25 Best Things You Should Know Before Buying New PS5

The PlayStation 5 features a sleek black and white design.  Sony’s 15.4 x 10.2 x 4.1-inch console is nothing but a gift from future. While the console is most often seen vertically, it can also be placed horizontally. The plastic base is detachable and can be switched between the two layouts. Thus, it is slightly easier to fit into your entertainment center.

There are two different versions of the new PlayStation console. One version has a disc drive which is the standard version that supports Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and is priced at $499. The second version is the digital edition which is 100% digital with no disc drive included and is available at a price of $399. The digital only version has a slightly slimmer design due to the lack of a bulky disc drive.

Sony’s PS5 is undoubtedly the next-gen console as it features the lightning-fast SSD with 825GB of storage. According to Sony, where the PS4 could load 1GB of data in 20 seconds, the PS5 can load 2GB in 0.27 seconds. SSDs (solid-state drive) tend to be faster and smaller than HDDs (hard disc drive) because the former uses flash-memory chips and does not having moving parts. HDDs, on the other hand, take longer to read/write information because they use magnetic tape and have internal moving parts. So, with PS5, users can enjoy faster loading speed.

PS5 features spectacular detailing which due to its SSD storage. The solid state drive’s loading approach means we’ll get more detailed worlds. An SSD treats data differently to a traditional HDD, where devs need to duplicate data to make it more ‘searchable’. On an SSD devs needn’t duplicate assets – trees, lampposts, and the like – so there’s extra space. This leads to more detailed worlds, particularly with a new and more powerful CPU powering everything.

PS5 is powered by an AMD Ryzen custom chip, a Zen2, with eight cores / 16 threads. The PS5 is able to adjust its frequencies based on the workload in any given moment. An internal monitor within the system analyzes the workload for the GPU and CPU and adjusts frequencies to match, as opposed to constantly adjusting the power levels. AMD’s SmartShift technology is also at play here, allowing unused power to be transferred from the CPU to the GPU, which increases graphics performance.

The amount of RAM in the PS5 is a lot of RAM for a video game console, which typically have small amounts compared to their PC cousins. The PS4 only has 8GB of RAM, and the PS4 before it had a paltry 256MB while the newly launched PS5 has 16GB of GDDR6 RAM. RAM is an active and essential component to any gaming console, and it’s nice that PlayStation has included the newest version, GDDR6, that has increased capacity and bandwidth. PS5 will use RAM much more efficiently now that it can load data directly from the SSD at much faster speeds.

The PS5 interface is a clean, attractive and snappy evolution of the PS4 software. Hopping in and out of games and navigating menus feels instantaneous, to the point where the PS4 menu now feels sluggish and cluttered by comparison. It introduces some exciting new ways to get to what you’re playing even faster. There’s a handy Explore tab that shows news and updates, as well as a Game Library tab that allows you to instantly start downloading your collection of gaming titles. Much like on PS4, the PS5 lets you capture videos and screenshots, or stream to YouTube or Twitch with a quick tap of the Create button.

The PS5 features “Tempest” 3D AudioTech built-in. Sony wants all players to experience immersive audio, and not just those who could afford high-end speaker systems. The 3D audio on the PS5 creates greater suspense while playing intense games or greater tranquility while playing peaceful games. Sound is such an important aspect of the video game experience, and this audio upgrade makes the experience more magical for the players.

Ray Tracing is one of the biggest features that is available on the next-gen PlayStation console. The ray-tracing technology has been used only on PCs; however, it has finally arrived on the PlayStation 5 consoles. With ray-tracing support, the console games can produce far better graphics than what was seen on earlier gaming consoles. This is especially in terms of more realistic lighting, while also rendering more accuracy with the shadows and reflections.

The unsung hero of the console has to be its most important component: the DualSense controller. Developed by Immersion, the controller features similar qualities to the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. Overall immersion while playing a game can be a hard thing to achieve without VR, but the DualSense’s haptic feedback allows for rumble that reverberates vibrations throughout the controller. This allows every movement in the game to be seen, felt and heard from the controller. The pack-in game Astro’s Playroom brilliantly showcases all of the perks of the DualSense.

Sony has added haptic feedback to its new PS5 controller that makes you feel the environment in Astro’s Playroom, with adaptive triggers that provide tension when you’re drawing a bow or pulling on a cord. These new adaptive triggers really change the way games feel.These triggers are the highlight of Astro’s Playroom. You can feel the tension as you pull on rope to move throughout levels. This pack-in game even transforms you into a loaded spring at one point, where you feel the tension of a spring in the triggers.

The DualSense wireless controller’s next-generation haptic technology uses dual actuators instead of motors, and the results are quicker, more precise, and far more tactile. Next-generation haptic feedback replaces traditional “rumble” features with dual actuators, offering a more immersive suite of powerful physical sensations. We expect that game developers will find many interesting and useful ways to tap into DualSense wireless controller’s unique haptic capabilities, from deepening player immersion to communicating various gameplay states, and much more. Players will be able to reduce the effect or disable the feature if they prefer.

The new PS5 DualSense charging station has a USB Type C connection for faster charging. Again, ‘speedier everything’ is the next gen’s mantra, and that includes devices connected to Sony’s new next-gen console. The charging station features a click-in design. Your controllers charge as quickly as when connected to your PS5 console — so you can free up USB ports without sacrificing performance.

Similar to PS4, PS5 games offer a feature called “Preferred Install” that allows players to choose which part of a game to install first. This allows a player to prioritize access to a particular mode or feature. An example could be prioritizing the installation of the single-player or multiplayer component of a game. In supported PS5 games, players can also choose to remove specific modes or content they no longer want in order to free up storage space. Developers will ultimately determine the level of support offered for these features, but the goal is to maximize storage flexibility.

You might be thinking that due to its large size, PS5 must be making a lot of noise while playing. But to everyone’s surprise, the PS5 is a lot quieter than PS4. This is due to changes in the power delivery and cooling systems, as well as custom engineering work including a custom heatsink and a liquid metal-based thermal interface material.

Supported resolutions are 720p, 1080i, 1080p, and 2160p. PS5 can output resolutions up to 2160p (4K UHD) when connected to a 4K display. PS5 is compatible with 8K displays at launch, and after a future system software update will be able to output resolutions up to 8K when content is available, with supported software.

PS5 hardware supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) through HDMI 2.1. After a future system software update, PS5 owners will be able to use the VRR feature of compatible TVs when playing games that support VRR.

The HD Camera for PS5 features two sensitive, wide-angle lens 1920×1080 cameras that can measure depth of space – useful for seamlessly cropping the background off of a broadcaster. The PS5 Camera connects via USB Type-A connector on the back of the console. The dimensions are approximately 100mm x 41mm x 75mm (width x height x depth), and it weighs approximately 92g. The cable length is approximately 2 meters.

The Media Remote is a convenient option for watching movies and shows on PS5. It includes dedicated buttons for popular streaming apps, playback controls, and a navigational control pad. The dimensions are approximately 45mm x 145mm x 26mm, excluding the largest projection, and weighs in at approximately 55g. It runs on two AA batteries, which are included. The mic on the Media Remote can be used for voice dictation by pressing the mic icon on the On-Screen Keyboard when it appears, or in select media applications that support voice input modes. The physical mic button on the Media Remote is reserved for future functionality.

The PULSE 3D wireless headset is the official headset for PS5 and features a refined design with dual noise-cancelling microphones, USB Type-C charging, and easy-to-access controls including a built-in mic mute, master volume, and in-game audio to chat mix controls. A dedicated mic monitoring button lets you check how you sound to your teammates. You can connect the PULSE 3D wireless headset to your PS5 or PS4 console using the included wireless adaptor. You can use the 3.5mm headset jack to connect to other audio sources, such as the DualShock wireless controller, PlayStation VR, or a mobile device.

The PS5 has backwards compatibility with “the vast majority” of PS4 games. Sony tried to go through each individual title with the developers and publishers to ensure that each game can be played seamlessly on the new console. More than 4,000 PS4 titles are compatible with the PS5. This works with discs and downloaded games, so long as they are compatible. Not only does the PS5 backwards compatible with PS4 games, but it may improve them. Some PS4 games will with higher and smoother frame rates when played on the Playstation 5.

Like most modern consoles, the PS5 is equipped with a bunch of USB ports – four in total – each one supporting various speeds and devices. From charging your controller to plugging in an external hard drive, you’ll definitely be making use of them quite a bit. In total, the PS5 has four ports. There’s two on the front and two on the rear. For the front, you have 1 USB type-C, Superspeed USB (10 Gbps) and 1 USB type-A, Hi-Speed USB. On the rear, you have two USB type-A, Supersede USB (10 Gbps).

Games coming from Sony’s first-party studios include sequels, such as Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 7. The list of PS5 exclusives also includes a remake of PlayStation 3 game Demon’s Souls and a follow-up to 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man starring Miles Morales. Publisher Bethesda Softworks is also bringing two of its games, Arkane’s Deathloop and Tango GameWorks’ GhostWire: Tokyo to PS5 first.

The PlayStation 5 is over 5.5 times as powerful as the launch-model PlayStation 4, and almost 2.5 times more powerful than the PlayStation 4 Pro, according to Sony. As it allows the console to deliver content at resolutions as high as 8K and frame rates up to 120 frames per second with cutting-edge graphics features like hardware-accelerated real-time ray tracing.

The PlayStation Plus Collection, a curated library of digital PlayStation 4 games that PS Plus subscribers will be able to download for PS5 at no additional cost. Confirmed titles included as part of the PlayStation Plus Collection are Batman: Arkham Knight, Bloodborne, Fallout 4, God of War, Monster Hunter: World, and Persona 5. Sony also offers a service called PlayStation Now, a $9.99 a month subscription which allows players access to a huge library of PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and some PlayStation 4 games that players can stream instantly or download.

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