, expect a several-hour wait even to transfer over only your save files.
Once you are all set-up, you will find yourself in the main user interface, which first impressions may lead you to believe it is just a sleeker version of the PlayStation 4 UI. In some ways that is the case, but the revamps over the PS4 make the PS5’s UI a much smoother experience from the moment you boot up. Outside the aesthetically pleasing nature of how the individual “Game Application” pages are displayed and how lag-free the menu is, the system greatly benefits from the PlayStation Store being directly incorporated into it. This means that you no longer need to wait a good 30 seconds for a separate store app to load up! Most importantly, it is chic, easy to navigate through, and offers all the functionality with at most a few button presses.
PlayStation Plus subscribers also get access to a “Game Help” system accessible by pressing the PlayStation button. This optional feature enables developers to provide tips and tricks to complete a challenging boss battle or find a collectible. It may be seen as a controversial decision, but if you are ever in the predicament where you have collected 99/100 collectables and cannot find the last one – that tool might help your sanity.
In terms of first-party games, Sony Interactive Entertainment offers two first-party exclusives to the platform. One of these is Astro’s Playroom, a short free-to-play 3D platformer from Team Asobi which comes pre-installed onto the console and is both a fantastic showcase of the PlayStation 5’s capabilities and a nostalgia trip filled with references to games from the previous four generations. The second PlayStation 5 exclusive is a complete remake of Demon’s Souls, FROM SOFTWARE’s original super-challenging action-RPG which spawned the Dark Souls series. Other launch titles, outside of those from third parties, include Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure, both of which were also released on the PlayStation 4.
With there only being two first-party exclusives and most third-party games being across platforms, you are not missing out on too many experiences if you were unsuccessful in nabbing yourself a launch or 2020 pre-order. That said, Demon’s Souls, for a game which wasn’t known for its graphical prowess, looks and handles freaking amazingly!
While Sony Interactive Entertainment doesn’t offer as exhaustive a library as the Xbox Game Pass does, they are continuing to offer their monthly selection of free games (Including for a limited time, Bugsnax from Young Horses) to PlayStation Plus subscribers. Additionally, subscribers will also be able to access a curated library of PlayStation 4 games to play for free, including but not limited to Detroit: Become Human, The Last Guardian, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition and Persona 5. If you are new to gaming on the PlayStation, then you have a library containing many instant hits with your monthly subscription.
This is the dawn of the new generation of consoles, so it is hard to choose one recommendation over the other given we don’t know where Sony or Microsoft will take their consoles 6, 12, 24 months from now. But in terms of buying a console at launch, while not necessary, I would say that the PlayStation 5 has more to justify the early-adopter price. With a more immediate-future towards look at delivering exclusive games, an enriched and easy-to-use user interface and the hardware one would expect from a gaming console in 2020 and beyond – the PlayStation 5 delivers an immediate jump into the next generation and hopefully many thousands of hours of fun, tears and defining experiences going forward.
