Topic: PlayStation 5 --OT--

I like the rumble and triggers. But I’d say that, like HD rumble (which I also like), it’s evolutionary more than revolutionary. The TRUE evolutionary advancement for shooters has been around for years and yet still hasn’t been adopted on PS/Xbox.... gyro aiming. Which is an absolute shame because that really is revolutionary for shooters, in the truest sense of the word. And PS5 controller has excellent gyro. Unfortunately, it’ll probably only ever get used on Steam since developers still aren’t integrating gyro into their PS games (Xbox they can’t because the controller doesn’t have gyro). I’m hoping that, because it’s become standard on Switch (see Sniper Elite 4 which uses excellent HD rumble for heartbeat when sniping and gyro when aiming- which combined is a truly incredible experience), these devs will start incorporating it on PS5 also. Eventually. Anyways.

Got my PS5. Here’s my thoughts:

Available Storage LESS than 667 GB - Closer to 540 GB
Seems everyone is reporting the 667 number, it turns out the system reserves space in the “Other” category for “system functions to ensure things run properly” or something to that effect. And the amount it reserves continues to grow as you install more games. The games (both PS5 and PS4) are installed in the “games and apps” section, not “Other”. I suspect it might be free space for SLC cache given the fact it uses an SSD, and I’m pretty sure they went with QLC to save costs.

All I know is, there’s really only half a terabyte of usable space, and with 50 to 100 GB games, that’s a serious problem. Especially since we can’t expand the NVMe storage yet. I did order an external SSD to hold my PS4 exclusives though, and free up space on the internal for PS5 games. As soon as they patch in the ability to add an NVMe, I’m ordering a 2TB which should last all generation if I’m only buying exclusives that aren’t on Steam.

I Figured Out How To Get HDMI CEC To Work
I struggled with this for years with my PS4. Unlike my Switch, which would turn the tv on automatically and change inputs, the PS4 never did. And for that reason I just quit playing it. There were other reasons also (no gyro in 99% of games, load times longer than PC- I’ll get to that) but convenience of use can be a barrier to entry. Thankfully, I figured out the problem. The HDMI switcher I was running my PS consoles through wouldn’t allow it to work. Since I sold my PS4 and Xbox one last week I figured I didn’t need the switcher anymore, and as soon as I connected directly, my TV detected the PS5 under CEC settings and it works perfectly now. Awesome! This may not sound like a big deal but this right here will probably be the determining factor as to whether I actually play the system long term or just let it collect dust for the next five years. This is an absolutely huge breakthrough for me. If anyone else has experienced this issue I recommend you try plugging it into your TV directly.

Load Times Finally Match My PC (and even exceed in some cases)
This is a really nice leap forward. I’ve been using in NVMe SSDs on my PC for some time, and it really does make a difference. Not for instant loading because that’s not really the issue. I don’t care if something takes a few seconds to load. The real issue is the one minute load times. The two minute load times. And those are all drastically reduced on the system. I am very pleased with the fact they opted for Gen 4 NVMe.

Dualsense Is The First PS Controller I Actually Love
I’ve never liked PS controllers much. The PS4 controller was actually much better than previous iterations, but it still wasn’t quite as good as Switch Pro or X1 controller. But the PS5 controller might be my favorite. In truth, it’s not quite as comfy as the Switch Pro Controller. A bit too thick in the hands when your thumbs are on the analogs. But that’s literally the only negative I have to say about it. Everything else is top notch. The rumble is better- rolling things around in Astro’s Playroom wasn’t quite as impressive as the marbles in 1-2 Switch, but I think it’s better than HD rumble in other respects such as range of intensity and frequency. Not sure what I think about the triggers yet. At first I didn’t think I was going to like it, but it’s actually kinda neat. Will have to see if they get used for anything impressive moving forward.

As For Gyro, YES. So Much Yes
This controller has the best Gyro of any controller I’ve used to date. I believe the reason for this is an added magnometer which helps keep the gyro calibrated, analogous to a compass always pointing north. That’s absolutely brilliant and in hindsight I’m dumbfounded nobody thought to do it yet. If Switch 2 doesn’t include a magnometer I’m going to be very disappointed. The bad news is it probably won’t actually get used for anything. Aside from Switch, 3rd parties are still refusing to add gyro aiming for their games on consoles. At least I’ll be able to connect a DualSense to Steam and use it for gyro aiming there.

Snappy OS, Makes PS4’s Sluggishness Readily Apparent
This was much needed. The PS4 UI was sluggish, it had delays, and just wasn’t very good. PS5 feels on par with Nintendo Switch. It’s lightning fast. And I know that’s pretty much expected at this point but, it’s still nice to see. I expected it on PS4 as well, yet somehow it ended up being laggy by the end of the generations so, it’s not something I’m taking for granted. Fantastic UI on PS5- it’s easy to use and easy to learn. Zero complaints.

Mic In Controller Is Better Than Expected
Given the fact I don’t really play games online much except for Monster Hunter, I wasn’t expecting to need to use the mic for anything. But then I learned I could use it to dictate speech when searching in the store. You have no idea how much I love this feature lol. It’s such a small thing and yet it feels like it makes a much big difference. Granted, I’ve always found typing on PlayStation to be better than any other system thanks to the ability to use Gyro, but this is even better than that. I love it. I also love the button to mute the mic. That’s much better than digging in menus.

Physical Games Bought Digitally Must Be Deleted And Redownloaded
This one caught me off guard, but I decided to migrate to digital for PS5 since I only have exclusives anyways. Figured it wouldn’t be too expensive to scoop up my PS4 games digitally whenever they go on sale, that way I don’t have to deal with switching discs out all the time. Unfortunately, it does not unlock the installed game as a digital version. They’re treated separately. Which means you have to delete the physical disk version and re-download the digital version. Just an FYI in case anyone else encounters this.

Every Game I’ve Ever Played On PS4 Shows Up In My Library
Even games I sold (and I sold over 120 games last week- everything but permanent exclusives). So I have an absolute metric ton of games that show up that I don’t even own anymore, and it doesn’t give me an option to hide or delete. It’s not that big of a deal because you can just tab over to the installed games, but still. I would very much like to delete the icons for disc-based games I no longer own, or even ones I still own but don’t want to install. If somebody knows how to do this please educate me.

Overall, I’m Very Happy With The System
Storage issues Aside, this is easily the best PS console I’ve ever owned. It’s backwards compatible with PS4 games, has a snappy OS, SSD, better controller, etc. I wasn’t originally planning on buying one since I migrated to PC for multiplats that don’t come to Switch, but the opportunity to pre-order came along and I decided to take advantage. Then I was going to cancel the pre-order but decided to go ahead and keep it. And honestly, I’m really glad I did. This is a way better console than the PS4 was. It’s ugly as sin and the size of a cinder block, but functionally it’s on point.

I rate the PS5 Console 9/10
Once storage expansion is patched in and the bugs are ironed out (I’m scared to use sleep mode after hearing about storage rebuilding database error with Spiderman, especially since my PS4 used to do that EVERY SINGLE TIME I turned it on), the console will be near perfect in my eyes.

@JaxonH PushSquare put out an article saying that the "other" category will shrink significantly if your ps4 games are on an external harddrive. Not sure why backwards compatibility would demand so much space though.

@batwing47
Huh... Well that’s good news. I wonder if it will do something similar on the external drive though.

@JaxonH
I'm surprisingly very impressed with the Dualsense. I'd actually say it does have potential to be a game-changer moreso than past PlayStation controllers. Even in Black Ops Cold War it's satisfying, you can tell a difference from the gunplay in previous generations.

@Gamer83
Definitely more than their past controllers, that’s for sure. Mousepad wasn’t really noteworthy. I appreciate it as an extra button but that’s about it. The rumble and triggers are a much better addition, and I definitely like it. I’ve very much enjoyed the games that properly utilize HD rumble, and this will likewise add to the gaming experience by taking it a step further.

But used alone doesn’t excite me much more than HD rumble does. And that’s not to downplay it’s importance because again, I very much enjoy HD rumble and I very much enjoy the enhanced rumble and triggers in the DualSense. But it needs Gyro to complete the package. Having great rumble without gyro is like having butter and syrup without pancakes. I need my pancakes. If only CoD had gyro aiming with rumble to compliment, I’d buy it right this second.

The good news is, I’m starting to see a pattern of Sony incorporating gyro into their games, and I believe it will only catch on if Sony pushes it like Nintendo did to the point people start demanding it in 3rd party games. Otherwise the PS fanbase will just cling to the status quo. Days Gone, TLOU2, now Astro’s Playroom... that’s a good start. The downside is there are still games that are not utilizing it. Ghosts of Tsushima being the most recent example. The real test will be Horizon Forbidden West. It will certainly showcase the rumble, which makes me think they’ll showcase gyro as well (why add a magnometer for stability if you’re never going to use it?) but if it does so while omitting Gyro, that’s going to be a massive disappointment. Especially after experiencing HZD on Steam with proper gyro aiming. I’m not sure I’d want to play the game if it doesn’t use it.

But ya, I really do love the controller. I can’t wait for Steam to add full support so I can start using one on PC instead of a DS4/Switch Pro

So Demon’s Souls has been positively review bombed on Metacritic. I don’t know why anyone would take that site’s user scores seriously anyway but it’s pretty funny!

@Arugula Over 250 user reviews I’ve seen at least that are 10/10 with no context by accounts made in the last few hours. There’ll probably be negative ones in the next few days to balance it out but it’s yet another strike against Metacritic’s lack of validation.

@Arugula @nessisonett I imagine it would not get some great user reviews due the difficulty. Not that I use it that often mind.

@JohnnyShoulder Nah, at this point people know what they’re getting into with a Souls game. Most of the negative reviews are from people saying that Westerners have butchered the original atmosphere and soundtrack.

SMHHHHH More PS5 and Series X stock is coming during Best Buy and Walmart's Black Friday events and so far it doesn't at all apply to Canada

Goddammit

I managed to get one on the 12th from ebgames.ca because their site was so incredibly unprepared for the volume that their site went to *****, and just when I had given up on all the other sites’ inventory I got into their site - they had taken the inventory/link down to buy them but I had it in my cart from when it was *****, so I was able to buy it, and actually got it.

Anyone know if you can use the original soundtrack in Demon’s Souls? That new soundtrack is dreadful.

I don't believe you can @nessisonett?

I've only heard the one track so far of Phalanx and quite like it myself tbh... I can't remember any of the music from the original release to be perfectly honest compared to a number of tracks from the more recent Souls games that've stuck in my head

In fact whilst writing this I've already forgotten what the original Phalanx track sounded like despite having listened to it about half an hour ago... 😄

I saw the same, I think it was VaatiVidya’s comparison - the original was single instrument and simplified, the new one was fuller sound. I’m really surprised to hear this, I’ll have to judge for myself when I eventually buy this.

I saw the same, I think it was VaatiVidya’s comparison - the original was single instrument and simplified, the new one was fuller sound. I’m really surprised to hear this, I’ll have to judge for myself when I eventually buy this.

I mean they have put an awful lot of effort in regards to the score. Whether you like it or not is subjective though, and I've not heard anything from the game which sounded awful. But I've never played the original so have nothing to compare it to. There will always be a certain section that prefer aspects of the original.

Confused why some people are paying £75 for PS5 games and £72 for a Dual Sense controller on ebay when they are available at the stock price from Amazon etc.

Oh really @Mega-Gazz? I know of him but other then a video johnny posted a while back when the remake was first announced I've never watched his content due to it mainly being lore vudeos (That I basically already know)... I just youtubed it the Phalanx tracks to compare as he's the very first boss and fairly easy that I'd probably not hear most it anyway lol

Yeah for sure @JohnnyShoulder certainly not telling ness he's wrong or anything for not liking it.

To be honest after hearing it's mechanically pretty much the same as the original release... I'm really not all that interested about Demon's Souls remake now.

The new designs for some things or the soundtrack don't bother me in the slightest (In fact so far I quite like them)... But the original played pretty poorly for me when I tried it again last year and after bouncing off Dark Souls Remastered earlier in the year ...Eh.

Oh I wasn't having a go at anyone @Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy, sorry if it came across that way!

If I had played the original I'm unsure if I would be getting the remake, as that it is not something I generally do. About the only exception is Dark Souls as I had never finished it on 360.

Apparently the performance issues that haunted the original have all been sorted out on the remake.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy They just went ‘big’ with every single track on the soundtrack. Even tracks which should be low key like it’s as if they paid for the use of a choir and wanted to squeeze all they could from them. Maiden in Black is just plain ruined to be honest, same as quite a few boss themes. The soundtrack would probably work in Dark Souls 3 but everything I’ve seen of Demon’s Souls over the years has had a much more somber and downbeat vibe. It’s not like I’m hating on the game or whatever, it’s probably still the game I most want on PS5 but I just really really dislike what they’ve done with the soundtrack. I even saw in the PS review here it basically just says that the new soundtrack is orchestrated so it’s better. That just plainly isn’t true for a lot of games, and especially here where any sort of unique identity that the game had is just gone. The direction they took was to make the game sound like every other first party game. The worst part is that I know Bluepoint can do better, their Shadow of the Colossus OST is great as it still captures the original essence of the tracks while fully orchestrating them.