Update: 17/04/2021 - The first major update for the PS5 has been launched and it adds a few nice new features and changes a couple of things up for the better.
Those who read the original article will know about my beef with the Game Base and struggling to see friends who were online, mainly because as I managed to find out, they were buried at the bottom underneath the parties section, which to me was a ridiculous thought. This has now been updated in new the newest version and parties and friends have been tabbed so each has its own section, which is a lot better than what it was. Now, if I could only have the friends tab as default.
The next part of the update is the ability to put PS5 games onto an external hard drive. You are still unable to play PS5 games from the external hard drive, however, so you don't have to keep downloading, deleting and redownloading games, Sony has now given you the option to put them to one side and when you want to play them again, just transfer the games back onto the internal hard drive. Handy for those who may not have the quickest internet connections.
Next up is the ability to hide games in your games library. This was a big one for me, I like to keep my games organised and I like to hide away games that I no longer play, after all, if I'm done with them, I'm not going to go back and play them. Plus the PS5 seems to include games that I have played on disk through my PS4, and with having a digital device now, that's no longer possible unless I bought the digital version. So it was nice when this update came out and I was able to hide all of those games with padlocks on them.
Another annoyance that this update seems to have fixed is the grey game tiles that were left behind after deleting a game from the system. Haven't had it happen to me since the update which is nice, as it was a pain either having to start the download again and cancel or restore my licenses to get them off my dashboard.
Another little tidbit from the update was the screenshots and videos that are taken when you earn a trophy. You can set it to your heart's desire as we know that those videos and screenshots can take up a lot of space on the HDD. If you only want it to take for platinum's then you can set it to that, but if you like to show off a little more, then you can choose which tier of trophy it takes from.
There are loads more things which have been added in that I haven't tried or been able to use, such as enabling 120hz as standard in games, there's a new icon for games when they're on an external HDD, you can disable HDR when it's not supported. Trophy cards can now take you to the trophies to see what you need and also while you're in the trophies section you can now simply press the square button on hidden trophies to see the requirements for it. Which is a nice touch.
All in all, it's a good update, but I know there is a lot more that can be done to improve the user experience, but I am loving my PS5 and I'm looking forward to what the future holds!
Original Article: After much waiting and more waiting thanks to Game taking 2 weeks to deliver, I finally received my PS5 much to my excitement.
I personally didn't know what to expect other than being able to continue on from when I had my PS4 and get some of those games finished off. I had my Ps App downloaded onto my phone so I was able to reinstate my PS+ subscription and claim some of the free PS5 games from the monthly free games. Bonus!From packaging to unboxing, my Xbox Series S was pretty much a flawless process; break the seals on the box, open and voila! The console presented in all its glory and in beautiful fashion as well. Whereas with the PS5, and similarly with the PS4, its boxed in a box. There is little to no presentation, although I guess we're not here to just stand the console up and look at it, we’re here for the games. So from this standpoint, I guess its more of a moot point but just an observation I made.
Now, setting up the console was a nice experience and it was pretty much the same with my Series S, where you switch it on, go through a couple of options and then it says that if you have the app, link the console to app and voila! It’s done! I will say that it was a flawless process and within 20/30 seconds I was on the dashboard and preparing myself for my new experience and getting some games downloaded.
The UI was recognisable from the PS4, the simple XMB method in use again, however, there have been a few changes made along the way to try and improve on the current iteration and to give the console a more next gen feeling. When you press the PS button on the controller, instead of the sidebar showing up like on the PS4, it now brings a bar along the bottom which gives you familiar options such as to broadcast, see how your downloads are coming along, sounds options and battery usage. One thing I miss from the PS4 sidebar is just simply seeing what friends are online, yes, you still get the pop up when they login, but after this there is no clear away (or one I haven't yet come across) to see a list of online friends.
The game base section just tells you about party chats that are available or what have been available in the past, which to me, doesn't need to be there. I would just like to see what friends are currently online and if they're in a party chat I can join. There's a lot of good here with the PS5s UI, but there are instances where they've just tried to over complicate things. A friend's list should be something that is quick and accessible, this game centre is a step back for me. Even turning off your console is a task, holding down the PS button to bring the bar up and then navigate to the opposite end. These are definitely areas where there is room to improve.
One thing I've been impressed with is the speed of the system and how fast games load up. In Control, fast traveling from point to point takes seconds, sometimes it's instantaneous. I've barely picked my tea up to drink and I'm already loaded in!
The next item I want to mention is the controller, I've already been a fan of the Xbox controller more than the controller's on PlayStation. My thumbs have always felt natural in a more "off" position. However, with the dual sense controller it feels good in the hands and my thumbs don't feel awkward in a different position to what they're used to. The haptic feedback in the triggers is something special, Astros Playroom, Sackboys: A Big Adventure and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War show this off very well. From simulating the tension when pulling a bow, to how the triggers on different things would react. It adds that extra level of immersion and I look forward to seeing how developers use this in the future. In terms of the design of the console, it's grown on me, when I first saw it I wasn't keen on it, but since I've had it in my hands and I've been able to see it "in the flesh" so to speak, I've really liked how it's designed. I've added a bit of customisation to mine with a Spiderman decal added to the front and then I added a sticker under the PS logo to give it an original feel with retro colours.
Overall my experience in my first week with a PS5 is a very positive one. There are some things that I would like to see amended to improve the user experience, but I think over time it will be tweaked and improved.
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