Author: Trafficblast

Among the many changes and improvements you’ll find in the PlayStation 5‘s new user interface is an enhanced profile page. Perhaps most notably, this includes a list of your played games along with details on when you last played them and how many hours you’ve spent with each one.

The feature works not unlike the Nintendo Switch’s equivalent, but this appears to be better in a few ways. For starters, you don’t need to wait a period of time before this play time estimate becomes available. It’s also a bit more precise with the numbers it shows, as it doesn’t round those numbers in the same way that Switch does.

What’s most exciting is that these play times don’t just start counting once you’ve gotten your new PS5 plugged in. Your profile also showcases the time you’ve spent playing on PS4, which means all those hours you sunk into Overwatch, The Witcher III, Rez Infinite, Destiny 2, or your game of choice will be represented here.

This won’t impact your play experience in the same way that the new Activities feature or the DualSense controller will, but these small touches are nonetheless a fun part of the transition to a new console generation. For much more on what to expect, check out our PS5 review.

Space may be at a premium on PlayStation 5, but you won’t be able to rely on an external drive in order to store your PS5 games. While it was expected that you would need PS5 games to be installed to the internal NVMe SSD in order to play them, you can’t even temporarily store them on an external drive to free up space on the internal drive.

The unfortunate news puts Sony’s new console at odds with Xbox Series X and Series S, both of which allow you to store next-gen games on an external drive and then move them to internal storage when you’re ready to play them. In theory, this should save you from having to delete and re-download digital games, which is a concern for people with internet data caps. That won’t be possible on PS5, at least at launch.

One thing you can do to ensure you have space on the PS5’s internal drive is store your backwards-compatible PS4 games on an external drive. These games can be played from an external hard drive, although the speed of the device will likely impact the improvements you see to load times.

PS5 features an option in the Storage menu to always have your PS4 games install to extended storage, sparing you from downloading them to the internal drive and then moving them. However, this is an all-or-nothing option, as you won’t be able to decide where games download on a case-by-case basis. That means you may end up needing to move games around after they download, depending on which drive you want to play them from.

Our PS5 review is now live and covers all of the essential information about the next-gen console.

The PlayStation 5 has a number of features buried in its settings menu that could potentially improve your gaming experience, or at the very least make it a little more convenient to cater the experience to your tastes. One such feature is to dictate certain settings on a system-wide level.

By heading to the Settings section of the PS5 user interface and selecting “Save Date and Game/App Settings” and then “Game Presets,” you are able to tweak certain options so that they are communicated and applied to your games. You can set your preferred difficulty level, whether you want to play in Performance mode or Resolution mode, if you’d like your camera controls inverted, and if subtitles are on or off by default.

This is a relatively simple feature but, as far as quality-of-life improvements go, it’s a smart one. Most modern games present these options upfront and, as the weeks, months, and years go by, it can become slightly irksome to constantly input these preferences. This feature has the potential to streamline getting into games, which is a nice touch.

It must be noted that, in order for this to work, games need to support and integrate the feature. Although it would be nice if all games used the feature, currently it’s unclear whether Sony has mandated support for it, so its functionality, or lack thereof, is likely to remain on a case-by-case basis.

There are a number of other cool hidden PS5 features that you should be aware of. Our PS5 review is also up now, so you can check out what we think about Sony’s newest video game platform.

While we’ve already seen the spruced-up videos that are recorded when you unlock a new Trophy on a PlayStation 5 game you might have been waiting to see if there was anything extra-special that happens when you unlock a Platinum Trophy (the one you get for unlocking all of the Trophies in a game). For better or worse, there isn’t–you’ll just have to settle for the standard Trophy unlock experience and the satisfaction of knowing you earned it.

We managed to obtain the Platinum in Astro’s Playroom, the free game that’s bundled with every PS5 and functions as a showcase for the DualSense controller. When we did, there wasn’t anything special that happened–you get the usual pop-up notification, and the system automatically records a short video clip to commemorate the moment as with any Trophy. That video includes the aforementioned overlay we saw previously, but there isn’t any additional flourish for the Platinum.

Trophies largely function as they have in the past, although it’s possible you’ll find it easier to earn some of them thanks to PS5’s built-in help feature. This allows you to access developer-created videos and help materials through the PS5’s user interface, provided the game supports the feature. With a picture-in-picture video on screen, you might find a particularly tough task is a bit more doable.

For much more on what to expect once you get your hands on the new system, check out our PS5 review.

The PlayStation 5 features an overhauled user interface that both introduces new features and also tweaks existing ones to make them a little more intuitive. Although it unfortunately does not include folder support for organizing your games, one UI improvement is the reworked game library, which has been cleaned up to make it easier to navigate.

When tabbing over to the game library, you’ll now notice a drop-down menu available on the left of the screen. Using this, you can change visibility options to show either PS3, PS4, or PS5 games. (PS3 games are playable through PlayStation Now.) Additionally, you can now also filter by source, so you can see the games you acquired through a PlayStation Store purchase, PlayStation Plus, or PlayStation Now.

Tabbing over to the Installed section will show you all your ready-to-play games and, at a glance, you’ll be able to tell where they are installed thanks to the presence of icons on the game tiles that indicate location.

Another handy new feature is the ability to access demos and alternative versions of a game. By hitting the three dots on a game entry, you’ll get a drop-down menu that shows you if a PS4 version of a PS5 game is available to you and will also display demo options.

That’s one of many cool features on the PS5 that are somewhat understated–make sure to check out our feature on the PS5’s hidden features for more. And if you want to know what we thought of Sony’s new console as a whole, read our PS5 review.

The PlayStation 5 sports faster load times and improved graphics over its predecessor, but its controller is the thing you’re probably going to notice most as you dive into your next-generation gaming experiences. The DualSense sports a bunch of improved technology, from its adaptive triggers to its dynamic haptic feedback, that elevate the games that use it well.

The best showcase for the DualSense we’ve seen so far is Astro’s Playroom, the 3D platformer that comes bundled with the PS5. It uses every speck of capability the DualSense offers, showing off its enhanced rumble features with feedback based on what surfaces you’re walking on and what actions you’re taking, changing the tension of the adaptive triggers to mimic what Astro is doing on screen, and adding the touchpad, microphone, and gyroscope into the mix to amplify them all.

Check out the video above for our impressions of the DualSense–including why we’re a bit worried about its long-term prospects. We’ve got plenty more PS5 coverage now and in the coming weeks, so be sure to stick with GameSpot to catch it all.

The PlayStation 5 is launching very soon, and alongside it there will be a number of accessories. One of these is the new Pulse 3D headset.

We’ve had a chance to try it out, and in a new video review, Mat Paget makes the case for it. The top-line takeaway is that the Pulse 3D headset produces vibrant audio at an affordable price. The headset works with not only the PS5, but a number of other platforms.

The $100 headset boasts a 12-hour battery life, and we found that to be true in our tests. Overall, for the price, the headset delivers a very rich audio experience. The only negatives we had to mention were that its plastic frame feels cheap and it may not be the most comfortable for larger ears.

Check out the full review in the video above, and keep coming back to GameSpot for lots more on the PS5 and other next-gen news in the days and weeks ahead.

In its opening moments, Astro’s Playroom literally describes itself as a tutorial. Specifically, it explains that the Playroom’s light and lighthearted platforming levels are a means of showing off the special features of the PlayStation 5‘s new DualSense controller. Some, like the adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and built-in microphone, are new. Others, like the touchpad and the gyroscope, are not. But they all distinguish the DualSense from its Xbox- and Nintendo-based counterparts. While Astro’s Playroom absolutely goes out of its way to offer clever proof of the PS5’s potential–the DualSense’s new tricks, the improved visuals, the quick load times–the disembodied text at the start of the game sells Astro short. Playroom is an incredibly charming jaunt through a PlayStation-inspired digital theme park, ensuring that your first hop, skip, and jump of the PS5 era is wholly, unequivocally joyful.

Astro’s world–the literal playroom–is a cartoon fantasy-style interpretation of the PlayStation 5. The game’s four levels and hub world are all named after the console’s components, like “GPU Jungle” and “Cooling Springs.” Inside, each is a dreamlike PlayStation playground; your typical platforming level locales, like “beach,” “city,” and “meadow,” are decorated with computer chips and parts of PlayStations past woven into their fabric. Each one is densely packed with fun little scenes and interactive set-dressing. Astro’s adorable bot friends hang out, play games, and cosplay as some of the platform’s iconic characters, making every adventure feel like a party, too. Having the PlayStation hype-train baked into every nook and cranny of the world could have felt overbearing, but it’s all very endearing. The level design is more clever than cloying, and the bots are all very cute and their happy vibes are surprisingly contagious.

The PlayStation references are tied to collectibles, which fill up an interactive museum space called “PlayStation Labo.” As you find puzzle pieces that turn to PlayStation-themed murals and giant virtual models, the space quickly turns into a very concentrated nostalgia hit for fans of PlayStation’s history. It also gives you a place to use all the coins you’ve been grabbing: There’s a gacha machine in the back that will sell you even more collectibles. That gives you a reason to go, but I found this to be the rare game where I actually wanted to survey the collectibles after I found them. That’s partially because I enjoyed walking around and jumping on the giant PlayStation memorabilia, but it’s also because the space, full of bots playing with PlayStation gear, felt more engaging than a plain menu or empty “viewing” space.

They are also a wonderful showcase for the PlayStation 5’s enhanced visual and technical performance. [Editor’s note: You can read our PS5 review for a full breakdown of its performance and more.] Playing on a 4K TV with HDR10, the levels are bright, colorful, and intricately detailed. There are tons of little bots running around in the background, foreground, and everywhere in between, the vast majority you can interact with by jumping on or punching them. Between the bots, enemies, and moving elements like platforms, running water, and floating clouds, the world is full of life.

And there are no meaningful loading screens. Jumping from the hub area to one of the levels triggers a short transition sequence for a couple of seconds, but it feels like a fluid part of the game rather than a distraction.

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Though simply going to Astro’s Playroom and looking around is a pleasure, the platforming is nothing to sneeze at. Astro’s jumps and punches feel snappy and responsive as he makes his way through the world. Much of the platforming is simple, yet still challenging in spots. It helps that each level occasionally branches into two paths–a simple, direct path for new players and a more challenging one for veterans. Experienced players aren’t going to have much trouble, even with the tougher sections, but it’ll push you to try.

Each level also has two sections where Astro puts on a special suit that gives it a new means of getting around. Each suit is made to highlight one or more DualSense features. In one level, there’s the spring suit, which jumps after you pull the triggers and let go, almost as if you were pushing down on an actual spring. In another, you become a giant ball, rolling around by swiping the touchpad. The DualSense’s adaptive triggers, which can provide haptic feedback and varying levels of resistance when you pull them, get an especially bright spotlight. The resistance from the triggers, combined with the controller’s new, more nuanced haptic feedback, can tell you lots of different things in context, like how much you’ve pulled back the string of a bow, the building force of a spring-powered jump, or that a locked gacha arm won’t budge when you try to steal an extra pull.

All of these sequences are effective demonstrations of the DualSense controller, but not all of them are actually fun. A trigger-powered rocket ship effectively shows off the potential for using trigger resistance to give feedback on a vehicle’s throttle, but it relies on careful boosting and, more importantly, unwieldy motion controls that feel frustratingly inaccurate compared to the responsive platforming controls. In fact, motion controls pop up in a couple of these sequences and have an uncanny knack for making any kind of gameplay more wonky and unpleasant than it has to be.

There are also fans scattered throughout the level that require you to blow into the DualSense’s built-in microphone. It’s a neat but ultimately benign trick. In fact, it’s completely optional: If you mute the controller mic, the fans spin automatically. Occasionally, forced applications of the DualSense’s feature set can hurt the game more than they help.

The best and worst thing I can say about Astro’s Playroom is that its role as a demonstration feels a bit wasteful. It’s a wondrous little dream world, and I would have loved to spend more time touring it. But that, in itself, is a tremendous achievement. Astro’s Playroom, a game that makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is an excuse to show you what a gamepad can do, conjures a world that you will want to see and explore. More than that, its surprisingly delightful celebration of PlayStation and its video games is a great way to kick off a console generation.

After putting the PS5 through its paces and testing out its unique features, including the DualSense controller’s improved haptic feedback and resistance, as well as games like Astro’s Playroom and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mat Paget is impressed with Sony’s system and sees it as a great foundation for the next gaming generation.

Mat discusses the console’s user interface, new controller, 3D audio, performance, and how games make use of the console’s exclusive features. He also tested out its SSD to see just how fast it really is for loading games, as well as its accessibility features and new “Activities.” He also played PS4 games to see how performance improved on the PS5, and games such as Assassin’s Creed Unity now has a much smoother frame rate.

The console’s big new features will rely on third-party developers choosing to utilize them, but the PS5 is a console with plenty of power and a great lineup of exclusive games, both at launch and coming early in 2021.