Hard to Find Quality

While most people are hunkered down worldwide due to a raging pandemic, gaming and the demand for new gaming experiences has reached a new high. In the PC gaming world, $700+ graphics cards are selling out in seconds. In the console world, Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 are also flying off virtual shelves, sites crashing and inventory gone in a flash. Luckily, we’ve been able to spend some quality time with the disc based version of Sony’s latest console and overall, came away very impressed.

There isn’t a ton to say about the PS5 interface besides it’s very familiar if you are coming from a PS4, it’s easy to use, clean, simple and is a no frills way to manage your two categories: Games and Media. Also, the home button on the controller doesn’t act the same and take you to your dashboard by default anymore. That is a two step process. Overall, I love Sony’s interfaces and in general, find them less cluttered and easy to read and digest than the competition.

While loading times, overall response and the general user experience is fantastic, what is going to really leave a lot of people frustrated in the coming years is storage capacity. No matter what marketing says, the actual storage space on the PS5 is 667.2 GB. After I installed Demon’s Souls and left ASTRO’s on the drive, I only have 584 GB left. If I installed COD: Cold War, half of my storage will already be gone. You CANNOT store and launch PS5 titles on external media, only PS4 titles. So, while the storage inside the PS5 is stellar, it’s just too small in 2020, let alone, in the coming years…

While the UI is sleek and slim, the system itself is physically massive. Luckily, it’s beautiful, quiet and good looking with a white shell, black accents and gorgeous blue lighting. It does put off some decent heat but overall it was very quiet even during heavy gaming. After the jet turbine that the PS4 was, this is a huge relief.

So, we have fast, slick, solid system with some potential storage issue but what about the games? ASTRO’s PLAYROOM is a pre-installed title on every PS5 and boy, oh boy is it a good one. Let’s just be blunt: This game is the most Nintendo thing Sony has ever done. While it does a stellar job of showing off the new PS5 controller and it’s subtle yet solid capabilities, it’s the Nintendo/Mario 64-esque look and feel of the game that is so surprisingly but works so far. Even though it’s not going to win any GOTY awards, It’s a beautiful, fun and enjoyable title for the whole family and a great intro to PS5 gaming. I would have preferred a small game or tech demo of the true technical prowess akin to the Unreal 5 demo earlier this year.

While the PS5 is so new and the launch lineup a bit thin, there is a game that truly stands out as not only shaping up to be a gameplay masterpiece, the graphics are a stunning showcase for the PS5. I am talking about Demon’s Souls and as fun as ASTRO’s was, this is my jam. Whether you are a Soulsborne fan or a completely newcomers, I easily say that if you get a PS5, Demon’s Souls is the killer launch title that Sony needed. It’s not only a fantastic remake, it’s absolutely gorgeous both technically and artistically. The photo mode and amazing filters feel truly like art in motion.

There were several moments in my short time with Demon’s Souls where I just had to sit back and take in “next gen”. As cheesy as that may sound, it is truly amazing what is possible with these latest systems, and it’s just the beginning. The future is bright for the Playstation 5 but Sony needs to resolve the storage capacity deficiencies as developers continue to push out massive updates, patches and downloads. Not having an external storage options to install PS5 games and play off isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s a major concern. Other than that, it’s game on for a killer, sleek, system, if you can find one.