We've had our fair share of time with Sony's new PlayStation 5, and while anyone would be quick to pit its specs against Microsoft's Xbox Series X, we decided to look at the bigger picture here. After all, specs alone don't make or break a gaming console. Just look at the Nintendo Switch as a prime example.
Despite people considering it the inferior console in the hardware department, you still have many reasons to admire the Sony PS5, ranging from design to game collection. Here, we'll look at the top six things we love about the PlayStation 5.
1. The PS5's Design
Many people dislike that the PS5 is a lot bigger than the Xbox Series X. But bigger doesn't mean that it's not aesthetically pleasing, right? The white and black aesthetic fits well in any modern entertainment center, and we absolutely love the PS5's curves.
The Xbox Series X, on the other hand, has more of a boxy design that some people might find boring. It seems more like a mini-ITX PC rather than a gaming console. In fact, we love the sleeker design of the more affordable Xbox Series S.
We also love the design of the new DualSense controller. It has more curves than the DualShock 4, and the dual-toned look makes it pleasing to the eye. Also, we're glad that Sony finally moved the light bar to the top so that we can clearly see the charging status and other player indicators.
If you want a more complete breakdown of the PS5's DualSense controller, we've written a full article for you to check out.
With all of that said, our favorite part about the PS5's design is the removable plates, making it easy to customize the look of your console. Don't like the white appearance? Just take the plates off and spray paint them with your favorite color.
2. The PS5's Insane Storage Speed
The Sony PS5 might have inferior hardware to its Microsoft counterpart, but the storage department is one particular area where it blows the competition out of the water. The internal solid-state drive on the PS5 is extremely fast. It's actually quicker than most nonvolatile memory express (NVMe) solid state drives (SSDs) in high-end gaming PCs today.
The PS5's internal SSD can deliver sequential read speeds of up to 5,500MB/s for uncompressed data and around 8-9GB/s for compressed data. These numbers put the Xbox Series X to shame, which only manages a mere 2.4GB/s for uncompressed data and 4.8GB/s for compressed data.
Currently, games don't take full advantage of these insane read speeds, but they could prove beneficial down the line. How does video games without loading screens sound, for a start? Well, that's where we're headed. The PS5's storage speeds will allow the developers to make this happen.
3. The PS5 Digital Edition Gives You a Choice
By far our favorite thing about the PS5 is that it gives you the choice of a disc-less version of the PS5 for a more affordable price. It's no secret that disc drives and physical media are slowly dying off. Not many people visit stores to buy physical copies of games anymore when they could easily download them from the comfort of their homes with an internet connection.
Moreover, the PS5 Digital Edition looks much sleeker with a symmetrical design. If you're happy with digital copies and don't intend to use your PS5 as a 4K Blu-Ray player, you'll be better off saving a hundred dollars on the PS5 Digital Edition.
Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't have a similar offering for the Xbox Series X. So, you'll have to shell out the full cost for the console, whether you like the Blu-Ray disc drive or not. Having said that, the PS5 Digital Edition is only ideal for people who have a fast and unlimited internet connection since you'll need to download tens of gigabytes of data for each game.
4. The PS5 DualSense Controller Is Truly Next-Gen
The new DualSense controller for the PS5 is a game-changer, and many people seem to overlook this feature. The older DualShock 4 controller provided vibration feedback with the rumble motors, but the PS5's DualSense delivers haptic feedback to improve the experience further.
Inside the DualSense controller, you'll find voice coil actuators that vibrate depending on how the power is pushed through them. Developers can send the desired vibration waveform that they want the players to feel through the haptics. They're a lot faster than rumble motors, and therefore, developers have finer control over the tactile feedback that the player receives.
Sony has also added adaptive triggers to the PS5 controller. This feature allows developers to add resistance to the triggers, making it easier or harder to pull the L2/R2 buttons. The adaptive triggers combined with the new haptics open a whole new world of mechanics for the next generation of games.
5. Sony's High-Quality Exclusives
Most of us can agree that Sony has consistently put out high-quality games for the PS4. For instance, God of War bagged the prestigious Game of the Year award in 2018, and The Last of Us Part II did the same in 2020. You can realistically expect this level of quality to continue with the PS5 as well.
Unlike Microsoft's exclusives that make their way to the PCs, you cannot play Sony's exclusives on any other platform. As gamers, we hate exclusivity in games, but to be fair, this is what drives the sales of the PS5. From a business standpoint, it's a win for the PlayStation.
The spin-off game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales met all our expectations for a PS5 launch title. So, we're really excited to check out upcoming PS5 games like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War: Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, and more from Sony's first-party developers.
6. The PS5's Support for Virtual Reality
Sony is the only console maker who's making a push for virtual reality. So, if you want a virtual reality (VR) experience without having to build a beefy PC from scratch, a PS5 would be a much better option. It supports the first-generation PlayStation VR headset, thanks to backward compatibility with PS4 games. However, you'll need to purchase or request a PlayStation Camera adapter for the PS5 from Sony.
Sony is currently working on a next-generation VR system for the PS5 to replace the original PSVR headset. Its controllers will feature adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, just like the DualSense controller. The company promises a high-fidelity visual experience, which points towards a higher resolution display. The PSVR successor will rely on a single cable to establish the connection, making it extremely simple to set up and use.
There Are Many Reasons to Love the PS5
It's not all about how powerful a gaming console is. Sometimes, it's more about how the console takes advantage of the available hardware. Sony has managed to put all the PS5's hardware to good use with features like haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, insane storage speeds for instantaneous load times, and VR support.
Besides the visual improvements you'd typically expect from a new console, these added features ensure you get a truly next-generation experience when playing the latest games.