Well that was quite an unexpected, but very welcoming, development!
So yeah, I
wanted a PS5 like so many others. Perhaps in 2022, when I've had to save up for
it and when you can actually buy them in stores was my way of thinking.
An unexpected phone call
That was
how I thought it would go but as you can read, that's not how it went down. You
see, on that faithful Thursday when I left work I saw that my mother had texted
me. "Call me back the moment you leave work". I did and, as you can guess,
it was about the PS5. A co-worker had heard that GameMania (think the Dutch
Gamestop) had PS5's in stock but you could only buy them if you showed up in
person. They weren't listed on the online store and even if you called the
store they wouldn't give you a straight answer. My guess is that this is an
anti-scalping measure.
My mother's
colleague went to GameMania in her break (which is barely a 5-minute walk from
the building just so you know) and low and behold: they had PS5's in stock.
After returning to the office my mother started to ponder 'didn't my son want a
PS5?'. Hench the phone call. And that's how I got my PS5. And Spider-Man: Miles
Morales. And Deathloop. The PS5 GameMania offered was part of a bundle and had
to be sold in said bundle (my mother asked about it). Spider-Man: Miles Morales
and Deathloop came with the PS5, whether I liked it or not.
The hardware
OK, that
was the story of how I got my PS5. But how's my experience with the console
been so far? I mean, the entire point of getting a PS5 is gaming on it. So far
it has been pretty nice. Pretty nice indeed. And a bit weird. As I said, I've
always been a Nintendo gamer and Nintendo always does its own thing where Sony
& Microsoft are more 'mainstream'. Nintendo is all about gaming, Sony &
Microsoft have moved towards providing a 'multi-media platform'. It has got
lots more bells & whistles to it, has a much fancier interface and relies
on the internet a lot more. It's neat, but I can't say I´ve had the pleasure of
fully exploring what the PS5 brings to the table in this regard.
Internet
here is pretty bad. My laptop loses its Wi-Fi connection at least once a day,
sometimes failing to re-connect for up to an hour. My Switch has never managed
to connect to the internet while in my room and the PS5 now has similar
problems. I managed to download the necessary updates to the system and the
games by connecting it to an ethernet cable but that's not something I can do
24/7. Old walls mean that it would be very difficult to lead the cable through
the wall. I have to lead the cable all the way through the living room, two
hallways and a set of stairs. So, no PS5 internet for me. Oh well. Hasn´t
stopped my from enjoying my fancy new toy.
And fancy
is the right word. From the start-up sequence to the menus, the PS5 certainly
has a premium feel to it. It's all very spiffy and cool looking. And the
hardware is nice looking. I can dig the aesthetic. And big. And heavy. I hadn't
looked up the PS5 measurements but let me tell you: it's bigger and heavier
than you'd expect. Think the original PS2 but even bigger than that. Sizing
down to a slim edition is definitely something I can see Sony do later down the
line but for now, the PS5 is big and beefy. Needed to redo my entire setup to
fit the darn thing in but it's a small price to pay. The PS5 controller is
neat. It's heavier and bigger then I'm used to but comfortable nonetheless.
The games
With the
hardware out of the way let´s talk games. As I said, the PS5 came bundled with
Deathloop and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. With Spider-Man: Miles Morales I was
already planning on buying it so that one isn't a problem at all. Deathloop
though? I know nothing about that game other than its Game of the Year
nomination. Having looked into it a bit more I now know it's a first-person
shooter with time manipulating elements. Not really my thing but that GOTY
nomination has to count for something, right? Haven't even removed the plastic
seal yet as of the time of me typing this though so I'll see.
 |
| Perhaps I'll play it, perhaps I won't. |
So yeah,
been playing a lot of Spider-Man this last week. And a little of Astro but that
has been so little that it's not really worth mentioning. I want to play it
more but the call of Spider-Man has just been greater. And I've been enjoying
it a lot so far. I won't go into details regarding the game itself, that is
where a review is for. What I'm here to talk about is more my overall
experience just gaming on the console.
I see the
graphical changes between the PS5 and Switch games but can't say I'm too
impressed by them. Graphics have never had a priority for me so while I see the
improvements they don't blow my mind. What I appreciate far more is the PS5's
speed. How quickly you can get into a game, switch games, load up save files
and areas etc. I haven't noticed any ugly pop-in, no assets that took longer to
load or anything like that. I've never been hard on such things before but that
doesn't mean I don't appreciate it here. I've got less time for gaming these
days so everything that saves me a little time to just play is very welcoming.
……….
So that has my first week, my first experience, with the PS5 been. So far, it's been pretty great. Even without all of the Internet connectivity features, I've been enjoying my time with the console and most certainly with Miles Morales Spider-Man. What comes next, you ask? Well, I used Black Friday to buy some PS4 I always wanted. Got Marvel's Spider-Man so I got a matching set with Miles Morales. God of War is a game right up my alley: an immersive single-player experience rooted in mythology. Horizon Zero Dawn because it's an award-winning game from a Dutch developer (gotta represent) with a very interesting world. And, of course, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. I finally got the means to play this game and I won't let me pass it by!
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