PS5 Review Round-Up: Critics Opinions On Next-Gen Console

Finally, the embargo for PS5 reviews has been lifted and with that comes a flood of opinions.

Sony sent out a bunch of next-gen consoles to influences and writers and it's interesting to see how the views vary.

You can read Gfinity's review here.

Let dive in and see what other's have to say!

PS5 Review Round-Up

Polygon

The PlayStation 5 is a worthy upgrade to the PS4, but it might not be essential to grab this holiday season.

Launch lineups are often weak, and there’s no obvious blockbuster PS5 game at this point. 

While some of the PlayStation 5 interface changes are frustrating, they’re issues that Sony can fix on a small supercomputer that might live next to your TV for the next six to eight years.

I also hope Sony releases a smaller controller variant, or allows me to use my DualShock 4 with PS5 games.

The PlayStation 5 isn’t going to be the alpha and the omega of your entertainment ecosystem, but it will make games faster, smoother, and more striking, and that’s all I really want from it.

Gamespot

At launch the PS5 is an excellent console that paves the way for a promising future where gaming experiences can evolve in interesting ways and the process of experiencing them is streamlined.

Of course, the performance and visuals that the PS5 is capable of pushing offer excellent experiences no matter what graphics mode you prefer.

With what we've seen so far from the console's hardware, and games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Astro's Playroom, this next generation has the potential to be great for PlayStation. And I'm excited to see it.

Metro UK

The PlayStation 5 is clearly a very capable machine and generally good value for money – especially the Digital Edition which is £90 cheaper and yet the only difference is no disc drive.

The biggest issue with the PlayStation 5 at the moment is simply the cost of the games.

The situation in terms of pricing and subscriptions is almost certain to change over the course of the generation, for both consoles, but while we can’t predict the future we can tell you that right now the PlayStation 5 is an excellent console and well worth getting as soon as you can afford it.

GamesRadar

The PS5 is already doing everything right. By gambling on a complete redesign of its hardware, controller, and key UI features, PlayStation has unlocked the next-generation of gaming. 

There are quality-of-life improvements aplenty here, all wrapped up in a console that looks and feels like the future - even if not everyone will love the console design itself. 

PlayStation's push for a more traditional console launch than Microsoft's approach has also paid off entirely.

Having games that you can point at as clear launch titles is of huge benefit to showcasing what PS5 can do. This is just the beginning – and I'm already impressed. 

VG247

A console launch’s success generally comes down to the new next-gen games.

This time around both Xbox and Sony have slim pickings on that front, but Sony does at least have Demon’s Souls as its launch jewel (and Spider-Man: Miles Morales as a crowd-pleaser).

Sony also beats Xbox in delivering a pure sense of newness. Spending $499 on a new console is by no means a small outlay, and for that kind of money it’s important to feel excited.

I’m looking forward to getting a Series X, but I’m excited about the PS5, its superb controller, slick new UI, and that glimpse into next-gen with Demon’s Souls.

For me, if you’re after that new generation thrill, PS5 is currently the only choice.

VentureBeat

It’s not going to fundamentally change the way that you play video games. But it’s going to offer a significantly better experience, thanks to its fast loading times and stronger hardware, than you had with your PlayStation 4. 

If the PlayStation 5 has one big negative, it’s the SSD’s small storage space. It feels kind of silly that I can only keep a handful of games installed on the drive at any given time.

But this isn’t keeping my from loving my PlayStation 5. I do mean it; I already have a strong affection for Sony’s new console. 

This may be the best start any Sony console has ever enjoyed.

USgamer

I'm a bleeding edge consumer, so I would've purchased the PS5 regardless. But if you own a strong gaming PC and a PS4 Pro, the mental math here is a little fuzzier.

The run of first-party games including Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us Part 2 gives a strong indication of where this platform can go in the future.

Not only do they download far faster on PS5—finally!—there are gains in loading times and some graphical improvements.

As it stands, especially in this economy, you could potentially survive without a PS5 this holiday. But I wouldn't wait too long.

GI.biz

Over the last five years, PlayStation has established this identity as the purveyor of huge, expensive blockbuster games, and PS5 is the console manifestation of that.

For studios making those sorts of experiences, and gamers who enjoy those products, this machine is purpose built for them.

Bloomberg

The PlayStation 5 is an impressive machine, but even with its advancements and standout controller, it’s hard to recommend the purchase of a console this year.

Whether it’s the new PlayStation or Xbox, most gamers would be better-served waiting a year or two.

By then, the hardware will probably be available at a discount, and there should be a decent library of games you can’t play elsewhere.

Press Start

The PlayStation 5 has definitely met and has the potential to exceed my hopes and expectations for the next generation.

The DualSense controller brings more immersion and is a solid improvement on the DualShock 4, my first taste of higher framerates and ray tracing has been fantastic and the load speeds are absolutely wonderful.

New UI elements such as Activities and Control Centre also make everyday tasks easier and open up new opportunities as well.

There’s still a decent way to go in improving on things such as cloud saves and storage options, which will hopefully be rectified as time goes on.

As a starting point and with the software line-up that it has for the remainder of 2020 as well as 2021, it looks like Sony isn’t easing up on the stronghold it already had thanks to the PlayStation 4.