DECEMBER 2020 T3 51PlayStation 5
ere it is, the number one
product this winter
holiday season and, as
such, the console gamers
the world over are currently really
struggling to land.
The PlayStation 5 is an absolute
beast of a console in terms of
proportions. This is a system that
tops out at just under 40cm in height,
and is 26cm deep, and 10cm wide
- though the all-digital edition,
which eschews the 4K Blu-ray drive,
is a little slimmer. If you want
something that’s compact and easy
to conceal in your entertainment
setup, the PS5 isn’t it.
It comes in a compartmentalised
white cardboard box, which as well
as securely holding the hardware,
also delivers its base, DualSense
controller, cables and paperwork. The
base can be affixed to the console
either in its vertical or horizontal
orientation, although it’s obvious that
the primary usage is for when
positioning vertically. The base
screws into the PlayStation 5 in the
vertical position, and just clamps on
to one of its flared case wings when
displayed horizontally.
Those wings have divided opinion,
but we think that both its size, and
futuristic, flared design, generate a
sense of awe and power. This is a
It’s a bolder design
than the PS4, and
runs more quietly
than its
predecessorspecial portal to another world of
mind-blowing experiences, and it
should be treated with respect as the
piece of futuristic, almost alien
technology it is.
Its top-mounted vents, for
example, look like they should be on a
hypercar like the Pagani Zonda, while
the tiny cross, triangle, circle, square,
pattern on the inside of the console’s
flared panelling is a really nice touch.
It’s a bolder design than PS4, and
there must be some method behind
the madness, as it runs more quietly
than its predecessor.
From a firmly practical point of
view, you will need to think about
where you can put this system in
your setup. Its size will, most likely,
make putting it in a TV cabinet
impossible, and that might not be
ideal for cooling either.Smart setup
While technically falling short of the
Xbox Series X in overall power (see
p54), the PS5 comes with a suite of
really strong components, including
a 3.5GHz AMD Zen 2-based CPU with
eight cores, a 10.28 teraflop custom
AMD RDNA2 GPU, 16GB of RAM with
a memory bandwidth of 448GB/s,
and a custom-designed 825GB SSD
that is capable of an IO throughput
of 5.5GB/s.That’s a real jumble of letters and
numbers, so it’s easier to measure
the PS5 by a simpler metric: its data
processing ability is 100 times that
of the PS4.
Setting up the PlayStation 5 is
straightforward, and done directly
via the controller on the console itself- unlike the Xbox Series X and S,
which are set up largely through the
Xbox app on a phone or tablet.
Turn the system on, and you are
given both visual and audible
commands that run through all the
standard stuff like setting up an
internet connection, creating an
account (or logging into one), setting
up an energy profile, and automatic
sign-in options. The digital assistant
has instructions in various languages
as you go through the setup wizard,
but you can turn it off if you prefer,
and just follow the on-screen prompts.
Early on in the setup, you have the
chance to insert a game disc (unless
you bought the digital-only console)
for installation in the background
while you complete setup. This is a
small but thoughtful detail that gets
you gaming quicker.
The UI on PS5 is very similar to
that on PS4, and has a top-mounted
menu bar that allows you to cycle
through games and apps, as well as
access things like recordings, system
H
CPU AMD Zen 2, eight-core, 3.5 GHz
GPU 2.23 GHz custom AMD RDNA 2
(10. 28 TFlops) RAM 16GB GDDR6
Storage 825GB SSD (667GB available)
Optical Drive 4K Blu-ray
Network Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6
Dimensions 390×104×260mm
Weight 4.5KG