Playstation 5 Console Discussion

[Glen-i]

I get the feeling my sarcasm flew over people's heads this time.
Ah, the joys of text.

[drahkon]

Just now, Glen-i said:

I get the feeling my sarcasm flew over people's heads this time.
Ah, the joys of text.

It's your fault.  

[Ronnie]

Watched it again, still pretty underwhelming. 

Still not a fan of the home screen, just seems a really weird use of space. Tiny game boxes shoved into a corner, a small game logo in another corner.

At the end the guy was saying how they're out of time and can't show you any more, and I was like... why not? You've literally got as much time as you want.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Ronnie

[Glen-i]

13 minutes ago, drahkon said:

It's your fault.  

Fair, but I gotta take the chance when it arises.

[Ronnie]

Weird how they didn't talk about their version of Quick Resume, which doesn't bode well...

[Ganepark32]

Thought the UI looked great to be honest. Natural upgrade from the PS4's UI with integrated benefits to the user experience such as tracking of activities in games and trophy progress. Further integration of online features (take note Nintendo) and the ease of partying up, sending messages, invites and media between users across PS5 and PS4 platforms is a great touch and again takes down some of the barriers that remained in place, not that there were many left with regards to Sony's setup there.

Having the Store being integrated at the OS level is a nice touch. Should make it much faster to load and browse, which is the biggest issue affecting the PS Store, but do wonder if this implies that they'd prefer an "always online" approach from users, especially as they started and ended in Rest Mode. Not that thats a big deal as it won't affect the end user experience for those who don't leave their consoles in Rest mode, of which I'm one of those people as I almost never leave my consoles in Rest mode.

Still, the UI is simple and clean and they've definitely taken strides to build a better user experience with the consoles OS. And the quick load of games and quick resume looks fast which is a massive plus point. Looks good.

Now if the next couple of weeks could just, you know, hurry up and it could be launch day that would be grand.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Ganepark32

[Sheikah]

I get the feeling my sarcasm flew over people's heads this time.

Ah, the joys of text.

Ah, that old fallback. It was sarcasm guys, you just didn't get it. [emoji6]

Edited October 16, 2020 by Sheikah

[Glen-i]

Just now, Sheikah said:

Ah, that old fallback. It was sarcasm guys, you just didn't get it.

Now that's sarcasm!

Also, do you even remember me? I'm like 50% sarcastic.

[Sheikah]

Weird how they didn't talk about their version of Quick Resume, which doesn't bode well...

Strange that you would think that, especially given that the PS5 has the fastest SSD of the new consoles by some margin.

[Sheikah]

28 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Watched it again, still pretty underwhelming. 

Still not a fan of the home screen, just seems a really weird use of space. Tiny game boxes shoved into a corner, a small game logo in another corner.

At the end the guy was saying how they're out of time and can't show you any more, and I was like... why not? You've literally got as much time as you want.

Out of interest, why do you think the icons need to be bigger? On a TV they're going to be quite big at that scale, and easily readable. I think it's better to fill the screen with the stuff that stems from the icons to be honest.

[Ronnie]

12 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

Strange that you would think that, especially given that the PS5 has the fastest SSD of the new consoles by some margin.

Fair enough, but it's just weird they didn't show it. Surely more useful to the average person than being able to watch someone else's stream. I'll assume it's in there and put it down to Sony's usual confusing messaging.

Destruction All Stars was a cold boot, so they could have easily shown it.

6 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

I think it's better to fill the screen with the stuff that stems from the icons to be honest.

But they didn't fill the screen is my point, there's nothing in the above screenshot except empty space. It could be seen as clean, but the way everything is tucked into each corner I actually find just looks messy. And why is the game box on it twice?

I love UI design but not much of a fan of this. The in-game one is a little better though but from the reaction I'm reading online, a lot of people are asking if you can just disable the cards, so I'm not sure how much of success those will be in practise.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Ronnie

[Sheikah]

50 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

But they didn't fill the screen is my point, there's nothing in the above screenshot except empty space. It could be seen as clean, but the way everything is tucked into each corner I actually find just looks messy. And why is the game box on it twice?

I suspect that space may get filled. On the PS4 you have an activity feed for each game and updates and so on. I'm guessing it's blank now because the PS5 isn't even out yet it might be like that. Even so, I don't mind it, it puts emphasis on the background image which looks quite nice. All the extra space on screen makes it look quite clean and uncluttered.

Quote

but from the reaction I'm reading online, a lot of people are asking if you can just disable the cards

Remember though to be wary of the internet echo chamber.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Sheikah

[Zell]

The UI is a what I expected really, just an unexciting evolution of the PS4's.

I am a fan of the new party features, it feels like a party is closer to what you get with say a Discord server. I like how you can name the party and share stuff quite easily with the rest of the group. Screen sharing is neat, I can see myself using it for multiplayer games (e.g. when joining a party and a game is in progress). I've tried the integrated streaming stuff on PS4 a few times and it was functional but a bit slow and clunky, enough to put me off using it frequently. This seems way more streamlined.

I save a lot of videos, so if they're now 4K I'm going to be filling up that SSD pretty damn quick.

[Sheikah]

1 minute ago, Zell said:

I save a lot of videos, so if they're now 4K I'm going to be filling up that SSD pretty damn quick.

Yeah, it would be real neat if there was some auto upload feature while the PS5 goes into sleep mode, that subsequently deletes the videos off the local drive after uploading (if you set it to).

[Julius]

On 15/10/2020 at 6:21 PM, drahkon said:

@Julius Haven't heard from you in a while.

Lots of news you haven't commented on, yet

Haven't been too well the last week or two, but feeling a little better now  I managed to keep on top of the news, but had been drugged up and sleeping a lot (woo), so a lot of it kind of flew over my head at the time.

The teardown video was welcome, I'm glad we've got that out of the way now. The design makes much more sense with the context provided in that video, but I won't act like a hardware buff (I'd say my knowledge of it is functional at best), as I'm really just here for the software! The look and size doesn't matter too much to me because I've got the space for it and, again, care much more about what I'm playing than how it looks. My only real concern is regarding the liquid metal solution, the biggest concern being about the console in transit - I have to imagine that there's some cautionary measure Sony have implemented in its design, but it wasn't all that clear here.

Removable face panels and dust collecting spots for easy dust removal is a great move when compared with how it worked with the PS4, and I think Sony would be foolish to not offer swappable panels at some point in the future. I've said it before, but giving everyone a white face panel which they'll want to change to black as easily as possible is a really smart business move (even if a bit of a questionable PR one). 

One of my posts a week or two ago regarding my expectations for the backwards compatibility numbers based on the 1% figure they'd thrown out to us previously and us ending up with only 10 (but now 8) games which won't be playable through backwards compatibility on PS5 is pretty much what I expected, so this is good to see. Wish this was something they nipped in the bud much earlier, to be honest, before the internet ran away with the worst case scenario - one of those things that perhaps they could have communicated better to us. Biggest surprise out of this for me was that delisted games like P.T. would still be playable on PS5, that's super weird, but sure. It's good for game preservation (for those who have it) at least.

Finally, the first look at the UI we got earlier this week was pretty solid. I think it looks nice enough, but some of those emptier spaces in the home menu perhaps could have been fleshed out a bit more (I know it's before launch, but just to give us a better idea of how it will look at launch).

I like the idea of activities, and think it could be great for hopping back into something to get an idea of what you were doing (such as returning to an RPG after not touching it for a few weeks) or going down the completionist route (Sackboy was a great example for them to use), but I do wish that they would have just come out and say that progression tracking for trophies would be a thing. This seemed like a veeeery roundabout way of saying it without, well, saying it, which makes me a little nervous? Also curious to see just how much support this gets from third parties. I'm one of those who likes to turn trophy notifications off in some games to just immerse myself a bit more, and I can see myself wanting to turn it off to some extent in some games.

Cards look nice enough too, but there were a few times where I was looking at it wondering why I had to scroll through so many cards to get my recent screenshot, for example - I'm sure it will improve as we go along, but I'm really hoping that some of this will be customisable, namely the size of things in the home menu and the order of cards. Options are important for those that want them, I think, and looking at how Sony supported Naughty Dog's handling of accessibility with TLOU2 and the PS4's handling of it too, I would be very surprised if the size of some of these things couldn't be manipulated at a minimum. 

Like the idea of getting hints on what to do next (curious to me that that's a PS+ thing, but I guess it's a very direct way of ensuring that the player has an internet connection? Wonder if some of this will be cached in the background to load it faster), and being able to organise the layout is cool. Don't know if it would necessarily turn completionists off website guides simply because there's so much more info there, but it's a promising start, and I would hope that like with picture-in-picture screen sharing, that some apps could also be used in this way (e.g. Spotify, YouTube, etc.), because personally I'm thinking of the times I'm grinding in a JRPG and end up using my phone to listen to a podcast or more of the game's soundtrack than what is immediately present.

And speaking of screen-sharing, I don't know how much I'll use it, but I think it's a really neat idea in the picture-in-picture format specifically. I'm thinking about people picking up a PS5 after not having the PS4/not being into gaming in general, starting up a game in the PS+ Collection and getting a bit lost, and chatting to a friend, sharing their screen when they need a bit of a guidance. Anything you can do to break down those barriers of entry is cool to me, and I'm sure that there will be plenty of other uses for it too, but that's the biggest for me. It's really neat. Same goes for the consolidation of voice chats and PS Messages into seemingly one spot?

The biggest takeaway for me though is the PS Store being integrated into the UI/OS rather than being a standalone application, because the PS Store on the PS4 has been a clunky, lagging mess for years now. With how they skipped over it, I think that'll be what they focus on next. 

I think PlayStation are doing a good job of maintaining excitement for long stretches with the PS5 in ways that Xbox perhaps haven't been trying to, but I think the best comparisons on their respective YouTube channels shows a huge disparity between the two heading into launch. While I appreciate Xbox coming out and giving us a lot of info much earlier, it does feel like they consistently blow their proverbial load way too early (such as with the console design reveal well ahead of when we expected it at least year's Game Awards), and PlayStation is doing a good job of keeping us coming back for more, because there's still quite a bit to cover in the coming weeks.

I think a look at the new PS Store will come in the next week, then we'll got a few smaller bits and pieces posted to their channel such as more on the Create button, etc., before we hit previews and gameplay demos when November kicks off. And then it'll launch in the US and a bunch of other places on the 12th, and we'll just be clutching onto our games arriving a week before the console over here in Europe, counting down the days for launch, hoping payments don't bounce, and that the console arrives on launch day.

Very excited!

[Ike]

I do think opening the video while in resume mode was a mistake, it made the UI look like a gacha game menu with a load of information being thrown at you at once. Thankfully it's not like that from a cold boot. I too thought it was weird the screenshot card was right at the end as well.

I am a bit concerned the UI will be too small on a 4k TV, a lot of games seem to have small texts nowadays for some reason.

it's probably just me but having PiP just seems distracting, only seems useful if you're grinding or something.

[drahkon]

1 hour ago, Julius said:

Haven't been too well the last week or two, but feeling a little better now 

Great to hear that you're feeling better

[Ashley]

On 16/10/2020 at 9:39 AM, Sheikah said:

Surely that shows just how much people are looking forward to the system then, it's just a video about the UI but it's clocking 6 million views!

People watch unboxing videos which is literally someone taking stuff out of a box. Human beings are weird. 

[Dcubed]

Finally got a chance to look at the UI video (well, the DF Reaction video at least).  Looks really nice! Surprised at how mature the OS looks already.

The Cards system feels like a logical evolution of the Vita’s Livearea concept; while the overall visual language is a marriage between the PS4 and the PS3. It feels premium, but functional; nice!
 

Functionally it looks solid, though I do wonder if they’ve left too much dead space outside of the tiles themselves (which are very small!).  The PiP features are neat, but seem fairly limited; especially compared to the Xbone’s original Snap feature.  Do wonder if they’re looking to expand on it in the future... would imagine that chat features would be a much requested PiP feature.

Overall I’m impressed.  It looks nice and also pretty feature packed already.  Let’s just hope that we aren’t waiting years for folders this time around now!

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by Dcubed

[drahkon]

Soooo...tomorrow marks the beginning of the 4 week countdown to the European PS5 release.

Maybe this question has been asked in the past, maybe not. Either way, I think it's time for those of you who will be there day one to share:
What does your next-gen haul look like?
Any games/accessories you're ridiculously hyped for?
Any plans for release day?

Needless to say, I'm hyped beyond belief and I'm very lucky to be able to actually get a console day-one. However, I won't be able to buy a lot of new games so I have to limit myself to just one.
It'll most likely be Cyberpunk 2077, so not a next-gen game. Even "worse", its next-gen patch won't be ready 'til next year. Still...I'm in the mood for an RPG and Cyberpunk 2077 looks like it'll be able to scratch that itch.
I'm also really looking forward to Astro's Playroom. It'll offer a nice introduction to the system and hardware while also offering a substantial amount of gameplay, if you can believe early reports. And it's free, so that's cool

Won't get any additional hardware for quite a while. My current headset should work and with the Tempest engine providing 3D-sound through basically all headphones I have no need for a new one.
Also don't need a second Dual Sense 'cause I don't play couch co-op, at least not at my place.

I'd love to take the 19th and 20th off but not sure if I'll be able to. Taking the days off from work won't be a big problem, but lab work for my Bachelor's thesis will start very soon and I will prioritize that.
But: the weekend after launch...definitely no social interactions whatsoever. It's all about gaming then

 

Edit: And by the way:

 

Edited October 21, 2020 by drahkon

[Eddage]

I'm just getting the Digital Edition, will probably pick up charging station as well but that will be it for hardware. Will probably pick up the Ultimate edition of Miles Morales and then play Spider-Man for the first time, followed by MM. I'm perfectly happy to wait for the next gen patch before playing Cyberpunk, if The Witcher 3 is anything to go by then probably best to avoid it at launch anyway until all the bugs are sorted  I will also have a few games in the PSN Collection that I haven't played yet, the big one being God of War.

I have the 19th and 20th, as well as the following week booked off work so plenty of time to play

[Happenstance]

In case anyone else is planning on picking up some cheap PSN top ups like I am to make sure I'm ready for some digital purchases when the PS5 comes out, I figured I'd share the list of the cheapest I found (from the sites I use anyway)

£100 - £87.85 shopto
£90 - £78.85 shopto
£80 - £68.85 shopto
£50 - £42.49 CDKeys
£45 - £37.85 shopto
£40 - £33.85 shopto
£35 - £29.85 shopto
£30 - £25.75 ElectronicFirst
£25 - £22.85 shopto
£20 - £17.85 shopto
£15 - £12.85 shopto
£10 - £8.85 shopto
£5 - £4.79 CDKeys

[Will]

I’m still not sure if my machine will be day one or not, I really hope it will be though. My general plan is to pick up the following on or around launch:

• PS5
• Extra controller
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Demon’s Souls
• Watch Dogs Legion
• Dirt 5
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Ghosts of Tsushima

All of the games I buy will be digital, going for the disc version of the console ‘just in case’ and because the games I get through work are disc versions.

No particular plans for launch day, whenever I get it I’ll save it for the next weekend and then have a long playing session. Also looking forward to continuing my F1 playing on the machine and hoping they do some upgrades for us.

[Mr-Paul]

Just the PS5 (disc edition) and Spider-Man Ultimate Edition for me. Hadn't played the original yet, so will be starting with that! 

Also going to resubscribe to PS+ having not had it for the past couple of years. I haven't actually played most of the games you'll get for subscribing and there's a lot there I'm interested in, so that'll keep me busy. 

Need to pick up TLOU2, waiting to see if there'll be a PS5 version or it'll just be hardware boosted. 

[Julius]

2 hours ago, drahkon said:

What does your next-gen haul look like?

Probably the most I've spent on gaming in one go, now that I think about it! I started saving at the start of the year, putting aside a healthy chunk of Christmas/birthday/work bonus money, and have been saving a little but fixed amount every month since, which has left me in the position that I could splurge on my day one haul, which will be: 

Hardware

- PS5

- additional DualSense

- Pulse 3D Headset

- Media Remote (buttons look much more tactile for viewing than the rubber buttons on my Samsung remote, and the PS5 will be taking up the film-playing mantle from the PS4)

- Wireless Charging Station

Software

- Spider-Man: Miles Morales (just the standard edition, might upgrade down the road but I'd rather not have that gold banner on the case )

- Demon's Souls

- Cyberpunk 2077

- Astro's Playroom (included)

Also got Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity set to arrive the following day, so I should be kept busy up until Christmas! 

Quote

Any games/accessories you're ridiculously hyped for?

In terms of accessories, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the DualSense, and I'm super curious about how their software-implemented 3D audio will play out - really hoping the Pulse headset is comfy! 

In terms of games, all of the above and everything in store (Ratchet and Clank, God of War, Horizon Forbidden West, XVI!). I'm replaying the PS4 version of Spider-Man right now and forgot just how much I adored this game - I don't think I've quite had the same fun with moment-to-moment gameplay like I have swinging around Manhattan as Spidey, especially when that score swells up, so I cannot wait to play Miles Morales! Demon's Souls I've never played before (or any other From game, for that matter), and this seems as good a place as any to give it a go. Weirdly, Cyberpunk I'm a bit wary of at this point; I'm sure that will change once I get my hands on the game, but I have so many questions about that game and we're only a month away, so don't think concern is completely unwarranted at this very moment. 

Quote

Any plans for release day?

Booked off the 20th (Friday) because I didn't want to book the 19th off only for the console to not arrive until the afternoon - I finish work at 15:30 that day, and work from home, so if the console does arrive before I finish work, I'll take a short break to quickly set it up and start downloading Miles Morales/system updates. I decided to continue with my all-physical approach to games for launch day at least, because I wouldn't be surprised if there's some server strain on PlayStation's end come launch day. 

Once I finish work, hopefully I'll be able to hop straight into Miles Morales - if not, will probably have a look through the menus and adjust things I hadn't earlier. If it's going to be a crazy amount of time until Miles downloads (which I don't think will be the case at all, I've had a much better time with physical copy times than digital download times!) then I might hop into Astro's Playroom first instead, but knowing myself and how I like to play games, if that happens I probably won't be putting it down and play it until completion. Probably play until midnight-ish?

Then on the Friday wake up nice and early, brew a fresh cup of tea, and have some light breakfast while I watch that week's episode of The Mandalorian, before diving into a three day weekend of gaming  I think I'll probably complete Miles and Astro's Playroom before the weekend is up, but not sure where I'll go after that.

Depending on how well Hyrule Warriors is received it could be that, but then again, think it's much more likely I dive into Demon's Souls to keep the next gen hype rolling. Whatever the case, pretty sure I'll end up playing Cyberpunk 2077 last, just because of how openly that game will be structured - definitely something I'll want to spend my time smelling the roses with!

Quote

Edit: And by the way:

Very important to keep in mind, for sure! We're going to be in a middle ground for at least the next year of games either capable of running on the PS4, or which look like they could have been for the PS4. Not that I mind in the slightest  

Also worth mentioning, I read that Bugsnax and The Pathless were two games not listed on the PS Store update in the US? Which comes later this week I believe in Europe...perhaps these are going to be the two PS+ games for PS5 next month? 

Edited October 21, 2020 by Julius