And so another day-one has arrived: PlayStation 19 was released today, November 5, the flagship Sony, in two versions (with disk and without disk). The console offers the ideal of the Japanese brand in all respects, a platform to play innovative, interesting and above all in step with the times. What if PlayStation 4 made us dream in his 7 years of life, this new giant console (literally) could be the continuation of a successful trend. The innovations arrive in every field, from the internal components to the futuristic design that represents this product, passing in particular to the sensational Dualense. We tested the console thoroughly, testing the entire launch lineup and putting it under strain in order to feel its potential with games dedicated to the next generation. We therefore want to talk to you about the new Sony jewel, which will be supported over the next few years and will establish a fixed nail in the videogame market.
PlayStation 5 Packaging and Design
In fact, once the machine guards have been removed, this shows itself in all its fantastic design, with soft shapes and a captivating dynamic and definitely different from the old consoles. The dimensions of this platform are particularly "abundant": we are talking about 390 x 104 x 260 mm (which become 390 x 92 x 260 mm in the digital one), with a weight of 4,5 kg (6 ounces less for the one without a reader optical). Every little detail is finished properly, starting from the air intakes, cleverly positioned to make the console as airy as possible, ending with the textures used on some of the surfaces, capable of giving greater grip and adding an interesting stylistic touch. On the front we find a housing with the power button, a USB-C port and a USB-A; in the case of the version with optical reader, under the button we find the input for the discs, while next to the ignition we have a smaller button to remove them.
Albeit with disappointing packaging, the console is superlative in design.
In the back we have two ultra-fast USB type A sockets (up to 10GB per second), the ethernet port, the HDMI output and the power connector. To start, we have to do it with the worst thing: the the packaging. The console offers a box very similar to the previous one (we are talking about the PS4 Fat): once the graphic casing is removed, we have in fact a white case which, as soon as it is opened, offers it a smaller one with DualSense inside (we invite you to read our dedicated review here), the various cables (HDMI, power supply and USB Type C for the pad) and the base that will allow you to install the console horizontally. Removed this small box, we find the console wedged inside a cloth to protect it, with two very soft cardboard blocks. Actually it is not the best possible positioning, especially given the cost of the platform, but let's say that you can pass over it once you have seen the design.
The console mounts an 825 GB SSD, which becomes 667 GB with the operating system installed, in each of these is included Astro's Playroom, which can therefore be played for free after the first power up. As detailed in the following text, this could be a number that is not exactly right, considering that it is even less than the current generation consoles. We were thankfully pleased to see that however, most of the next-gen titles come with less weight, thus adapting to the reduced space of PlayStation and - above all - PlayStation 5 All Digital, which cannot rely on the data carrier inside the disks. The peculiarity of the platform lies precisely in the SSD, ultra fast and able to load games within seconds, while guaranteeing a significantly faster start-up, just like all the functions of the dashboard.
Between speed and power
Even considering the speed of the SSD, it is clear that the console cannot run all next-gen titles simply with its memory. Sony has patented a rather powerful machine, let's see all the specifications together.
- CPU - Zen 2 with 8 cores at 3.5GHz (variable)
- But by the full GPU acceleration tech - RDNA 2 of 10,28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2,23 GHz (variable)
- RAM - 16GB GDDR6 256-Bit, 448GB / s
- SSD - 825GB, plus support for an NVMe slot not yet enabled
PlayStation 5 focuses on speed, without neglecting power.
Thanks to this power the car takes the luxury of ensure 4K resolution on most games, allowing in some cases to arrive up to 120 FPS. This time the company has worked to ensure backward compatibility on almost all titles, but in many cases they are not optimized to the best, since it will often be necessary to wait for a specific patch from the developer. This does not mean that almost the entirety of the PS4 catalog can be played on the new platform, obtaining the best performances in any case. A gem also resides in the Tempest Engine, new 3D audio system that brings this feature to consoles, achieving an excellent result.
During the hours of use the console never got particularly warm, unfortunately it is not silent in the narrow term of the word, but it is undoubtedly a clear leap forward compared to the last generation. The liquid metal solution applied by Sony currently seems to be paying off, but it is clear that we will only be able to ascertain the actual results over the years, finding out if the system will remain solid. It also seems that the company is able to change the hardware features - including for example those of the main fan - simply by using the firmware, so we are quite certain that any problems will be dealt with promptly by Sony.
The future of PlayStation
On day one, the console presents a rather interesting stock of titles, especially if you consider the cross-platforms. Let's talk about the exclusives Astro's Playroom, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Demon's Souls e Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (with also the edition containing the Remastered of Marvel's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4). Certainly not the real games that will make the platform unforgettable, but undoubtedly a step forward compared to the last generation, since this time more or less all users can be satisfied in one way or another.
In the field of services Sony has decided to evolve in part, thanks to PlayStation Plus Collection, detailed here. We're talking about a free addition to the PlayStation Plus it contains 20 great titles for all tastes, playable at no additional cost on the new platform. Meanwhile, even the PlayStation Now seems to improve slowly, certainly not until it reaches the heights of the Xbox Game Pass, but it is now confirmed that Sony has plans in mind in this area too. Last is the basic PlayStation Plus, which aims to offer an increasingly rich offer, as we saw with the presence of Bugsnax in November, or with the fact that the exclusive PS5 AllStars Destruction will be included in the service from day one.
In conclusion, we just have to applaud Sony for the evolution of its platform, now futuristic and ready to host next-gen games. Some features are still missing, including the still unsupported SSD added and the 1440p resolution not available. However, the system is fast, solid and surprising, ready to mark a clean break with the performance now not at the top of the PlayStation 4 family, from which it already stands out positively with the first titles available.
