Review: the PlayStation 5 is a baking beast with a brilliant controller

Sony’s latest game console is gigantic, but therefore also very quiet. The biggest innovations are in the included controller.

The PlayStation 5 is the largest game console that Sony has ever made, with a height of no less than 40 centimeters. The device requires a large TV cabinet to be able to place it properly.

This format has a reason: a large part of the machine consists of cooling, so it makes little noise when playing large games. A big step forward compared to the PlayStation 4, which generates a lot of noise with many recent games.

That does not alter the fact that the design of the game console is controversial. He is bulky and with crazy designed curves, with a small foot on the bottom on which everything balances somewhat shakily. It is not worth a beauty prize.

Sony PlayStation 5 is loud when a disc is put in, but that sound is often temporary. A disc spins in the drive only when a game is installed, after which it will only make intermittent noise. When playing a blu-ray, it makes continuous noise. It means that the cheaper PS5 without a disc drive is also quieter.

Graphically a step forward

Although it is mostly quieter, the PlayStation 5 has made a leap in graphics. The difference isn’t as clear as with previous console generations, but games on the new machine often run at a 4K resolution at sixty frames per second. As a result, games are razor-sharp and smoothly animated.

The PlayStation 5 also supports ray tracing. Thanks to this technique, light is reflected in a natural way so that reflections are also displayed realistically.

It makes Spider-Man: Miles Morales , for example, look stunning. The game is set in New York during the Christmas season, where sleet, mood lighting and skyscraper windows create special lighting situations and reflections.

spiderman ps5
Thanks to ray tracing in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, light effects that are visible in the game during the dark winter months in New York are extra displayed. (Photo: Marvel)

Choose graphic options yourself

You cannot make that graphic leap without sacrifices. With Spider-Man , ray tracing is only possible if you opt for a speed of thirty frames per second. If you want to game with sixty images, you must turn off the visual option. The same is true in Devil May Cry 5 , where you can choose between 120 frames per second or ray tracing. Some gamers swear by a higher frame rate, because games are more smoothly animated. However, that difference is not equally noticeable for everyone.

This forced choice is unfortunate but understandable. Developers must make a distinction if they want to get the most out of the game console. But as a result, players are faced with all kinds of technical choices that feel like hassle. If you interested playoing PUBG or any android game on computer, maybe you need to read this article best android emulator for pc.

Much shorter loading times

A special type of SSD storage ensures shorter loading times than on previous game consoles. This is very noticeable with Spider-Man : where the original had to load on the PlayStation 4 for about a minute and a half, the new edition was completely started up in just under twenty seconds.

The Astro’s Playroom, which is supplied free of charge , does not even show a single loading screen, while in Devil May Cry 5 they pass by sparingly. Sony thus removes a major pain point during gaming, just like Microsoft .

Old PlayStation 4 games still need to load, but in many cases started up faster. For example, The Last of Us 2 takes a minute instead of a minute and a half. A good step forward, although competitor Microsoft seems to optimize old games better.

Sony PS5 DualSense gamepad is a great addition
Impatient players can enjoy the faster loading times. This is also a major point of improvement for PlayStation competitor Xbox Series X

Sony PS5 DualSense gamepad is a great addition

Sony is taking big steps forward with its new DualSense gamepad. Haptic feedback lets you feel subtle taps and vibrations that games can use in many ways. A game must support this.

Astro’s Playroom serves as a demo to demonstrate this technology. You can feel the footsteps of your robot vibrating alternately in both sides of the gamepad, while raindrops come in as small taps.

The triggers on top of the controller can also provide resistance. A strung bow feels heavy and a fired machine gun vibrates with the recoil.

A built-in speaker simultaneously plays sounds that accentuate what you feel. You quickly forget that you feel a vibrating motor while gaming. A great addition that you must feel to fully understand it.

astro sony pps5
Astro’s Playroom comes standard on the PlayStation 5. The vibrations of the DualSense controller play a big role in the movements the Astro Bot makes. (Photo: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

A tangle of buttons

Where the interface of the PlayStation 4 had an easy to understand interface, the PlayStation 5 often feels a bit confusing. Buttons aren’t where you expect them to be, and screens are filled with game information and buy buttons that you often don’t need. That may take some getting used to, but many changes seem anything but intuitive.

Nice is the addition of a special hint system. Those who are stuck in a game can now open videos directly from the menu with tips on how to proceed. A system that you can only use in combination with a PlayStation Plus subscription.

Conclusion

The PlayStation 5 is a baking beast, but therefore a lot quieter. Combine that with the shorter loading times and graphics upgrades and you have a machine on which it is simply nicer to game on.

The biggest step forward is in the gamepad, which realistically makes certain actions in games tangible. That sounds like a gimmick, but it isn’t: we can never go back to an old-fashioned vibrating controller.