By Lewis Empson

By somehow defying all odds we have gotten our hands on the PlayStation 5 which has so far proven the saving grace of the hellhole we all affectionately refer to as 2020. Its fast, fun and f***ing huge and IÔÇÖve compiled what we think about the PS5 now weÔÇÖve had a chance to use it and if it’s worth picking one up (once scalpers stop trying to sell them on eBay for quadruple the price of retail of course.

 P.s it may look like bias that weÔÇÖre reviewing the PS5 first with an Xbox Series X review a little later down the line; that’s because it is. More Xbox content to follow, as of now the PS5 has the spotlight as it’s our consoles of choice for this generation.

The Design

The rumours and early looks at the system have proven true; this is one big boi. The PS5 absolutely dwarfs the likes of the compact Xbox Series S and even my old PS4 Pro which wasn’t exactly a portable system to begin with. Luckily it can be configured to stand in horizontal or vertical positions thanks to the included stand to make it more appropriate to your setup at home. Now IÔÇÖll be the first to admit that when I saw the design revealed over summer during the reveal live stream my first thought was ÔÇ£damn that is uglyÔÇÖ; however its brash, unapologetic design has won me over. It’s futuristic, edgy and experimental – something that Sony and PlayStation have always prided themselves on and it screams ÔÇ£next generationÔÇØ. Laden in glowy LEDs, the two-tone black and white design is really eye-catching although the asymmetrical bulge housing the disk drive is a little unsightly but IÔÇÖd happily sacrifice that in the name of practicality. Overall it’s one of those ÔÇ£trust me, it does look better in personÔÇØ scenarios, although perhaps prep by making some room around your TV or monitor. This does have major benefits when it comes to cooling as even when my fans booted up for a stressful section of gameplay or a heavy download, it never became intrusive like the old PS4 fans that would give most fighter jet engines a run for their money. 

The Controller

The DualSense is an absolute game changer, literally. Its ergonomics are comfortable, the USB-C charging port made me cry tears of joy as I could finally cast my few remaining micro-USB cables into the depths of hell where they belong, and it’s packed to the brim with insane new features. Immersive Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers are thankfully not gimmicky and actually provide an immersive and tactile experience that changed the way I have interacted with some games. Pulling a trigger on Watch Dogs Legion to be met with resistance as if it was a real gunÔÇÖs trigger which is then followed through with a violent vibration as to imitate a gunshot is oddly engaging (insert video games cause violence argument here) or the slight tightening in the trigger as Spider-ManÔÇÖs web pulls tight mid web swing just shows how these little details can extend the gaming experience past the screen and into your hands. The Dualshock 4ÔÇÖs touchpad and speaker make their triumphant returns although I canÔÇÖt say IÔÇÖve particularly used them but I guess it’s nice to have and theyÔÇÖre joined by an integrated (and pretty damn decent sounding) microphone meaning you can hop straight into party chat or shouting abuse at campers in Call Of Duty. I get the reason why Sony ditched the classic Dualshock name to mark this new controller as it wouldnÔÇÖt feel fitting to name this a Dualshock, its truly next gen and IÔÇÖm all here for DualSense supremacy. 

The Games:

Both Watch Dogs Legion and AssassinÔÇÖs Creed Valhalla, which we have recently reviewed, received a free PS5 upgrade which added a variety of visual options such as 4K, smoother frame rates and in the case of Watch Dogs, Ray Tracing which delivers spectacular lighting effects and reflections. The upgrade process was fairly smooth however RIP to my Watch Dogs trophies from the PS4 version and transferring saves to next gen upgrades can be a little fiddly. The same goes for Borderlands 3 which now runs as smooth as butter at 4K 60fps in multiplayer and up to 120fps in single player performance mode. Borderlands also really takes advantage of the Adaptive Triggers to make its ludicrous arsenal extra fun to use; overall this is easily the best way to play Borderlands (on console – yes, I know PCs have been able to do this since the dawn of time, weÔÇÖre not going to go there right now). Now on to the game weÔÇÖve all been waiting for, the big showstopper, the big guns, the most anticipated gameÔǪ AstroÔÇÖs Playroom. Jokes aside this is a really fun action 3D platformer that hits you right in the nostalgia with a barrage of references, it shows you how your DualSense works, and it’s pre-installed on your console for free so no excuses; it’s worth checking out. Now onto the real next gen showstopper; Spider-Man: Miles Morales is what convinced me that the PS5 was worth it. I wonÔÇÖt say too much about the game as a whole as there will absolutely be a review soon, but it is a must play. Ray Tracing at 4K is stunning and really sets the bar for what the PS5 can do, or if you pick performance mode it never dips below 60fps making brawling with baddies and web swinging around New York City a mind blowing experience. Speaking of mind blowing, the game loads from the PS5 home screen in about 13 seconds thanks to the super fast SSD. I couldnÔÇÖt believe it the first time as I usually have time to scroll through social media when my games load but this time I hardly had time to unlock my phone. Also worth mentioning is that almost every PS4 game works with backward compatibility and even if there is no dedicated PS5 upgrade, they still benefit from smoother frame rates, quicker load times and improved graphics in some cases – the highlights being Days Gone and God Of War which saw significant improvements and are both free with the a PS Plus subscription. This really came into its own with the infamously slow loading GTA V which now means you donÔÇÖt feel yourself physically age while you wait for Los Santos to load one paving slab at a time. Now for the elephant in the room, no I didnÔÇÖt buy DemonÔÇÖs Souls, leave me alone, I knew it would be too hard, yes I am a coward, yes IÔÇÖve heard itÔÇÖs very good- moving on.

So Should You Get One?

Once Sony sort themselves out and produce more units, and selfish people stop buying them in bulk to sell for 4x their RRP, then IÔÇÖd say ÔÇ£yeah probably”. Put it this way; if youÔÇÖve considered buying one then you probably should, because it means youÔÇÖve thought about these big new titles, upgrades to existing games and various new features and found them enticing enough to ditch your PS4 and trust me they are worth it; but if youÔÇÖre happy with how your PS4 runs your games or perhaps donÔÇÖt have a 4K or high refresh rate display then its no pressure to upgrade. Games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West will see releases on the PS4 but at the same time they are going to be the worst versions of said games. If price is an issue then the All-Digital Edition is a cheaper alternative with all the same horsepower just minus the disk drive so that’s a more accessible option. It’s a pretty easy decision personally, if youÔÇÖre not bothered by fancy graphics and performance then wait it out and see if more games are released that interest you, but if youÔÇÖre tempted by the new features then it’s well worth it and besides you should probably treat yourself for seeing out the 2020 sh*t show.