PS5 Buyer’s Guide: Availability, price, games, accessories, and bugs

Sony has released the PS5, its most ambitious console to date.

The last console generation has come to an end, ushering in the era of the PS5. Sony has released two models, a standard edition for $499 and a PS5 Digital Edition for $399. We have everything you need to know about the PS5, from its availability to its specs and games. If you had a PS4 previously or are an Xbox fan thinking of jumping ship, you’ll want to know just how good the PS5 is.

Next-gen is here

PS5

$499 at Amazon
$499 at Target
$499 at GameStop

Get ready for amazing games

PS5 is the place to be for exclusives like Spider-Man and Horizon Forbidden West. Get yours before they sell out. The standard PS5 boasts a disc drive so that you can play 4K Blue-ray DVDs and use your physical PS4 games through backward combability. This comes at a higher price tag than the Digital Edition.

All-digital

PS5 Digital Edition

$399 at Amazon
$399 at Target
$399 at GameStop

Get rid of your old discs

Cheaper than the standard PS5 but lacking a disc drive, the PS5 Digital Edition can still deliver the very best exclusives entirely digitally. You may not be able to play physical games, but the future is digital anyway. The PS5 Digital Edition features an 825GB SSD.

PS5 FAQ

• PS5 Price and release date
• Where to buy the PS5
• PS5 review
• PS5 specs
• PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition
• PS5 Games
• PS5 Backward compatibility
• PS5 PS Plus Collection
• PS5 DualSense controller
• PS5 Accessories
• PS5 Virtual reality
• PS5 Issues and bugs
• Other PS5 things you need to know

PS5 Price and release date

The PS5 costs $499 ($629.99 CAD) and the PS5 Digital Edition costs $399 ($499.99 CAD).

The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition was released on November 12, just a few days after the release of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10. Though there was some speculation that some of the consoles could be delayed due to the pandemic, but both companies were able to get the products together for launch day.

Where to buy the PS5?

Buying a PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition is very difficult right now.

Though popular retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop have received more consoles as of launch day, they sell out almost instantly. If you’re looking to buy a PS5, just keep your credit card handy. You may be waiting until the new year to get your hands on one, and as tempting as it may be, a PS5 isn’t worth the thousands of dollars that scalpers are reselling them for on eBay.

PS5 Review

The PS5 is an extraordinary machine. In our PS5 review we said that Sony raised the bar once again, creating a technical marvel with a groundbreaking controller. Though there are complaints to me made — its not-so user-friendly base and not supporting expandable storage at launch — the PS5’s pros far outweigh its cons.

Sony took everything that made the PS4 great and doubled down to create a truly impressive console. The focus on immersion is immediately apparent with the DualSense controller, which is a standout accessory for the machine. From lightning-fast loading and seamless transitions thanks to its SSD to new features like Game Help, Sony has raised the bar once again.

Anyone looking forward to the PS5 won’t be disappointed with what Sony released. Prepare yourself for a lightning-fast SSD, a clean UI, neat new features, and fantastic launch games to bolster it.

PS5 Specs

The PS5 is a beastly console with a powerful SSD to deliver near-instantaneous load times in certain games. On top of that, the CPU and GPU are nothing to sneeze at, either.

PS5 CPU and GPU

The CPU is based on AMD’s third-generation Ryzen line, with eight cores of the new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. It also includes a custom unit for 3D audio.

The GPU, which is a custom variant of Radeon’s Navi family, will support ray tracing, which is a huge win for Sony. Ray tracing is a rendering technique that models how light travels and interacts with virtual objects. Wired notes that this is something Hollywood employs in big-budget movies, but it has not made its way to any video game consoles yet (although it’s becoming more common with PC games).

PS5 Ray tracing

Ray tracing doesn’t just deliver visual benefits, though, according to PlayStation. “If you wanted to run tests to see if the player can hear certain audio sources or if the enemies can hear the players’ footsteps, ray tracing is useful for that,” PlayStation’s Mark Cerny said. “It’s all the same thing as taking a ray through the environment.”

PS5 Solid-state drive

The crème de la crème is that the PS5 comes packed with a solid-state drive (SSD) as opposed to a hard-disk drive (HDD). SSDs are historically more powerful, faster, and make for a much better gaming experience. It will even support 8K graphics, though most people will likely have TVs that only deliver up to 4K resolution.

Because more simplified game data is possible through the use of an SSD, the way that game downloads work will differ from the PlayStation 4. On the PS5, downloads are more configurable, and parts even removable. “Rather than treating games like a big block of data,” PlayStation said, “we’re allowing finer-grained access to the data.”

This means that players can choose to download either the single-player or multiplayer portion of a game depending on what they wanted to play, or they could download the entire game and delete one part of it, like the single-player.

PS5 Specs versus Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS4 Pro

Here’s how it stacks up against the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS4 Pro.

PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition

There are a lot of people wondering what the differences are between the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition. Put simply: there aren’t many. Each console packs the exact same specs. What’s different is that the PS5 Digital Edition lacks a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive, meaning it can’t play any physical media. Any games or movies you wish to play on the PS5 Digital Edition will need to be downloaded to its SSD or an external HDD.

PS5 Games

Outside of the launch titles like Godfall and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, there’s a huge list of games that have been confirmed for the PS5. Here are some of the highlights that we know of:

• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Astro’s Playroom
• Bugsnax
• DEATHLOOP
• Demon’s Souls
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 16
• Ghostwire: Tokyo
• God of War
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Gran Turismo 7
• Hitman 3
• Hogwarts: Legacy
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Immortals Fenyx Rising
• Lord of the Rings: Gollum
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Observer: System Redux
• Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure
• Scarlet Nexus
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

PS5 Backward compatibility

The PlayStation 5 is backward compatible with nearly every PS4 game ever released. Though some games aren’t properly optimized and you may encounter visual glitches, the vast majority run extremely well. Thanks to PS5 Game Boost, some of these games also benefit from improved resolution and frame rate. Nearly all of them also benefit from increased load times. In our experience, load times are cut down by half in most scenarios.

Sony confirmed that only the 10 following PS4 titles won’t be backward compatible on PS5:

• DWVR
• Afro Samurai 2 Revenge of Kuma Volume One
• TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge 2
• Just Deal With It!
• Shadow Complex Remastered
• Robinson: The Journey
• We Sing
• Hitman Go: Definitive Edition
• Shadwen
• Joe’s Diner

PS5 PlayStation Plus Collection

The PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5 is a program that allows members to play select PS4 games on PS5 free with their subscription.

So far, Sony has announced 20 games that will appear in the PlayStation Plus Collection at launch.

From Worldwide Studios:

• Bloodborne
• Days Gone
• Detroit: Become Human
• God of War
• Infamous Second Son
• Ratchet and Clank
• The Last Guardian
• The Last of Us Remastered
• Until Dawn
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

From third-party publishers and developers:

• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Battlefield 1
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
• Fallout 4
• Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition
• Monster Hunter: World
• Mortal Kombat X
• Persona 5
• Resident Evil 7

PS5 DualSense controller

The next-generation PlayStation controller is called the DualSense. While it resembles the PS4’s DualShock 4, it has a number of improvements that make it significantly better than its predecessor, and one of the best console controllers ever made. Here’s what we said in our review:

The DualSense is every bit as revolutionary Sony claimed it would be. I’ve been outspoken about how much I hated the DualShock lineup of controllers, so to get me to praise the DualSense was a tall order. Ergonomics make or break a game controller, and the DualShock 4 lacked any basic sense of good design in that category. The DualSense, by comparison, is nearly perfect.

One of the biggest advantages of the DualSense over other controllers is how Sony is approaching haptics and adaptive pressure triggers.

Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers enable a level of immersion otherwise impossible to obtain. Haptic feedback adds granular changes to the way the vibration motors in the DualSense function so they’re more precise. Adaptive feedback adds tension and resistance to the triggers depending on what you are doing, a common example given is being able to feel the triggers resist your press as you draw a bowstring.

Finally, unlike Microsoft’s Xbox controller, which uses two AA batteries, the DualSense has a built-in battery that lasts around 15 hours before you need to charge it via USB-C.

With an internal battery at 1,500mAh, the DualSense certainly outlasts the DualShock 4. No doubt this is due to its larger battery size and the design of the lightbar, which now wraps around the touchpad in a less obtrusive way. You can even adjust the brightness of the lightbar in the PS5’s settings, but it cannot be turned off completely. After properly testing out how long it lasted on a single charge, my DualSense made it almost exactly 14 hours before I needed to plug it in, three of which were spent in Astro’s Playroom, which puts the haptics to heavy use. Depending on which games you play and which settings you have enabled on the controller, I’d wager you can easily get 15+ hours out of it.

PS5 Accessories

Several accessories launched alongside the PS5, including a new headset and DualSense charging station. All of these accessories work on both PS5 models.

• PULSE 3D wireless headset – Offers 3D audio support and dual noise-canceling microphones — $99.99.
• HD Camera – Features dual 1080p cameras for gamers to broadcast themselves without needing a separate camera — $59.99.
• Media Remote – A remote control with a built-in microphone to navigate movies and streaming services with ease — US$29.99.
• DualSense Charging Station – So you can easily charge two DualSense Wireless Controllers at once — $29.99.

PS5 Virtual reality

Though you shouldn’t expect a new VR headset to launch alongside the PlayStation 5, Sony has big plans for virtual reality going forward. Sony Global Head of R&D for PlayStation Dominic Mallinson wants the next headset to be lighter, easier to put on, and have fewer cables. A fully wireless headset is difficult to put on the market right now because it would be more expensive for consumers, but he believes that is the way the market is trending.

Mallinson is excited about the possibilities of eye-tracking, and stated that he expects the resolution to almost double in future VR headsets, with FOV increased to over 120 degrees.

PlayStation System Architect Mark Cerny has also said, “VR is very important to us and that the current PSVR headset is compatible with the new console.”

Sony has patented a new, wireless VR headset however you should still not expect this headset at launch alongside the PlayStation 5.

PS5 Issues and bugs

No console launch is without its issues. We’ve compiled a complete list of known PS5 bugs and other errors that people are encountering. Some of the most common problems are being unable to connect to the PlayStation Network, issues with data transfer, accessories not connecting properly, and more. We’ll keep the list updated as we learn of additional bugs and fixes.

Other PS5 things you need to know

The user interface on the PlayStation 4 is fast and works well, but it’s also static and can not provide a ton of information. The PS5 changes this. As the company already indicated, the PS5 UI is a lot more dynamic than ever before. Some of its biggest, most notable new features include an improved Control Center, Activities cards, Game Help, and changes to the way parties work.

With the press of the PS button, you’ll bring up the Control Center while whatever game you are playing continues to run in the background. This is the one stop shop for everything you’ll need to immediately access on your console, including your settings, downloads, friends list, and much more.

The PS5 User interface is much more dynamic.

Activities show up as cards above the Control Center, allowing players to jump into a specific level or point in a game they’re playing. “Activities enables you to discover new gameplay opportunities, go back to things you missed, jump directly into levels or challenges you want to play, and much more. Some Activity cards can be put in picture-in-picture mode, so you can view them without having to leave the game,” according to Sony.

Game Help is a benefit for PlayStation Plus members that allows them to view tips and walkthroughs for certain games. The example shown in the video is a level in Sackboy where it provides hints as to where to complete an objective. This ensures that you aren’t being spoiled and are getting exactly what you’re looking for. Game Help will not be enabled for all games.

Another big change comes to its party system. Players will now be able to Screen Share games they are playing with other members in their party, which those people can then open in a picture-in-picture view or on the side of their own screen.

Next-gen is here

PS5

$499 at Amazon
$499 at Target
$499 at GameStop

Next-gen is finally here

PS5 is the place to be for exclusives like Spider-Man and Horizon Forbidden West. Get yours before they sell out. The standard PS5 boasts a disc drive so that you can play 4K Blue-ray DVDs and use your physical PS4 games through backward combability. This comes at a higher price tag than the Digital Edition.

All-digital

PS5 Digital Edition

$399 at Amazon
$399 at Target
$399 at GameStop

Get rid of your old discs

Cheaper than the standard PS5 but lacking a disc drive, the PS5 Digital Edition can still deliver the very best exclusives entirely digitally. You may not be able to play physical games, but the future is digital anyway. The PS5 Digital Edition features an 825GB SSD.