The expectations for Sony as it go into the current console table cycle were laughably high . The PlayStation 4 was a rousing success , and gamers were anticipating that the party would open new , antecedently unimagined possibleness with its next - generation system .
ThePlayStation 5not only met those expectation , but it made them seem conservative . With lightning - fast load speeds and innovative ( and captivating ) changes to the DualShock controller , the PS5 set the bar for the next propagation of gaming .
While Digital Trends ab initio review the PlayStation 5 over the line of just under two week , we ’ve reevaluated the system a handful of times during its lifespan due to its acquire nature . Our most late refresh came when Sony released a slim newfangled PS5 simulation in November 2023 that fully supersede the enormous 2020 model that we originally review . That raw version tackled some of our grownup problems with Sony ’s organisation , addressing its inadequate storage and awkward size . Now , three geezerhood later , with a raw political machine in towage and a catalog of tons ofhigh - visibility exclusives , we ’re still as high on the PS5 as we were at launching .
About our PS5 review
This PS5 review was originally published on November 6 , 2020 by Chris Morris . It has since been update by Giovanni Colantonio to keep up to engagement with changes in the system ’s computer hardware and game lineup . It receive an overhaul on November 12 , 2023 to reflect Sony ’s slimmer , redesigned PS5 model . The most recent update was on May 5 , 2024 by Giovanni Colantonio . This update summate more information on recent secret plan releases , as well as additional peripherals and cancel game .
The hardware: It’s fast — really fast
Sony , from the very beginning , has said the PS5 is about pep pill . But until you live it , it ’s hard to communicate just how grownup a difference upper can make .
Marvel ’s Spider - Man 2features the greatest technical wizard put-on I ’ve ever see , as player can instantaneously fast travel around New York City in the blink of an eye . Other exclusives likeRatchet & Clank : Rift Aparttake that to an even more impressive extreme , sending players in and out of dissimilar dimensions without a moment of consignment . Moments like that have deliver on Sony ’s aspirational hope over the PS5 ’s life span , cementing it as the most impressive console table on the market .
That optimisation is also apparent in other Sony - published rubric , likeHorizon Forbidden West . It adds tremendously to the immersion gene of games , and it positively impacts the rate of flow of the story in narrative titles . And the power to skip over into games quickly is just as satisfying .
It ’s interesting to observe this perceived divergence in operation stems from software system , rather than hardware . Technically , Microsoft ’s Xbox Series X is the more powerful console table , though the PlayStation 5 has an edge in entrepot carrying out . The Xbox lacks a potent exclusive library , however , and relatively few last - gen games take full advantage of the new cabinet ’s capabilities . This give the PlayStation 5 a big advantage even two age on .
The design: still big, but better
That nifty power comes with a caution . The original PS5 model was a honking grownup piece of computer hardware with some design flaws for those who desire to lie it down horizontally . The 2023 model is something of a “ slender ” refresh that solves some of those problems . The newfangled design is in spades smaller , though I would n’t call it compact . It still towers above just about any other console table I put it next to . The Digital Edition is notably slimmer , though , which is an improvement .
The original system ’s crafty outdoor stage issue have been resolved here too , but with a match . The system comes with two simple plastic pins that stabilize the console in horizontal mode , but it no longer comes packaged with a erect standpoint . Players now take to grease one’s palms a $ 30 annulus stand separately , which feel like a tone backwards .
Microsoft ’s Xbox Series X is a small , squatter console table that is n’t quite as enforce , but its boxlike shape will still mean trouble for the average A / V cabinet . Gamers with special quad for a console may alternatively moot theXbox Series S , which is much little than the PlayStation 5 or Series X and has a more traditional slate - like shape .
The new PS5 manakin does get along a bit of technical school innovation with its obliterable heavy drive . Those who buy a Digital Edition wo n’t be get without disk ride access forever , as they can actually attach Sony ’s specific Ultra HD Blu - re driving force for an additional $ 80 . It ’s a bang-up idea thatmakes the PS5 more modular like a PC , but the math does n’t exactly add up . The Digital Edition is $ 450 , which is actually $ 50 more than the honest-to-god version despite its small size . view that the disc tug edition of the system still be $ 500 , you ’d actually cease up spending more money if you choose to add a crusade on to the digital rendering later . That makes the Digital Edition feel wasted , as it ’ll hardly save you any money even if you do n’t choose to upgrade it .
If you ’re expect to grab one , your best selection is to take form for the $ 500 manakin and place it horizontally . That wo n’t require any additional purchases .
Storage: There’s enough!
The PS5 ’s original Achilles ’ heel was its poor storage infinite . Due to the proprietary solid - state effort and the size of the operating system , players only had 667 GB of the 825 GB gruelling effort available for games . It was a paltry amount , but you do n’t have to worry about it anymore thanks to the unexampled manakin . The simple machine now has 1 TB of internal storage , matching the PS4 Pro . Around 842 GB of that is usable , which is actually 40 GB more than the Xbox Series X ( though more or less less than the PS4 Pro ) . That gives the newfangled PS5 models the most entrepot of any current - gen console .
owner can lucubrate that amount by buying and installing an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD . The cabinet has an undefended SSD time slot for just that aim , and we ’ve put together a lean ofsome of the best SSD option you could retrieve . These are the only hard drives that will let you take advantage of the PS5 ’s load speeds . A typical NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD is about $ 200 , which is n’t cheap . On the plus side , it ’s a bite less than the $ 220 reposition cards used by Microsoft ’s Xbox Series X and S consoles .
you’re able to also hook up an external HDD or SSD , but you wo n’t see the speed vantage of the system on any games stored there . And any PS5 game store there wo n’t be playable until you transfer them to the interior drive , making external cause useful only for older games .
The controller: It’s a win
If load times are the main artillery of the PS5 , the newDualSense controlleris the secondary one . And it ’s telling .
Slightly larger than the DualShock 4 , it refines haptic feedback , incorporating a precise mother wit of tactual sensation into the video game experience that military unit feedback never did before . This could become contrived ( and , in fairness , it might in age to come ) , but for now , it sum another bed to games , increasing player immersion .
scramble to draw open a heavy door or string a bow ? The hand triggers can convey that tenseness . Had a rough landing as you aim over a hill or a slog through a dingy area ? You ’ll cognize it . This new haptic feedback is a pernicious thing that , like the lack of load screen , you ’ll soon take for granted . You wo n’t gain how speedily you ’ve gotten used to it until it ’s not there .
So far , the special features have been hit - and - miss . Some games are a niggling too overeager to play with the adaptative triggers , making them physically difficult to bring . But the smattering of game that really take advantage of the controller show just how special it is . Returnal , for example , uses tactile feedback fantastically well , let you feel every drop of rain or assume a leech squirm in your hands . Moments like that make the PS5 ’s experiences unlike anything on the market place today .
A new built - in microphone is less useful in most games , but will reserve you to briefly natter with friend without a headset .
The cost of this new functionality is battery aliveness . The DualSense has a rechargeable battery ( versus the Series X ’s trust on AA batteries ) , but we found that charge will drain apace . Charging via the PS5 ’s USB seldom resulted in a full charge , whether in standby mode or if entrust on at full top executive . A freestanding charging rack , provided by Sony , did charge the controller amply .
PlayStation 4 accountant will work with the PlayStation 5 , but only with PS4 games act as through half-witted compatibility . Microsoft bid controller cross - compatibility that lets former Xbox One controllers work with the new Xbox .
Games and software: The star of the show
Microsoft find itself in the awkward spot of have to debut a new console without a first - party launching statute title , but Sony wasin an enviable positioninitially . Spider - Man : Miles Moralesgave it an boundary out the gate , but a good deal has changed since 2020 .
Marvel ’s Spider - humankind 2is marvelous merriment that showcases many , if not all , of the PS5 ’s feature of speech . God of War Ragnarok , Horizon Forbidden West , andReturnalare all must - own first - party titles . And first - party game likeStellar Bladepush the platform ’s power even more . The bundledAstro ’s Playgroundis a out of sight gem of a platformer , laden with Easter egg that harken back to a stripped - downSuper Mario Bros. , while still do as a walkthrough of the PS5 controller ’s features .
Third - party game have helped the PS5 build up a hefty depository library of hits too . unassailable support from Square Enix has given the system cabinet exclusives inFinal Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth . Baldur ’s Gate 3was available on PS5 before it reach Xbox , which was a big second for the system too . Combine all those with great current - gen sole title likeStar Wars Jedi : Survivor , Dead Space , andResident Evil 4,and you ’ll have plenty of games to play if you pull the initiation .
On top of that , Sony recentlyrelaunched its PS Plus service , apply ratifier access to over 700 game . That include some retro title dating back to the PS1 geological era . While it ’s not as compelling as Game Pass , it ’s a much - demand service that give PlayStation fans something to do in - between all the expectant - ticket games . Sony has a better ecosystem built up now than it did at launch , which has only made the PS5 a strong value .
The long term
The PS5 is still the system to beat in this console multiplication , but while previous cycles had a clear track forward , this one is much cloudier . In its first few years , there was always a handful of big first - party games on the horizon . The PS5 ’s hereafter became much harder to read after the sack ofMarvel ’s Spider - Man 2 , as Sony planned to transgress into alive - armed service games . Those design have reportedly been drag one’s heels , withVideo Game Chroniclereporting that six of its 12 coming games are delayed past March 2026 .
It ’s unclear what ’s exactly in the pipeline for PS5 over the recollective full term , as games likeMarathonseem to be in impermanent limbo . PlayStation ’s multiplayer Last of Us game wasoutright strike down , and there ’s a chance that other games like it have quietly meet the same fate . There are n’t too many bragging , single - player liberation presently in the kit and caboodle to make up for that — at least that we know about .
In terms of the broad ecosystem , we have sex even less aboutPlayStation VR2 , the PS5 headset that Sony has struggled to support with first - party computer hardware since launching . Elsewhere , Sony is make a vainglorious push button into cloud play with itsPlayStation Portal handheld , a so - so equipment built for remote turn that make for a good PS5 comapanion . Those who really want to bribe into the PS5 ecosystem have a lot of path to do so once they buy the system . It ’s just unclear where all of this is leading to long terminal figure as plan seem to be chop-chop shifting around within Sony this generation .
That ’s the future , though . For now , Sony has delivered a terrific next - contemporaries console table , complete with a slew of must - play , organisation - selling exclusives . It successfully built on the momentum of the PS4 , innovated without reaching too far , and gave gamers a lot to concern themselves with during some rough patches over the last few years . The Modern model only make a better causa for Sony ’s system by providing the size reduction and entrepot increase it desperately needed .
