A new generation is always one of the most exciting times in gaming and this had been the longest gap between gems. I will say the PS4 and Xbox have served us well, games still look great but I recently got a new tv and not having games in 4k with good frame rates really stands out. In comes the PS5 which is a beast of a console which should allow games to be played in 4k was excellent performance and that's exactly what I'm getting with the PS5, it's GLORIOUS, 4k 60 is stunning, the HDR is better than ever, again you need a great tv but when it works the brightness and image quality pops. Many games have an option for performance of quality modes. This console can't do ray tracing at 4k 60fps. So you can play at 30fps with ray tracing or play 60fps and to me the choice is clear 60fps is a massive improvement, ray tracing is not. Still options are nice.

The UI is extremely slick offering most options in a small pop up at the bottom while you play. The card system which every game uses as a way to show trophies and other in game info, is really neat but it depends on the game making use of it. Astrobot for instance you pick any trophy, say finish the 4th level and you can just press square to play and in a few seconds you are there, no need to go through an in game menu. Then some cards have hints in them. Demons souls has a ton, it has a video on how to avoid the dragon on the bridge, videos on where to go and so on. You can snap the video as PIP so you can play along. DS too let’s you simply teleport to any trophy, don’t even have to go through the nexus. It sort of takes that Nintendo in game help idea they had to a whole system wide level.


What makes any new console feel next gen is a nice new controller and this dual sense is the biggest upgrade to anPS controller since the dual shock. It's heafty with excellent grip and feel, I'm still getting used to the tougher more rigid triggers, I like them soft but it's still better than an Xbox controller. The star of the show is the haptic feedback which is so cool. I never really felt much with the joycons, I think they are too small, but with this both your hands get a sensory massage. Astrobot is the game that showcases this well as every footstep is felt, hard wood feels different than grass or sand. Water is felt splashing inside the controller. You can feel the wind coursing through if you are being blasted in game. Pulling a string has the sensation of tension especially felt in the new triggers. It's an incredible piece of hardware that must be felt to be believed.

As for the games I have Astro which is a super cute platformer that takes you through the history of PlayStation. There are literally scenes from famous PS games being played out all over the levels. The collectibles are models of every PS console and accessory. And every level is a showcase for everything the controller can do from feeling water, shooting paintballs, crashing through grass, blowing into it to push a raft, it's all very cool. The level design is in no way equal to the VR game, again this is more of a cute small game to ease you into the system.

Demons Souls is a stunning next gen showcase. It's Souls through and through so nothing really to add with gameplay impressions just that it's stunning to look at. I can't get over how smooth everything looks and feels. Spider-Man same idea, it's more Spider-Man but now feels like it's running as well as it can. It has ray tracing which can do some impressive stuff with reflections but again I choose 60fps, that smoothness while swinging and fighting can't be beat. DMCV is another game I got, now I can play in 4k 60 and like everything else it's a visual feast.

Many PS4 games have gotten enhancements, I especially will see a difference because I skipped on the pro so I haven't played any game in 4k and wow, TLOU2, Ghost of Tsushima look so good. Ghost in particular got a 4k 60fps upgrade and that game now looks like it could have been a PS5 exclusive, the jump in graphical quality stands out so much.

The PS5 feels like a quality piece of hardware through  and through. The SSD makes loading a thing of the past, I can load into any level in dark souls from the main menu before even starting the game in like 10 seconds, it's crazy. The PS store which was a slow loading pain to navigate is now instantenous and smooth. Everything works great, I just wish I had more space, already I'm more than half full. In terms of tech, this is the best most compete feeling console I have ever had and I have basically had them all. Bravo Sony.

Controller sounds great. Hopefully some PC games will take advantage of it somehow.

The only way I'd get one is if I sold my PTS4, given that this plays PS4 games and PT isn't worth replaying. Otherwise, it just sounds like an unbeatebly-priced high-end gaming PC. That just makes me want to upgrade, not buy it as a console. But as an unbeatebly-priced high-end gaming PC, it really does sound great. Glad you're enjoying it!

Now for new some games, please.

Spider-Man's visuals are great on PS4 so I'm wondering how much different it is on PS5

gamingeek said:

Thanks for the impressions. I'm a bit perplexed on the new games thing. Is there no cool must have launch game?

Demons souls, miles morales, sack boy are all NEW games but DS is a remake and exactly the same, miles morales is basically a gigantic full sized expansion, and sack boy is on PS4 and doesn't seem like anything that can't be done on PS4. So there are new games to play but none of them are a game you can say that can't be done on ps4

Foolz said:

Controller sounds great. Hopefully some PC games will take advantage of it somehow.

Not going to happen. Until it's hacked by logitech.

gamingeek said:

No killer app then. Does Xbox Series X have one? I haven't been keeping up with the news since Covid broke the world.

They don't even have one first party game.

So my friend got sack boy adventure and we started a voice chat, from there he activated share play coop mode and I jumped into his game as player 2! It took a minute before the stream got stable but it did, it clearly was sub HD and there was a slight lag, if you ever tried a streaming service it was the same as that, but overall it was totally playable. Just like that with a few buttons I am now playing coop on a game I don't own, really cool. Sack boy seemed fun, the levels I did were very simplistic. When we were done I shut down the stream and I was back in demons souls exactly where I left off in a second. The ease of use in this console is something to behold.

It feels like we are finally back to the old days, pop in a cart and start the game boom you are playing. Something like running back to the nexus to switch items then go back to the Smith would be so annoying with long load times, now it's no big deal. This console just feels so put together, it's the best piece of tech on a console I have ever had.

SupremeAC said:

That streaming tech is pretty cool.  Is it on a per game basis of is it implemented at system level?  Kind of reminds me of how you could play parts of GBA games in multiplayer even if you didn't own the game.

System level, every game allows it unless there is some way they can block it.

LOL! What a call back.

Souls is done now I'm onto Miles Morales and holy shit these graphics. I keep switching between fidelity and performance. 60fps is god like yes but this games ray tracing is something to behold. In doors in a shiny lab you need to see the insane reflections all over, it's stunning. And the game seems improved, nothing major but enough to feel like a better version of spiderman

Demon's Souls and Spider-Man Miles Morales are done and I am onto Sackboy. Yeah the system remains an absolute joy to play, everything so fast and responsive, 4k gaming on a beautiful big 4k TV is incredible and it might get hard to go back. I think I cant stress enough how much this new TV is helping, I did get the top of the line TV and its worth every penny, wow. Next gen wouldnt have been as impressive if it was on my old screen.

Miles Morales is more of the same of Spider-Man but much leaner, in 15 hours I was done 100% with the game. The main story is fantastic, continuing the amazing PS Spider-man universe which already delivered one of the best SM stories ever. This version rivals the movies, incredible acting, top notch drama, just fantastic. Because its shorter the main story is like 6-7 hours and it feels good, the original over stayed its welcome. Akll the boring MJ stuff and bad puzzles were removed, the focus put on combat and setpieces. The combat is improved but it is not enough to reach Arkham levels, I would say all the same issues I had with SMs core gameplay remains, the positives too. I could not choose between perfromance mode which is 4K 60 or fidelity which is 4k 30 but with ray tracing. That ray tracing wow, the reflections are stunning, there are some indoor labs that are there just to show off what the ray tracing can do. Then again that smoothness of 60 cannot be understated, its stunning in motion. Clearly PS5 wont be powerful enough to have 60 and ray tracing so I will have to make this tough choice a lot I guess, most of the time I went 60.  

Sackboy is good fun, inventive cute levels but I dont think it ever reaches the highs of the LBP1 or 2 campaigns. Media Molecule they are not. Also not a good idea to play this after Galaxy. Its solid, its big, seems like a good 10-12 hour game but it doesn't scratch that inventive itch the series was known for. astro bot while a very simple platformer had that innovative spirit and that polish that made it feel like a passion project while this feels like a by the book 3D platformer.