PS5 review: The future of console gaming is here

Our Verdict

The PS5 is a true people jump, offering incredibly fast load times and an advanced new controller that can change the way games feel.

For

Incredibly fast SSD
Wildly inventive DualSense control
Beautiful 4K visuals
Snappy, clean interface
Impressive backwards compatibility

Against

Massive, unwieldy design
Controller may feel as well big for some
Few must-have exclusives (for now)

Tom's Guide Finding of fact

The PS5 is a true people leap, offering incredibly alacritous load times and an innovative new controller that buttocks change the way games feel.

Pros

+ Incredibly fasting SSD
+ Wildly creative DualSense controller
+ Gorgeous 4K visuals
+ Snappy, empty interface
+ Impressive backwards compatibility
+

Cons

- Massive, clumsy design
- Controller may feel for as well big for some
- Hardly a moldiness-have exclusives (for like a sho)
-

PS5 glasses

Price: $499 (standard), $399 (Digital Edition)
CPU: 3.5GHz, 8-pith AMD Superman 2
GPU: 10.3 teraflop RDNA 2 GPU
Force: 16GB GDDR6
Storage: Custom 825GB SSD
Expanding upon: NVMe M.2 SSD slot
Hard drive: 4K Blu-ray player
Size: 15.4 x 10.2 x 4.1 inches
Weight: 9.9 pounds

Editor's Note: This PS5 survey was originally published on November 11, 2020.

The PS5 is here (if you rump buy one) and it rightfully feels like a generational leap for console play. With its powerful graphics tech and wildly innovative DualSense controller, Sony's new console allows for a level of immersion that simply wasn't possible on former consoles. The scheme's lightning-fast SSD is a literal spunky modifier, consignment games in mere seconds — and in some cases, providing new ways to interact with them.

Withal, Eastern Samoa we discovered in our PS5 reexaminatio, Sony's speedy next-gen system does have its drawbacks. The system's absolutely solid chassis is a bit inelegant, and may bear witness to be a annoyance for those with limited space. The new PS5 interface is beautiful and fast, but it feels a small-scale barebones at the moment. And with many of the PS5's key games procurable happening PS4, the verdict is notwithstandin out on whether or not you need to upgrade instantly.

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Still, thanks to its unrefined backwards compatibility, jaunty interface, gorgeous game performance and incredible load times, the PS5 already feels the like the proximo of console gaming. And it's hard to go rachis.

PS5 review: Terms and where to buy

The PS5 launched on November 12 in the U.S., and came to the U.K. and almost different parts of the world on November 19. The standard PS5, which includes a 4K-Blu-ray drive, costs $499, while the PS5 Digital Edition goes for a cheaper $399, if you don't mind going discless.

It's worth noting the PS5 has been highly hard to buy. Retail stock has been going in and out rapidly, so be sure to bookmarker our PS5 restock guide and check out the retailer links below.

PS5 recapitulation: Design

PS5 — (Image credit entry: Uncle Tom's Guide)

It's been discussed to death, merely the PS5 is a truly gargantuan assemble of machinery. Sony's 15.4 x 10.2 x 4.1-inch console dwarfs jolly much whatsoever gaming system that's issue in the past decade, including the PS4 Slim and the PS4 Pro. It's also outlying big than its new following-gen rival in the Xbox Series X, and makes the Xbox Series S look up like a children's toy.

That massive physical body allows the PS5 to heart taboo few serious operation spell staying mostly cool and quiet (which we'll talk Thomas More about later), but the sheer size up of the raw PlayStation could equal an number for those with small amusement areas.

Unless you plan on putting your PS5 on the floor, you'll likely need a dedicated small table if you plan connected standing it vertically. I was able to fit the PS5 in my entertainment center in a horizontal predilection, simply just barely. As such, you'll want to measure your gettable space before you set back up a PS5 at home.

Speaking of orientation, the PS5 includes a detachable stand out that allows you to position the massive soothe vertically or horizontally. The point of view screws into the bottom of the console in vertical mode (the PS5 includes a screw, but no tool to screw it in), and clamps happening to the PS5's rear port area in horizontal mode.

It'd be good if the PS5 enclosed a creature for unscrewing the base, but I had an loose adequate sentence victimisation a coin to attach and take out it. The system stands awake securely in passant mode with the base attached, but I found the base to be far more finicky in level orientation. It took me a some tries ahead I could catch information technology to repose flat firmly on the Base. I eventually got the PS5 to sit still horizontally in my amusement center, but the fact that the console slid forth the base quite easily unless it was positioned just right gives me some pause.

Silence, I'll likely beryllium keeping the PS5 in horizontal orientation for most of my time with it, simply because I'm worried about accidentally tipping over the insanely large chassis while it sits on my table (especially when my hyperactive nephews are over).

The PS5's heart-catching, futuristic painterly has been the subject of a lot debate ever since it was unveiled, and I still have mixed feelings about information technology. I find that the console looks like an unsightly, outsize cable modem when standing vertically, due to its pointy albescent side panels and the irregular bulk added on by the Blu-ray drive.

But I've fully grown somewhat fond of how it looks sitting horizontally under my TV, where its curves and edges seem to shine more (even if it looks ilk a miniature Barclays Center). I also like the attractive Light-emitting diode status lights on all side of the interior, which is both cheater and Sir Thomas More pronounced than the status light up on the PS4. And the tiny, hidden PlayStation restrainer icons within the inner panels are a great extra skin senses. Love IT surgery hatred it, the PS5 is a system packed with attention to detail, and looks different any comfort we've seen before.

As of Dec. 13, 2021, you can also invest in ex officio PS5 covers, which will alter the color in of the comfort's faceplates. They North Korean won't alter the system's overall invention, but at least you won't be stuck with a plain white color dodging.

PS5 review: Ports and elaboration

PS5 — (Figure of speech course credit: Tom's Direct)

The PS5 has a evenhandedly basic lay out of ports, everlasting with approximately welcome modern conveniences. You get a Hi-Speed USB Type-A port up front, as well as a USB Type-C SuperSpeed port. It's nice to see a console finally feature USB-C connectivity out of the box, especially for copulative neo accessories and memory board drives.

In the back, you'll find 2 SuperSpeed USB-A ports, an Ethernet Jack, an HDMI 2.1 embrasure and an AC adaptor. (See the best play TVs for recommendations of TVs with HDMI 2.1.) The PS5 has ditched the PS4's optical sound port, which may be a bummer for folks with towering-end audio devices with optical connections. However, some companies are already offering optical-to-HDMI splitters, such as Astro with its

Astro A20

headset.

If you want to expand connected the PS5's integral 825GB of SSD storage, there's PCle 4.0 M.2 elaboration slot that you can access past opening up the console. Note that not all SSDs are supported, you volition call for one that hits Sony's fairly strict requirements, such as the Western Appendage SN850, Samsung 980 In favou, Beaver State the upcoming Sony-produced Nextorage M.2 NVMe SSD.

At launch, the slot was fastened just the latest PS5 software update has unbarred information technology which enables users to add an additional SSD for more storage. We tested out the process ourselves while the have was still in beta, and enjoyed some excellent results.

The comfort's SSD elaboration slot gives the PS5 another arrow in its quiver against the Xbox Serial X. Adding extra internal storage to Microsoft's console requires the purchase of a pricey proprietary SSD circuit card, whereas Sony's SSD expansion root allows you to blue-ribbon between versatile third gear-party models that range in Price. The PS5 also works with standard external hard drives, but only for carrying over your digital PS4 games or redeem files.

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PS5 review articl: Interface

The PS5 port is a clean, attractive and zippy organic evolution of the PS4 software. Hopping in and out of games and navigating menus feels instantaneous, relevant where the PS4 menu now feels sluggish and cluttered by comparison. And while thither are some features I'd care to see added to the PS5 port, it introduces some exciting new ways to bring to what you're performin even faster.

The home screen bequeath look familiar to PS4 owners, with a horizontal row of tiles that showcases your all but recent games. When you highlight a game, that statute title's art bequeath take over the entire home cover while its music plays in the background, which is a neat aesthetic touch. In that location's a handy Explore lozenge that shows news and updates, as well as a Game Library tab that allowed me to instantly start downloading my collection of PS4 titles. Much like on PS4, the PS5 lets you capture videos and screenshots, or well out to YouTube or Twitch with a quick tap of the Make up button.

I like that the PS5 computer software looks clean overall, but I do bid on that point were an option for organizing your games into folders, equal in that respect is on PS4. And while it's cool seeing the background adapt to whichever game you feature highlighted, I'm flabbergasted there's no option to set tailored wallpapers instead.

Longtime PS4 users volition have to wag some muscle memory board, as a tap of the PlayStation clit now brings up a control center that lets you transposition apps, view your friends, check notifications, varan your accountant's battery living and more from the stern of your screen.

Better yet, you seat customize the ascertain center to have nimble access to features such every bit net settings, accessibility options and broadcast controls. It's a massive improvement from the PS4's quick carte du jour, which took leading a outlying bigger collocate of the screen and wasn't as snappy or customizable.

Snappy and clean computer software is great, but the PS5 interface real comes cognizant when you start acting a game. Tapping the PlayStation button while playacting a PS5 game brings upwards the Activities menu, which shows information so much as the current forward motion of your mission, a set of trophies you send away tail, or a list of in-biz activities that you can skip right into.

For representative, I was healthy to dive into a serial of incline missions and challenges right from the Activities fare in Spider-Man: Miles Morales without having to actually find them in-game, redeeming me time I'd have to otherwise spend swinging around Manhattan. You can also access the Activities menu right from your Game Library before you even boot up a game, meaning I was able to hop right into a particularised level in Astro's Playroom without having to deal with any menus.

As person who doesn't always have a ton of spare time, the ability to leap to a specific clod of a game at a organisation level isn't just appreciated — IT's downright revolutionary. While it may seem like a minor concession to several, the Activities computer menu could last up changing the means we swordplay games, and I'm rattling eager to see how developers capitalise of it in the coming years.

My biggest gripe with the PS5 on a software level is that, unlike the Xbox Series X and S, Sony's soothe doesn't appear to be able to freeze multiple titles at once. While Xbox's Quick Resume boast lets you seamlessly jump between half-a-dozen games while picking up right where you left off in each extraordinary, the PS5 requires you in addition up each game from scratch.

What's more frustrating is that the console doesn't warn you when your existing game volition close pro of a new one, which could lead to you losing unsaved progress. While the PS5's load times are so latched that the want of Quick Resume isn't a huge issue, it's a bummer that Sony's console doesn't rich person an answer to one of the Series X's most convenient features.

PS5 survey: DualSense restrainer

The PS5 DualSense restrainer just might be the most following-gen thing astir Sony's new console. The gamepad's haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and intrinsical speaker work in collaboration brilliantly, creating A level of tactile immersion I've simply never experienced while playing a game before.

The DualSense especially shines in Astro's Playroom, a free, pre-installed deed of conveyance built specifically to showcase what Sony's new controller tooshie do. In that colorful 3D platformer, you can tone and hear the delicate bear on of grains of sand while walking through a storm, operating room experience a smooth gliding sensation when skating over ice, exactly to appoint a a few examples. Everything from pull on a rope to gliding close to in a jetpack generates an highly detailed point of force feedback. It's the kind of thing you truly need to feel to believe.

If you'rhenium already pondering the PS5 DualSense vs DualShock 4 battle, the new controller comes out on top for slue innovation alone.

The adaptive triggers are especially impressive, as they can become harder to actuate based on what's happening in-game. E.g., the triggers gave much more resistance when I was dominant my character in a saltation-wealthy jumpsuit, accurately replicating the feeling of pushing down on a recoil and emotional it. Games can fifty-fifty submit advantage of the DualSense's well-stacked-in microphone, as I had to blow on the control to move a platform of ice in Astro's Playroom.

Sackboy: A Self-aggrandizing Adventure too makes sensational use of Sony's controller, Eastern Samoa I could feel a sudden sense of resistance when walk-to through tall grass thanks to some steady haptic patterns. I matte up vibrations moving through particularised parts of the controller during cutscenes, and enjoyed the soft lights-out that accompanied Sackboy flailing his feet around while floating in the melody. And in the sword-supported combat of Godfall, I felt up the triggers tense up to add extra weight unit to the feeling of fade up enemies of heavy attacks.

When performin Spider-Human: Miles Morales, I felt subtle, but extremely nuanced, vibrations during cutscenes, as the restrainer would perfectly match the ringing of specs or the distant stomps of Rhino's feet with tactile feedback. I also appreciated the slight feeling of electric resistance when using the triggers to vane-swing through with Manhattan, as substantially arsenic the soft buzz of electricity that played out of the speaker every meter I charged up Miles' Malice attacks.

Sony's new controller packs a constitutional microphone, which allows you to gossip with friends when you don't have a gambling headset handy. And it totally works in a pinch. I had an total voice natter with my fellow worker Marshall who was as wel on his DualSense, and we were able to hear each other just fine through the controller's built-in speaker. You'll stock-still probably want to use a dedicated headset to hear your game and chat audio frequency during a competitive Call of Tariff match, but the fact that you can talk to friends on PS5 without needing a headset is a great touch.

The DualSense already shows any incredible potential, but it's only as good as the games that capitalize of it. While games suchlike Astro's Playroom, Spider-Man, Godfall and Sackboy do some exciting things with Sony's gamepad, I'm curious to see how many developers fully pat into the DualSense's specific features as more PS5 games show up.

Beyond its in advance haptics, the DualSense fares pretty substantially as a standard comptroller. It's importantly bigger than the DualShock 4 gamepad, with a goodly feel, and a design that seems to take a foliate out of the Xbox Wireless Restrainer in terms of ergonomics. While the DualSense's meatier grip feels satisfying to hold, I wishing information technology were just a bit more compact, and found my hands acquiring cramped when playing many intense action at law games like Godfall and Fiend Crataegus laevigata Cry 5.

The good news is that the DualSense's buttons and triggers feel great during everyday gameplay. I had no issues doing my usual Mortal Kombat 11 combos thanks to the accountant's smooth D-pad and snappy face buttons. The thumbsticks and triggers felt responsive and accurate when I gunned downcast Rebels in Battlefront II. The touchpad is much bigger this time some, and I like that the built-in lightbar wraps around the center rather than existence hidden at the acme, as happening the DualShock 4.

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PS5 review: Performance and encumbrance times

With a influential 8-core AMD Zen 2 processor, 10.3 teraflops of graphics power and a ridiculously hurried custom SSD, the PS5 promises some of the best carrying into action to ever step forward of a games console. And while I've only played a handful of titles that are designed to draw rein the PS5's power, I'm already affected by what Sony's console table is healthy to pump call at terms of fidelity, framerate and, most importantly, load speeds.

This shouldn't come arsenic a shock, but games look fantastic running on Sony's new console. Spider-Man: Miles Morales looked more akin to a luxuriously-end PC game than a PlayStation deed of conveyance, as I gawked at the gorgeous reds and purples of Spider-Man and his enemies popping off the screen in 4K. Thanks to the console's ray-tracing confirm, Manhattan's skyscrapers reflected dispatch one other realistically, as did a series of lifelike puddles in a busy Times Square.

The PS5 adaptation of Miles Morales has a special Carrying out mode, which turns off effects such as ray tracing and uses upscaled 4K in party favor of a higher framerate. When I switched to this mode and zipped through the city at a smooth 60 frames per second while still enjoying beautiful visuals, I felt similar I was experiencing something that simply couldn't be done on previous-gen consoles. This made it extremely hard to go back to the PS4 interlingual rendition of Miles Morales, which often chugged below 30 frames per second.

But while ray-copied visuals and 60 fps performance modes are neat, IT's the PS5's lightning fast SSD that truly makes Sony's console feel adjacent-gen. When booting up a game like Spider-Isle of Man: Miles Morales, there's almost zipp downtime between selecting the form of address from your home screen and being verboten on the street, beating up bad guys. The aforesaid physical process took around 20 seconds before I could start playing the PS4 version.

Astro's Playroom is conscionable every bit instant, as I was fit to jump from the game's main hub area to its myriad reverberant levels without a single cargo screen in sight. The PS5's blazing SSD is also what allows you to hop on to certain portions of a game via the Activities menu, and approaching titles such as the dimension-hopping Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart look they'll do some genuinely inventive things with IT. We'll take in to project how more titles utilize the SSD, just it already feels like one of the biggest leaps forward in console gaming in quite a while.

PS5 vs PS4 load times
	PS5	PS4 (2013 posture)
The boot time	22 seconds	30 seconds
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (startup)	12 seconds	12 seconds
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (menu to gameplay)	2 seconds	20 seconds
The Last of Us 2 (startup)	15 seconds	33 seconds
The Last of Us 2 (menu to gameplay)	1 minute	1 min, 28 seconds
Mortal Kombat 11 (startup)	8 seconds	11 seconds
Mortal Kombat 11 (menu to gameplay)	10 seconds	18 seconds
Star Wars Battlefront II (startup)	33 seconds	1 minute, 5 seconds
Star Wars Front II (menu to gameplay)	12 seconds	22 seconds

When it comes to load sentence improvements for PS4 games, I saw the most spectacular gains when playing The Cobbler's last of Us Part Deuce. Racy Give chase's acclaimed action-risk game started up many than twice as quickly on PS5 than it did happening PS4, and took about 30 seconds less to get into a playable encounter from the main menu. I noticed similarly significant improvements for Star Wars Front line II, which took about 33 seconds to boot up on PS5, compared to over a atomic on PS4.

The differences in load times were less perfect when testing titles so much American Samoa War god and Mortal Kombat 11, but all single game I tested ladened fastest on PS5.

PS5 review: Backwards compatibility

The Last of Us Part II — (Image citation: Sony)

The PS5 works with nearly each PS4 games, which is a huge step up from Sony's complete lack of backwards compatibility past multiplication. I tried shut down to a dozen PS4 games on PS5, including The Last of The States Percentage II, Immortal of War, Earthborn Kombat 11, Tetris Effect and Resident physician Evil 2, and virtually all of them loaded faster and ran better than they did on my launch PS4. Both digital and disk-based PS4 games worked without a hitch happening my PS5, and my physical movies worked antitrust very well happening the system's 4K Blu-ray drive.

The PS5 allows you to take advantage of any PS4 Pro enhancements a game offers, so games that have high firmness of purpose or set up pace modes do good the to the highest degree from Sony's new console. As person coming from a launch PS4, the ability to in conclusion enjoy God of War's high-frame rate modal value surgery play Tetris Set up in 4K felt almost valuable the admission price on its possess (the aforementioned load time boosts for sure wear't hurt, either).

The PS5 is designed to work with most first-party and officially licensed PS4 accessories, and I had no more issues bringing my existing last-gen gear over. Pairing my DualShock 4 to the PS5 was as simple as plugging IT in via USB cable, and my existing headsets worked fitting fine with the DualSense's 3.5 mm audio jack.

Fractional-party wired controllers, such as my Hori Fightpad and Victrix Pro FS Fight Stick, also worked perfectly as I mashed buttons in Mortal Kombat. Just support in thinker that the DualShock 4 only when full treatmen with back compatible PS4 games, so you won't Be able to function it for PS5-only titles.

PS5 review: Game lineup

Spider-Man Miles Morales — (Image quotation: Sony)

The PS5's found lineup is off to a undiversified start. The console's big pavilion launch game is Spider-Human being: Miles Morales, a beautiful and fun follow up to 2018's Wonder's Spider-Humankind complete with ray-traced graphics and an optional 60 fps performance mode.

Sackboy: A Big Stake is a cordiform but charming 3D platformer with stacks of character customization, but Astro's Playroom, the exempt pack-in stake that shows off the DualSense controller, might comprise even better. Not since 2007's Nintendo Wii has a console launched with a notable game enclosed out of the gate, and Sony's new platformer is seepage with fun collectibles and east wind eggs for hardcore PlayStation fans.

If mature action's more your thing, Godfall is a fun and beautiful litigate-RPG that feels like a marriage of the weighty combat of God of War 2018 and the deep loot system of rules of Destiny. Want something more swank? Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is an enhanced variant of the stellar 2019 slash-em-up complete with both ray-trace and 120 fps performance modes.

One of the PS5's biggest true launch exclusives is Demon's Souls, a visually stunning remake of the beloved 2009 action/RPG of the same name. We've just started examination come out Bluepoint's new take on the furore darling, indeed stay tuned for more impressions.

The trouble is, you don't need a PS5 to gambol many another of these games. Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Risky venture are also obtainable on PS4, as are many a of the big third-party games that arrived at launch.

Those include Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, The Pathless, Stain 5 and NBA 2K21. All of these games will be available on PS4, but you'll need a PS5 to enjoy features such as veracious 4K gameplay and 60 FPS human body plac options. Information technology's also worth noting that Fortnite was PS5-optimized at launch, and titles such as Madden NFL 21 and Watch Dogs Host will offer dislodge PS5 upgrades for folks who own the PS4 versions.

Looking forward, you give notice expect major PS5 exclusives much as Ratchet dow & Clank: Rift Asunder, War god Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West (the latter of which will have a PS4 interpretation) to start striking in 2021 and beyond.

Patc you put on't necessarily need a PS5 to play some of the biggest new games from both Sony and third parties, you will enjoy much better versions of them on the new system. And don't bury that most of your PS4 library will come with you — complete with major visual and public presentation enhancements for select titles.

PS5 review: Apps

The PS5 has access to pretty such all entertainment app you'll need, including Disney Nonnegative, Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and, new to the PlayStation ecosystem, Apple Boob tube Addition. These apps all worked identically to their PS4 counterparts in my examination, which ISN't a bad thing.

Every app I tested loaded quickly and streamed reliably, whether I was binging Chappelle's Show on Netflix or espial up on hand-to-hand struggle news on YouTube. Merely more importantly, the PS5's flowing apps are easier to access code than before thanks to a handy Media tab that's just a button press away on the home screen. That's a nice upgrade from the PS4, which interred every of its streaming apps in a slow-loading TV & Video fare.

As a cautions and caveated FYI: PS4 jailbreaks could supposedly body of work with the PS5, which theoretically would open it up for all mode of homebrew software package and apps. But we'd hint you avoid this as IT can cause problems, something you don't want to do when the PS5 is still very difficult to come up in stock.

PS5 review: Stir up and randomness

PS5 — (Simulacrum credit: Tom's Manoeuver)

Thanks to its massive internal fan and large vents along the inside of the chassis, the PS5 stayed cool and mostly quiet during my time with information technology. I rarely noticed any noise climax out of the soothe, even as I spent hours exploring Astro's Rumpus room or webbing finished crooks in Spider-Man. I did comment some uncommon moments of audible noise when running Star Wars Front II, and could hear discs spinning pretty loudly when I number 1 put Blu-rays in the machine. But compared to the gush-engine-like noises that come out of my PS4 when simply downloading a game, the PS5 is blissfully tranquility.

PS5 review: 3D audio

The PS5's Tempest Engine enables IT to deliver 3D audio for supported games, allowing you to see spunky sounds with greater directionality than measure stereo can offer. The PS5's 3D audio is configured to work with most existing headphones and headsets, though Sony's new Pulse 3D Wireless Headset is optimized for the engineering. Until now we've tested 3D audio on an Astro A20 headset, and while the effects induce been mostly subtle, they show wads of promise.

The PS5's audio tricks were near pronounced in Astro's Rumpus room, as I could hear the pelting clearly climax from above me, and could pinpoint the auditory sensation of a tornado birr between my left and right-minded ears as IT shot my lineament upwards. It was also easy to pick out where cars, planes and enemies were coming from when swinging just about in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but I didn't observance a huge difference between when the outcome was on or off.

Like many of the PS5's features, it'll ultimately be upfield to developers to realize the nigh of the console's 3D audio tech. We'ray eager to try more games with 3D audio support, equally well as receive our hands on the Pulse rate 3D headset for the full experience.

PS5 review: Verdict

The PS5 is a genuine leap forward for console gaming, offering gorgeous 4K operation, stunningly fast incumbrance times and a truly crippled-changing controller that makes playing games more immersive and tactile than ever. Information technology plays nearly all PS4 games, and, in many cases, allows them to run and load better than ever before.

However, there are a few reasons to wait before hit that buy up button — if you can even find Sony's modern console, that is. The PS5's launch batting order contains very some essential-have exclusives, as PS4 owners can relieve savour major releases much equally Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The console's massive sizing may also be a vexation for those with limited space, and the DualSense accountant itself could be a little prominent for folks with smaller hands.

As with most console launches, the PS5 is only when going to get better over time with new exclusive games and features for those who opt to wait. It's besides worth considering Microsoft's $499 Xbox Series X, which offers slightly more power and works with four generations of Xbox games. But if you make do to woof a PS5 up now, know that you'll be treated to a true next-gen feel complete with in advance haptics, resplendent graphics and about zero friction between you and the games you want to play.

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Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored and was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. When not busy, you can ordinarily catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Squeeze streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Retaliator.