PlayStation 5 everything you need to know

Whether your last session with a PlayStation was on a grey PS1, the blocky PS2 or the über powerful PS4 Pro, it’s safe to say the PlayStation 5 will both blow your socks off and reduce you to the same beaming, wide-eyed, childlike state that greeted its predecessors.

It’s a serious piece of kit, and one gamers understandably cannot wait to get to grips with. Sure, it sort of looks like a WiFi router and is on the hefty side in terms of size, but what it brings to the table from a tech standpoint more than overshadows those slight (and we’re talking slight) shortcomings.

But before we get to what games you can enjoy on the new PS5, here’s a brief overview of its biggest features. Then make sure to check out our clickable infographic on the complete PlayStation timeline…

There are actually two versions of the PS5 available to play. The base model is the Ultra HD Blu-ray compatible version which, like previous iterations, utilises a disc drive. Alternatively, however, gamers can choose to buy a slightly lighter variant that comes without a disc drive, and solely supports digital downloads.

Both, however, are as powerful as the other, so there’s no need to worry about any differences in performance!

While PC gamers have been able to tweak the level of graphical performance their systems allow each game to offer for donkey’s years, the PS5 finally brings such a feature into the console realm.

With Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, for example, players can opt to either play the game in “Fidelity” mode, featuring ray tracing (super fancy, eerily realistic lighting effects) and a number of other effects, all of which can run in 4K at 30fps; or in “Performance” mode, which ditches the effects in favour of a faster frame rate of 60fps.

Loading times are now quicker than ever when compared to previous generations. Blink and you can quite literally miss them, at times. Though nothing will ever be as satisfying as the original PS1 loading screen, a near eradication of them altogether comes very, very close.

PS4 players considering making the jump over to the PS5 will be pleased to hear that their catalogue of games will be playable on the new console, with 99% of PS4 titles available to play on the PS5 at launch.

The Dualshock controller has been given a game-changing overhaul. Dual actuators turn your every in-game action into a tangible sensation in your hands. The pressure needed to press each trigger can also change from one moment to the next, depending on what’s happening onscreen.

Oh, and the controller itself is patterned with lots of Xs (we refuse to call it a “cross”… just, no), squares, circles and triangles which, though not remotely related to performance, are pretty cool.