Sony PlayStation 5 Review: Takes Gaming A Notch Higher

 

Sony PlayStation 5: Design

The Sony PlayStation brings an all-new design language that isn't subtle or basic looking; it grabs your attention with the pointed curvy edges. The skin is also white instead of the usual all-black scheme we have seen on previous generation PlayStation models. It has a sandwich design with the white exoskeleton wrapping the glossy console. The primary console comes inside the white metallic chamber (removable). Thanks to the adequate spacing, there is enough room for the heat to escape keeping the system cool during prolonged gaming. Adding on to the appeal is the LED strip placed towards the right edge (when placed horizontally) or on the top (when positioned vertically).

That brings us to the positioning of the console. The PlayStation 5 can be placed both vertically as well horizontally. The unit ships with a stand. The position is undeniably better when you keep it vertically. The stand does its job perfectly of holding the console. There is a screw that you can find inside the stand slot by rotating the holder in a clockwise direction. However, you will need to get your screwdriver for this purpose as the retail box comes sans any tool.

Why did I say that the positioning is better when vertical? Well, the console tends to slip away when placed on the stand horizontally. You need to place the stand at a specific position horizontally so that it doesn't slip away. The glossy part at the front has two keys (power and CD eject) below which is the CD tray. The connectivity ports are on either side of the panel about which we will be speaking in a while.

Sony PlayStation 5: DualSense Wireless Controller

The Sony PlayStation 5 comes with an all-new DualSense wireless controller. The company has added a new design language to the controller as well. You get a dual-tone (white and black) design instead of an all-black shade like the PlayStation 4. The DualSense controller has a slightly added bulk compared to the predecessors. However, this turns out to be in the favor as you get a good grip and an improved surface area for the keys. The placement and design of the keys and the joystick is similar. The L1, L2, R1, and R2 shoulder keys are now slightly bigger and help in better judgment while gaming. What would impress you here is the haptic feedback you get on the action from the L2 and the R2 keys.

The dual haptic motors surely intensify the gaming experience entirely. You feel the blows and hits from your screen on your palm. The functionality of other keys is also similar to the previous version (the arrow cursors and the joystick). All the keys are nimble in functionality and the joystick is also smooth. The DualShock takes charge over a USB Type-C port. You can use any standard USB Type-C charger to refuel the controller. The DualShock has a decent backup. With all the haptic feedback on, the controller drains out comparatively fast.

You might need to plug in a charger if you intend on playing more than 4 hours in a stretch. You can switch off some of the features if you want an increased backup from the controller. Do note that the DualSense can also be used in a wired mode, but a short cable length would limit your comfortable gaming experience.

Sony PlayStation 5: Connectivity

The Sony PlayStation 5 is well-loaded in terms of connectivity. Speaking of ports, the console has two USB ports at the front which out of which one is USB Type-A, while the other is USB Type-C port. The rear of the console has an Ethernet port and HDMI 2.1 port. The HDMI port here supports up to 4K (120Hz) output. We will be speaking of the UI and the gaming performance in a while.

Notably, the company has claimed 8K support, but we are yet to test the unit with an 8K TV. Besides, the console itself is yet to get an update for the 8K resolution support. Besides, the PlayStation 5 also has Wi-Fi 802.11ax AKA Wi-Fi-6 support for wireless connectivity. I honestly faced no issues with internet connectivity. The connections were uninterrupted throughout.

Sony PlayStation 5: Hardware, UI, And Gaming Experience

The Sony PlayStation 5 exhibits high-end gaming performance, thanks to the octa-core AMD Zen 2 CPU that has a clock speed of around 3.5Ghz and has a custom AMD RDNA 2 architecture-based GPU with 2.23GHz clock speed. With the 16GB GDDR6 RAM and 825GB SSD (667GB after setup), the console delivers flawlessly on gaming performance. You get a premium gaming experience with faster game load speeds. My experience with PlayStation 5 on a 4K HDR TV has been good.

The rich graphics and lag-free interface just enhances the gaming experience throughout. You wouldn't want to keep the controller down once you start on with your gaming sessions. I have tested the unit with Demon's Soul game. The graphics were crystal clear and the high-resolution support is what we are a fan of. While we couldn't get to use the online gameplay as of now, the offline experience has been superb. We couldn't get to test the microphone feature on the DualSense due to this limitation, but expect it to function perfectly as intended.

As mentioned earlier, the games load faster than before which along with the crisp and vivid output just takes the gaming experience to an edge. The console itself is super silent and doesn't produce any disc reading or other noises during gameplay. The console getting heated up is also something I didn't come across. 

Sony PlayStation 5: Worth A Buy?

Sony has raised the bar in the gaming industry with the PlayStation 5. The new gaming console is worth every penny and you wouldn't regret considering this beast as your next gaming machine. The gaming console has evolved in every sense. You get better hardware and a new DualSense controller that will set standards for your gaming experience. The pricing might be on the higher end, but all that's worth it. You can still workaround with the PlayStation 4 and don't have to upgrade that instantly. But, for all the new features you should consider buying the PlayStation 5.