PS 5 Review: A Step Forward Into Next-Gen Gameplay

Aadhya Khatri - Nov 20, 2020

The one thing to take away from our PS 5 review is that the console is well-designed and powerful. It is what heralds the next generation of gameplay

The one thing to take away from our PS 5 review is that the console is well-designed and powerful. There are a few drawbacks worth pointing out here but otherwise, the PS5 is what heralds the next generation of gameplay.

PS 5 Price And Release Date

PS 5 is released in Japan, New Zealand, North America, South Korea, and Australia on November 12. The console is launched in other parts of the world a week after that.

PS 5 price starts at $499.99 and Rs 49,990 in India for the standard version with a 4K Blu-ray disc drive. If you don’t have that deep a pocket, the disc-less version comes at $399.99 and Rs 39,990 in India.

PS 5 New Design

Let’s start our PS 5 review with the design of the console. Measuring approximately 38.8 x 8 x 26cm and weighing 4.5kg, the PS 5 is among the heaviest of its kind.

This size will make you think twice about where to put it as it is almost too big to be placed under your TV.

The overall look of the console puts it in the middle ground, you either love it or hate it. However, you can’t deny that the two-color tone and the huge size is an attention grabber.

PS 5 console and controller — You can’t deny that the two-color tone and the huge size is an attention grabber

Sony’s choice to use plastic for the center spine and where the USB ports are is rather puzzling. Over time, the plastic might be scratched, not to mention it’s a dust and fingerprint magnet.

Port-wise, there is a USB-C and USB-A port in front of the console. On the other side, you have a power port, two USB-A ports, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI 2.1.

PS5 Performance

Next on our PS 5 review, let’s look at the console’s performance.

PS 5 specs are impressive. Specifically, it features a custom RDNA 2 GPU that allows 4K at 120FPS, as well as a CPU based on octa-core AMD Zen 2 with a clock speed of 3.5GHz.

The specs sheet is completed with the NVMe SSD and 16GB of GDDR6 memory. The only problem with the console is arguably the 825GB SSD – with this price point, you have reason to expect at least 1TB.

The small amount of SSD might be to keep costs down but that means you have to be conscious about what games to keep installed otherwise you will run out of storage in a blink of an eye.

When we tested the usable storage for this PS 5 review, we found that its 667.2GB can store about 16 games. This number depends on the size of the titles you install.

Users can upgrade the storage with an NVMe SSD certified for PlayStation but that option is currently unavailable as Sony locked it at launch.

An alternative solution is to use SSDs and an external hard drive with a USB port. The drawback here is the slow speed of loading.

While few games have given users a reason to stretch their budget for the console at launch, the potential of the hardware will be more prominent down the line.

For example, on PS 4, Spider-Man’s load time is 15 to 20 seconds but on PS 5, the time is less than a second.

PS 5 Spider -Man — On PS 4, Spider-Man’s load time is 15 to 20 seconds but on PS 5, the time is less than a second

In the future, users are in for some 4K/120FPS titles. A few other games can reach 8K with 60 FPS.

While not all titles feature Performance Mode, most of them should have it. The mode puts a focus on a higher frame rate over resolution, which can be a hard-to-understand decision.

Higher frame rates deliver a more responsive experience, which is vital for first-person shooters. However, if you are no fan of frame rate, switch to Resolution Mode, which does the exact opposite.

PS 5 Features

It might take users some minutes to familiarize themselves with the new controls. For example, press and hold the PlayStation button will now conjure the Control Center.

The Center works in the same way as a quick menu. It allows you to see submenu including downloads in progress, notifications, Friends list, and in some situations, Spotify.

One of the most exciting features we would like to point out in this PS 5 review is the PS 5’s Cards. The feature allows for various functions like jumping to different parts of a game, updating news for developers, keeping track of trophy progress, and watching your friends’ live streams.

PS 5 UI — The social-based features from PS 4 make a comeback on the PS 5

The social-based features from PS 4 make a comeback on the PS 5. Users can jump into a game their friends are playing or invite them into groups. Video sharing is similar to PS 4 but Cards will provide you with a preview.

PS 5 DualSense Controller

The last part of our PS 5 review is dedicated to the DualSense Controller, which accompanied the console out of the box.

The DualSense is balanced and light. The majority of the controller has matte white plastic while the grips have a rough texture for a firmer hold. The button scheme still consists of Cross, Triangle, Square, and Circle.