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Unlike with the new Xboxes, there’s
no difference in power between
the standard PS5 and the cheaper
Digital Edition – it really is just
a matter of whether you want a
disc drive or not, and that’s a £90
decision you’ll have to make and
then live with.
Do you prefer discs, for the joy
of physical ownership or collecting?
Do you care at all about 4K UHD
Blu-ray movies? Do you have a
cache of physical PS4 games that
you’ll still want to play on your new
console? If you shrugged at all
three of those questions, then
maybe you’ll do just fine with the
Digital Edition and you can put that
extra cash towards new games. On
the other hand, if you’re not quite
ready to take the download-only
leap, then this slimmer alternative
isn’t the PS5 for you.
PLAYSTATION 5
PS5 DIGITAL
EDITION
aunching on 19
November in the
UK (and an agonising
week sooner in the
US), the PS5 looks
to continue Sony’s
momentum from the PS4 – whose
gaming-only focus, better pricing and
constant flow of excellent exclusives
gave it a lead that the Xbox One never
came close to making up.
But with Microsoft clearly learning
lessons from its last-gen mis-steps,
will Sony see the same kind of surging
success with the PS5? There’s reason
to be optimistic, but also plenty of
evidence the Xbox is a more capable
opponent this time.
The new PlayStation has similar
chips to its rival, but as mentioned on
the previous page, it doesn’t hit quite
the same maximum output at around
10.3 teraflops. We doubt there’ll be a
noticeable difference in early software;
but as developers learn the ins and
outs of each system, that extra 15%
or so could be beneficial for Microsoft.Take a load off
Sony has another ace up its sleeve,
though: much faster SSD read speeds,
meaning the system can pull data at
a rapid rate. Both consoles use speedy
NVME SSD drives; but while the PS5’s
storage is lower at 825GB rather than
1TB, its read speed of 5.5GB/s is more
than double that of the Series X. That
is a potentially enormous advantage
that could kill loading times as we
know them and produce smoother
overall game experiences.
The PS5 will also right one major
wrong of the PS4 Pro by allowing 4KBlu-ray playback, and will still support
the existing PlayStation VR headset.
We’re expecting Sony to release
a higher-end PSVR replacement
soon, but that’ll do for now.You know it makes Sense
Sony is also making big moves with
the PS5’s controller, with a DualShock
evolution so significant that they’re
changing its name to the DualSense.
Along with a fuller-looking build,
the new controller provides haptic
feedback all around the surface,
delivering a much more immersive
sensation than the usual gamepad
vibration. It also has adaptive triggers
providing tension to better simulate
certain actions.
On the games front, Sony has the
early edge over Microsoft in the form
of exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man:
Miles Morales (see p40) and the
Demon’s Souls remake, while Sackboy:
A Big Adventure looks plenty charming
and Astro’s Playroom comes free on
the console.
We’re told the PS5 will also support
most PS4 games, but it doesn’t offer
backwards compatibility quite as
extensive as you get from the Xbox
Series X. Still, it’s new exclusives that
sell systems, and the PS5 has the
upper hand at launch with plenty more
exciting titles on the horizon.Packing super-quick internals, a sleek (and
sensitive) new controller and a solid line-up
of launch titles, can Sony keep its nose in
front in this next-generation showdown?
£450 / playstation.com£360 / playstation.comKey specs
O Native 4K @ 120fps O 10.3 teraflops
O 16GB RAM O 825GB SSD
O 4K Blu-ray drive O DualSense
controller O 390x260x104mm, 4.5kgKey specs
O Native 4K @ 120fps O 10.3
teraflops O 16GB RAM O 825GB
SSD O No disc drive O DualSense
O 390x260mmx92, 3.9kg