Sony PlayStation 5: Design
The PlayStation 5 is a sizeable beast but a weirdly appealing one. It looks like it wants to stand out, unlike the hulking, breeze-block-style Xbox Series X, which I’ve never found attractive. While Sony no longer sells the original PS5, its design still matters, particularly as the newer PS5 Slim sticks very closely to the same look.
The PS5 Slim is around 30 per cent smaller and about 18 per cent lighter, but the overall design language is largely unchanged. The most obvious differences come down to size and ports rather than any dramatic rethink. One area where the Slim does diverge is flexibility: the PS5 Slim Digital model can be upgraded with an external disc drive if you want to play physical media.
On the OG model, the disc drive is practically hidden away so you might need to practice finding it, but it’s quite a sleek design. There are slightly raised buttons for power and eject so you won’t accidentally tap them. Just alongside that front interface is one USB-A port and one USB-C port. That’s in contrast to the PS5 Slim, which has two USB-C ports at the front. Both versions provide two USB-A ports at the back of the console.
I still have accessories which use USB-A ports so having a mixture of the two at the front proves most useful to me, and I suspect most people. Right now, my front USB-A port is used for a keyboard while the USB-C port is used less frequently.
The standard PS5 has 825GB of usable storage, while the PS5 Slim increases that to 1TB. Both consoles can be upgraded with an SSD drive, with the process being pretty simple in either case.
Sony PlayStation 5: Setup and use
If you’ve used pretty much any games console in the past 20 years, you’ll know what to expect for the PlayStation 5 setup. Plug in the HDMI cable and power connector, enter your Wi-Fi details (or plug in the Ethernet cable), and you’re mostly all set. You’ll need a PSN account too but if you’ve owned a PS3 or PS4, you can use the same details.
Once the basics are out of the way, it’s pretty simple to navigate the UI. A simple flick from top to bottom switches you between games and video content – a nice touch for anyone using their console as both an entertainment machine and as a games system. Sizeable icons provide insight into what you can play, with new games installed via the PSN store or through physical disc.
PlayStation Plus is worth considering if you want an extended catalogue of games to play, with three tiers offering varying amounts of titles at a price. If you want to play games online, most will also require a basic PlayStation Plus subscription.
It’s hard to find fault in the PlayStation 5 UI. It’s a little plain at times but that means you can find what you need without looking too hard. Even taking screenshots and sharing them with your friends is a simple process.
Sony PlayStation 5: Performance
The original Sony PlayStation 5 offers the same performance as the PS5 Slim. That means 120fps at 4K resolutions (and five years in, you’re much more likely to have a TV to show off that splendour), or up to 60fps at 8K if you’re lucky enough to have an 8K TV.
The PlayStation 5 uses a custom SSD which is designed to provide fast loading times. Launch titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 demonstrate this perfectly. You can fast travel across the city in a seamless fashion, never noticing the join between sections. That experience is identical on the original PS5 and PS5 Slim.
The PlayStation 5 has an excellent library of exclusive console games. There’s The Last of Us series, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, God of War Ragnarok and many more. Some are now available on PC but for console players, they remain Sony’s property. There are also many multi-platform gems like Elden Ring, Red Dead Redemption 2, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.
Games look fantastic as you would expect from the hardware involved, but it’s the DualSense controller that really makes the experience special. The vibration of haptic feedback feels great while adaptive triggers give you more control as you squeeze your way to victory. It’s particularly noticeable when webslinging in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 but also racing games like Gran Turismo 7.
