Sony PlayStation 5 First Impressions: Sonic boom?

PlayStation 5, the latest gaming console from Sony Interactive Entertainment has finally landed in India. As covered in our launch post, the India release comes almost three months after the global launch. Similar to all major gaming hardware releases post-COVID, the PlayStation 5 launch is also marred by a supply shortage. The first lot of consoles sold out within minutes and we don’t have any information about the restock at the time of writing. In the meantime, we got our hands on the much-awaited console for a few days. We have been using the console for a few days but still need some more time for a comprehensive review. In the meantime, here are our first impressions of the Sony PlayStation 5.

Specifications of the Sony PlayStation 5

CPU	8x AMD Ryzen Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz with SMT (variable frequency)
GPU	Custom Radeon RDNA 2 with 36 CUs @ 2.23GHz, 10.3 TFLOPS
RAM, Interface	16GB GDDR6/256-bit, 448GB/s
Storage	825GB SSD, 667GB (User accessible)
Expandable Storage	M.2 NVMe SSD Slot
External Storage	USB 3.0 HDD Support
Ports	HDMI 2.1, USB Type-A (5Gbps), 2x USB Type-A (10Gbps), USB Type-C (10Gbps)
Connectivity	Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6
Optical Drive	4K UHD Blu-ray Drive
Weight	4.49kg

PS5 Design

As we noticed during the announcement, the PS5 features a new and interesting design for the PlayStation series. However, the first thing that you will likely notice is the considerably massive size of the console. It is enough for people to start a conversation. In fact, it is safe to say that it won’t fit inside any traditional TV cabinet that you may have in your living room. Instead, you need to keep it on the top and own the design. Sony exec Otori Yasuhiro has already addressed this controversy in the past. Yasuhiro noted that Sony decided to go with a larger design in an effort to pack a robust cooling solution. In addition, the company also went with this design for budget and acoustic reasons. In the end, it is no longer your small, tiny, and portable gaming unit.

DualSense Controller and the new UI

Beyond the newly designed console, the second thing that you will notice is the new Sony DualSense controller. It is the ninth generation hand-held controller that Sony has rolled out with the PlayStation lineup. Sony has improved upon its outgoing DualShock 4 with the new DualSense controller in almost every aspect.

The highlight of the product is likely the voice coil actuators for impressive, granular haptic feedback along with adaptive triggers. Beyond this, it also features redesigned microphone array to converse directly using the controller. We have already seen several tear-downs explaining the over-engineering involved in crafting the hand-held gamepad and taking it to the next level. It also features a 3.5mm audio jack along with a USB Type-C and charging pings at the bottom.

In addition to the new controller, Sony has also overhauled the user interface on the Sony PlayStation 5 console. Now, the UI is divided into two different sections called “Games” and “Media”. In addition, the revamp also allows players to see all the activity related to installed games directly on the main screen. Other aspects of the new software UI include the quick-access “Control Center” which includes both game-specific functions as well as system functions.

First Impressions of Sony PlayStation 5

Sony PlayStation 5 has not thrown any surprises during my limited time with the console. The best part about this is that it is not a bad thing as the console is quick, silent, and powerful. Sony Interactive Entertainment has managed to pack enough on paper for the next generation to last a couple of years. However, we still need to put the console through its paces to see how it performs during extended gaming sessions, media consumption, and more. Stay tuned for our full review of Sony PlayStation 5 next week.

Editors Note: Sony India shared the Sony PlayStation 5 review unit with us for evaluation.