Gaming content on my page is sparse, but it exists every now and again (the two posts have been about which way I was leaning for this console lifecycle) – after ten months of fighting bots and refusing to pay scalper prices, I was finally able to get my hands on a PS5 thanks to some Twitter alerts and fast thumbs (shout out to @Jake_Randall_YT for the fast updates)! I sat there with in my cart a little longer than I should have because I was just so indecisive about actually purchasing it – as far as game exclusives go, and long term backward compatibility, the Xbox had me sold, but infrequent restocks that were even more difficult to fight the bots on, I caved and picked up the PS5 instead.
I ordered it through GameStop as a bundle on 9/15, there was a Pro member exclusive restock, so of course I had to sign up again, but $20/year isn’t all that bad. It shipped 9/16, and was on my doorstep 9/18. My initial thought in opening up the box was just how large it is – it’s larger than a late model PS3, and PS4 combined. I had a feeling when I saw the shipping weight was 16lbs, but after getting it out of the box and on the TV stand? It definitely takes up some real estate.
First thing I did after unpacking it was let it run through the updates and the PS4 information transfer – I was in the middle of prepping dinner and still wanted to get to the gym, so this time consuming process was not a big deal to run right away. The initial updates took about 15 minutes, and the data transfer ran for about five hours via LAN. This was just for information on the PS4 internal drive, the majority of my information and game data is saved to a WD MyBook, which was as simple as ejecting from the PS4, and plugging into the PS5. This was a very nice change of pace from upgrading consoles in the past – the late model PS3 and into the PS4 did not offer any backward compatibility with older games, so being able to not only have that backward compatibility option but also have all of my data transferred in a few key clicks was a great process.
I’m a big fan of the menu layout – at the top divided into two different segments you have Games and Media – on the PS4, all of the apps were sort of jumbled together unless you were utilizing the library function.
With the size comes loud fan noises as well, people had their complaints about the PS4 and it occasionally sounding like a jet engine, something I never really experienced until the last few months, but the PS5 is that way right out of the box. I have a ten year old tower that’s only slightly louder than it – that being said, PC fan noise has never been something that I find disruptive, and once you put the amplified Turtle Beach’s on, you’ll never even know.
The controller I appreciate – I have pretty large hands, so being it being a little larger is something that I really like. The adaptive triggers (which I’ll quickly touch on next in reference to usability) are a very nice touch, but I think the continued addition of the touchpad is a bit unnecessary. Very few games use it as anymore than an additional button to push. Why not just add an additional button, or leave it alone? The change to USB-C came to the controller scene faster than Apple is implementing it on their devices, so having a standard being used is something a lot of people, especially Android users, will like. The fact that the controllers are going to need software updates though is something to get used to.
Graphically, it took me a little bit to find a game where I really noticed too much of a difference from the last-gen console – given my TV is only 1080p, I’m not going to get the same experience as a lot of people out there with 4k platforms, but with that being said I did find one game that really showed it off. The bundle included Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut, and NBA2k22… but the games were a day behind the console, so I grabbed the gift card that came with the bundle to go pick up Deathloop… turns out it was sold out locally, so I wound up with Metro Exodus. Metro looks really good, and is a pretty decent user of the adaptive triggers, having a stop point introduced before shooting in an element of realism to a game that someone who actually target shoots will really grow to like, I’m still trying to get used to it, but they’re very quickly growing on me. But other than the water, which looked very well animated, I couldn’t tell too much of a difference between it and a PS4 game.
The next day the other games came, and after the Bills game I couldn’t resist popping Ghost of Tsushima in – this was a perfect example of what this console will be. I’m not a professional reviewer who will give you a hundred different pieces of information on why the game is good, or animation is high quality, but what I will say is that the graphics are amazing, the cut scenes resemble a movie, and the motion is very smooth. It’s everything you want in a title. This was initially designed, and released for the PS4, but this is a great remaster that I look forward to continuing.
All in all, I’m impressed. The form factor leaves much to be desired, as most i9 PC’s are similar to, or smaller in stature, but for the longevity of the console lifecycle anymore, I look forward to many years of play on this console.
Roving On 