For the lucky few who’ve managed to acquire a PS5 console, fans have finally started getting accustomed to the new hardware. Of course, like any new console generation, the PS5 comes with an assortment of bells and whistles that make it far superior than the PS4. Comparatively lightning fast loading speeds, higher graphical fidelity, new social features and online functionality, and many more new features come with the PS5. However, like every console launch, the PS5 hasn’t launched with all of its expected features out of the box. Not to mention some of the major missing features/capabilities on PS4 and PS4 Pro still exist on the PS5, despite fan feedback.
While the PS5 hardware is still a positive evolution over last-gen consoles, it’s still missing features that many would’ve expected to come with Sony’s latest console. For all of the evolutions in loading speeds coming with the PS5, the console makes some serious sacrifices in the storage department as a tradeoff. There are still some display issues that are planned to release as an update for the console, but have yet to come a month after release. Some features that were even present on the PS4 are no longer present on the PS5, ranging from nitpicky customization features to important data capabilities. Several of these features should be added to the PS5 console next year.
One of the biggest complaints already with the PS5 is its limited storage availability. The hardware itself, on both the standard and Digital Edition consoles, comes with an admittedly small 825 GB custom SSD. Granted, that custom SSD and hardware interface allows for the PS5’s incredibly fast loading speeds, but that comes at the cost of limiting how many installed games are on the system. After the mandatory OS installation, the available storage on a base PS5 is only 664 GB.
Pair that with the inability to play PS5 games without installing them on the main hard drive, and storage becomes a hot commodity. However, that may not remain the same in the future, as the PS5 does include an extra M.2 SSD slot for storage. Sony has not announced compatibility for this extra internal storage yet, nor have they announced any compatible drives to place into that slot as well. Perhaps a software update and compatibility info will actually make that extra slot usable in 2021.
Going in a similar direction as the Nintendo Switch, the PS5 currently has no way to manually back up game saves. At the moment, the only possible way to back up saves, for whatever reason, is to subscribe to PS Plus and upload the data to the PSN Cloud. Anyone who doesn’t subscribe to PS Plus have no alternative for backing up game saves. This could certainly change in the future, as backing up save data manually to a USB device was possible on the last-gen PS4. However, for now, there’s no way to back up game saves on physical storage, which can be problematic considering some of the potential launch issues PS5 owners could experience.
Variable refresh rate is somewhat of a new concept for consoles. Considering many games are now capable of running at frame rates anywhere between 60-120 frames per second with different performance modes, VRR becomes more of a requirement than before. The only last-gen consoles that utilized a form of variable refresh rate were the Xbox One X and Xbox One S, neither the PS4 or PS4 Pro supported the technology. Since screen tearing and stuttering becomes far more noticeable at higher frame rates, especially on modern displays, variable refresh rate compatibility should come to PS5 as soon as possible.
Moving on to some more nitpicky criticisms of the PS5, this particular omission has plagued the PS4 just as much as the PS5. When players boot up the PS5, they’re presented the home screen, with a timeline of games and apps they used recently. The order is typically determined by what games were booted up recently, with no way to customize or organize that view. There’s no option to create folders, sections, menus, or the like to customize where games on the home screen show. Again, a minor annoyance, but one that can continue to fester over time, as any player who jumps between games often is never going to see their apps in the same spot as before.
Lastly, themes on the PS5 are not yet an option on the console. Players scrolling through their home screen will see the usual artwork from games they’ve hovered over or selected, but there’s no way to customize that view. Again, a nitpicky criticism, but it was a popular customization feature that people used on the PS4 often. Plus, assuming some players have a favorite theme they used on PS4, it’s unclear if that theme will be compatible with the PS5’s UI at all.
The PS5 is available now.
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