{"id":940,"date":"2020-11-06T15:39:45","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T15:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1326674"},"modified":"2020-11-06T15:39:45","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T15:39:45","slug":"playstation-5-review-bold-and-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=940","title":{"rendered":"PlayStation 5 review: Bold and beautiful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The PlayStation 5 makes a big, grand entrance with its physical size and its unusual shape. But the real changes, the real upgrades to going next-gen are a little more subtle, and that\u2019s what\u2019s so wonderful about them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I received a review unit of the PlayStation 5 from Sony several weeks ago, as well as a few titles to play on it. I\u2019ve put multiple hours into it, and it wasn\u2019t until I went back to my PS4 for a spot of multiplayer with a friend that I realized how much I had become used to the new features of the PS5, and how much of a downgrade it was to move back.<\/span><\/p>\n

White Knight<\/span><\/h2>\n

For starters, and I know I\u2019ll probably look like a hypocrite given how much I loved the design at first glance, I\u2019m still not a fan of how big it is<\/a>. But if I don\u2019t like the large plastic body, I <\/span>do<\/i> love its insides. <\/span><\/span>The PS5 comes with a powerful CPU and GPU, which are chilled by an extensive internal cooling system. I gamed on it for an average of six hours at a stretch, and never once was the console more than somewhat warm to the touch. <\/span>It\u2019s also quiet \u2014 if it weren\u2019t for the lights inside the top of the tower, I wouldn\u2019t even be aware the console was on sometimes. <\/span><\/p>\n

The graphics aren\u2019t the most dramatic generation-on-generation upgrade, but it\u2019s still awesome to be able to play games at a brisk 60FPS in 4K.<\/span>. In my case, I only noticed things like ray tracing when I shifted back to the PS4 and suddenly they weren\u2019t there anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credit: Sony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Perhaps most important though is the SSD, which is what really sets the PS5 apart from the previous generation. Trust me, it won\u2019t be the graphics that wow you when you boot the console up for the first time \u2014 it\u2019ll be the lack of loading times. <\/span>The first time I died while playing <\/span>Spider-Man: Miles Morales<\/span><\/i> was a huge surprise. I was immediately kicked back to the last checkpoint. As someone who feels a not-insignificant chunk of her only life on earth was wasted looking at those interminable loading screens in the original <\/span>Spider-Man<\/span><\/i>, this was nothing short of a revelation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just about every game I put in the console, whether it was a new title or one of my PS4 discs, booted up in no time at all. It\u2019s actually kind of uncanny if you\u2019re used to the steep loading times that make your console sound like a jet engine firing up. We\u2019re talking a matter of seconds for some games.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only issue I have with the hardware design is \u2014 and this is going to sound extremely petty of me \u2014 the buttons on the front. The eject disc and power buttons are so difficult to find, concealed within the black stripe of the console\u2019s front, that for a short time I was convinced they didn\u2019t exist and my Uncharted 4 disc was just going to stay in the console forever. I would appreciate it if maybe they could light up when the console is powered on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s looking at you<\/span><\/h2>\n

Booting up the console for the first time, the new interface made me draw my head back and blink in bewilderment, like in this meme<\/a>. The difference between the two is as subtle as all the other differences: your games and apps are lined up at the top of the home screen in a little row, but the various built-in features are hidden.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

To access things like your notifications, download queue, or trophy list, you\u2019ll have to tap the PS logo button in the middle of the DualSense controller. This will bring up the control center, which serves the same function at the upper row of tiles on the PS4, but are now not constantly hovering around the screen. <\/span>The greatest thing about the control center is that you can open it from the game without being booted back to the home screen \u2014 the lack of this on the PS4 was perhaps the biggest disappointment when going back.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new UI felt a bit cluttered when I first started using it. Speaking as someone who\u2019s used to looking at the home menu for things like trophies or notification, having to manage tapping an extra button to get home from inside a game took a little getting used to. But now that I\u2019ve gotten used to it, I don\u2019t want to go back to the PS4. <\/span>(Apologies for the photo of the screen \u2014 the control center refuses to cooperate with the screenshot function.)<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Another new feature is that the control center lets you boot to particular parts of a game, or shows you how close you are to getting a certain trophy, or links you to a guide for how to pass the particular section of the title you\u2019re playing.<\/span> It\u2019s a lot of info \u2014 perhaps more than you might want.<\/span>. It didn\u2019t bother me, but I do wonder whether this ability to boot to certain parts of a game will actually be used by developers.<\/span><\/p>\n

If it doesn\u2019t make dollars, it doesn\u2019t make DualSense<\/span><\/h2>\n

Other than the console itself, the biggest hardware change is in the new controller, the frosty white DualSense. If you\u2019re used to wrapping your hands around the DualShocks, which haven\u2019t changed too much since the original, you might be surprised at how different the Sense feels. It feels almost \u2014 and I know this is blasphemy \u2014 identical to the Xbox Elite controller.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sony\"
Credit: https:\/\/blog.us.playstation.com\/2020\/04\/07\/introducing-dualsense-the-new-wireless-game-controller-for-playstation-5\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a good thing. Not only is the controller comfortable, it\u2019s an intricate and fascinating piece of hardware to play with. Testing it in <\/span>Astro\u2019s Playroom<\/span><\/i> really lets you flex it, feeling things like hard resistance when you are, say, pulling a lever, vs the smooth feeling of propelling a glider. It\u2019s really a remarkable piece of engineering, and I\u2019m very pleased it exists.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve already written<\/a> about the DualSense, and how it feels when it\u2019s really being utilized. The catch was that I was only using it within the confines of <\/span>Astro\u2019s Playroom<\/span><\/i>, a game specifically designed to show off the DualSense\u2019s features. While that game is charming in all respects, it is of course not the best \u2014 or at least not the most indicative \u2014 showcase for what the controller will be like in day-to-day life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using the controller in just about any other game won\u2019t feel as special by a longshot. As I\u2019ve said before, it\u2019s a controller that\u2019ll only live up to its potential if developers care to use it. Unfortunately there just aren\u2019t enough games on the console at the moment for me to feel it\u2019s properly used.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which brings me to\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

All dressed up and nowhere to go<\/span><\/h2>\n

As much as I\u2019d love to tell you how much fun it is to play with the new console, there remains a slight problem: I don\u2019t have very much to play <\/span>with<\/span><\/i>. It feels a little wrong to blame the console for this, as it\u2019s caused by a whole constellation of factors \u2014 not least of which is the global pandemic. But the fact remains that there\u2019s not really enough on the console to keep you occupied for a long time, particularly if you\u2019re upgrading from the PS4.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Before launch, I was provided with codes for <\/span>Miles Morales<\/span><\/i> (a review of which will be out shortly) and a handful of other games. I also tested it with some of my PS4 games, such as <\/span>Uncharted 4<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Watch Dogs 2<\/span><\/i>. And don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 between Miles Morales<\/em> and Astro\u2019s Playroom<\/em>, I was <\/span>diverted for a while. But if we\u2019re going strictly by next-gen games, there just isn\u2019t that much on the console.<\/p>\n