PS5 one month later: What we love (and hate)

PS5 one calendar month later: What nosotros love (and hate)

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While I was sorting through some onetime articles, I had a stunning realization: I've at present had the PS5 up and running in my apartment for more than a calendar month. The big white behemoth already seems like a fixture in my home, and equally such, I've started to take certain things for granted — how it looks, how information technology runs and what kinds of games it can play.

Now that the initial novelty of having a next-gen console has worn off, I tin can safely say that I've more often than not enjoyed my time with the PS5, and that some of my problems with the organization still persist. If you're all the same trying to go your hands on a PS5, here are some features that you can look forwards to, as well as some caveats to proceed in mind.

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And if yous already take a PS5, read on to see if you plant the same pros and cons that I did.

spider man miles morales — (Image credit: Future)

PS5: What we like

The loading times: From its very first hardware reveal, Sony has sold the PS5 as the panel that will put long load times backside us forever (or at least until developers start overloading console games with complicated lighting and textures in a few years). If anything, Sony actually undersold how well this feature works.

Get-go-party games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales tin can get from main menu to gameplay inside seconds; third-party titles similar Assassin's Creed Valhalla still accept less than a minute. Fast travel is near instantaneous. Backwards-compatible PS4 games are faster than e'er before. Information technology's hard to overstate just how much fourth dimension you'll save, especially in games that need frequent reloads. (We're looking at you, Demon's Souls.)

The PlayStation Plus Drove: Sony doesn't have a definitive reply to Microsoft's incredible Game Pass service yet, only the PlayStation Plus drove is an excellent start. PS Plus subscribers tin can download and play more 20 hit PS4 games, from first-party fare like God of War (2018), to 3rd-party favorites like Monster Hunter World.

It'southward a fantastic style for newcomers to go defenseless up on honey Sony franchises, and veterans to fill gaps in their gaming backlog. The PS Plus Collection has the potential to be so much more, and so I hope this is just the first step in a comprehensive subscription program.

The launch library: While I was initially somewhat dismissive of the PS5 launch library, the games won me over in a big way. Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a worthwhile follow-upwardly to Insomniac's first Spider-Man game; Astro'southward Playroom is a delightful showcase for what the PS5 and its controller can practice; Demon's Souls is one of the accented all-time games of the year, and takes total advantage of the PS5'due south unique features.

If this is indicative of the starting time-party quality we tin can look going forward, then I tin't look for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and God of War: Ragnarok.

First-party games similar Spider-Man: Miles Morales can become from main bill of fare to gameplay within seconds

PS5 — (Epitome credit: Tom'southward Guide)

PS5: What nosotros don't like

The design: When Sony commencement revealed the PS5'due south physical design during ane of its summertime showcases, I thought information technology was the ugliest console I'd e'er seen. Fourth dimension has washed nothing to clothing downwardly my opinion, nor has seeing the console in person. The standard PS5 is a garish, asymmetrical device; the PS5 Digital Edition is symmetrical, simply yet garish.

The arrangement is as well big for its own good; the front of the console is prone to fingerprints; the removable stand up makes information technology hard to transition the console from horizontal to vertical configurations. The PS5'southward inevitable redesign in a year or two volition take a lot of flaws to fix.

The interface: I don't mean to romanticize the PS4 interface, which had its own problems, simply there's a sense that the PS5's navigation isn't quite as clean. Your streaming apps are all subconscious away in a split home screen; checking trophies is a royal pain; trying to determine whether you have the PS4 or PS5 version of a cross-platform game is an ordeal. While the PS5'south interface isn't broken or incommunicable to use, it'south also not about as straightforward as the plain Jane Xbox Serial X menus — or maybe it'south just not as familiar.

The launch library: I loved Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon'due south Souls. I besides realize that Spider-Man: Miles Morales is available on the PS4, and I played Demon'south Souls a decade agone on the PS3. While the PS5's launch games are generally great, there's likewise no killer sectional, which feels similar a missed opportunity. Cross-platform games run amend on the PS5, sure, but having toyed effectually with Assassin'due south Creed Valhalla and similar third-party titles, the difference in functioning isn't night and day — particularly if you're coming from a 4K-capable PS4 Pro.

Sony PS5 Dualsense Controller — (Image credit: Sony via thegameawards YouTube)

PS5: What nosotros're still non certain about

The DualSense: The DualSense controller very nearly made it onto my "dislikes" listing, as I usually find the resistant triggers, subtle haptics and constant sound furnishings more distracting than immersive. But recently, I had a revelatory moment in Demon's Souls when I saw that the DualSense tin be only every bit ambitious as advertised. For the moment, the DualSense often takes me out of a game — but it at least has the potential to draw me further in, then I'll reserve further judgment until the next large round of sectional titles debuts.

And that's where I stand up on the PS5! I've played a handful of great games, cleared off more space than I'd similar in my amusement middle and waffled back and forth on the controller. I'k ready for the next PS5 exclusive, and I'm OK focusing on other systems until then. (Truth be told, I've been gaming mostly on Xbox Series 10 for the last week or two, so the pendulum has finally swung the other manner.)

At the very least, I promise this provides some panacea for the defended gamers who are struggling to find a PS5 amidst the pre-society and restocking disasters. The organization is skilful, just it isn't perfect, and its all-time days are probably at least a few months away.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'due south Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and applied science. After hours, you can discover him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.