A Comprehensive Review Of The New PlayStation 5
Sony has released their latest generation of console, and it was one that’s been heavily anticipated since we first got wind of it in production. With competition at an all-time high from both Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s Switch, Sony was on the line to pull out all the stops to ensure their console crown remained for another few years, and from what we’ve seen so far, they have succeeded.
Let’s take a loot at the PS5 and what is has to offer those looking to invest in a new gaming machine.
A Look At Performance
With the rise of the PC gaming industry – much of that focus on speed – it was important that Sony released a console that with not just a snappy UI but was able to deliver brilliant performance. And they’ve done just that, with rendering done as high as 4K at 120 hertz refresh rates, or alternatively, 8K at 60 hertz refresh rates, something that not even higher-tier gaming rigs are capable of pulling off smoothly.
And while it’s best suited for a new TV that comes with HDMI 2.0 and 4K resolutions, the snappy UI and smooth gameplay will work with just about any display imaginable. The performance is almost without equal thanks to its octa-core AMD Zen-2 architecture, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, and a NVMe SSD that delivers incredible speeds. It should be noted, in regard to the SSD, that despite being an 825GB model, it only really has around 700GB free for usage, so it’s fairly easy to run out of storage.
The Controller
One of the shining elements of the new PS5 is its controller, and arguably the most comfortable and intuitive controller that we’ve ever seen shipped with a console. It’s very well balanced and light, making it easy on the arms when holding for extended periods of time, but also retaining much of the same features that made the DualShock 4 such a popular controller.
It also features adaptive trigger buttons that are able to provide feedback on the game being played, where pulling back on a bow string will provide real resistance on the player’s finger. The haptic feedback present in the controller is without equal and will offer gamers an entirely new way of “feeling” the game they’re playing.
The Library of Games
The PS5, then, is shaping up to be the best of its generation, with one major setback: there are not that many games available, at least not yet.
This setback is made worse as reverse compatibility is not really present for most games from previous generations, so it might be something of a let-down to buy a PS5 and realise that, for the time being, there isn’t a huge array of games to choose from. Regardless, there are some classics from the PS4 that do run on the new console, and with enough time, there will be plenty of new titles.
Verdict
The PlayStation 5 is a competent, sleek, high-performance console that offers a huge range of features and packs enough hardware to match most higher tier gaming computers, making it a great deal all around.
It might, however, be worth waiting for the games library to be fleshed out before buying it.