This PlayStation 5 Digital Edition review has been assessed over a year since it originally launched. In that time, there have been several games that were reviewed on it. Titles like Returnal, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, and Episode: INTERmission were some of the few updated ports and exclusives that made use of the new specs in the PlayStation 5.
Other titles like The Callisto Protocol, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, or Dying Light 2: Stay Human were multi-gen releases that showed the benefits of what a PlayStation 5 could offer over its progenitor. Since covering those games and more, we feel confident in elaborating on the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition experience and what gamers could expect from it… if they can find one.
The quest to acquire any PlayStation 5 console was arduous and met with countless error pages of retail sites overrun with bots and fruitless trips to Target, Walmart, Gamestop, and Best Buy. Even when I was able to acquire one, it was a bundle that included extraneous accessories that were included to inflate the price to discourage scalpers; a sinister practice that continues to this day.
After feeling the sting of a bundle’s markup and getting the console home to unbox, you are still never truly prepared for just how big a PlayStation 5 is. Standing upright, this monolithic structure pierces the heavens at a staggering 390mm; close to matching the monstrous Atari 5200’s width.
Not only is the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition tall, but it is also one of the heaviest game consoles ever; weighing in at about 8.5 pounds, and is only outclassed by the Disc Drive Edition which weighs almost 10 pounds. The densely packed technology and cooling system ensured this console would always be massive.
Looking at both versions of the PlayStation 5, it becomes obvious that the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition is the one Sony always intended to be their desired version. The higher-ups likely realized that a digital-only console was a terrible idea and made the disc drive version last minute because most gamers in Asia will never accept a gaming platform that has no physical media.
The sleek design of the Digital Edition contrasts harshly with how the Disc Drive Edition’s disc slot is clumsily implemented into its slender form factor. Regardless of which variant you go with, both units have a bizarre eye-sore design that makes them look more like a router or air purifier. Thankfully, it is mostly made up of a matte finish which avoids unsightly fingerprints.
In a best-case scenario after setting up a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition in a discreet location away from people’s gaze; all attention should be on the controller. The Dualsense is an incredible controller and feels like it is very expensive. It is weighty and filled to the brim with all kinds of esoteric motion sensors, rotors, lights, gyros, and dynamos that apply various levels of tension to the triggers.
It is one of the most premium feeling controllers on the market and also is very reliably built. All PlayStation 5 consoles have Astro’s Playroom installed and the game is seemingly a tech demo for all the features of the Dualsense. On its own, it is also a surprisingly enjoyable 3D platformer that boasts impressive visuals and tons of references to classic franchises across the past PlayStation consoles.
While playing Astro’s Playroom, the applications of Dualsense begin to make sense. Throughout the game, Astro the robot will traverse various surfaces and utilize various weapons. Each ability he performs makes the controller emit various sounds that work with the haptic feedback that gives the feel of the game something extremely tangible.
The materials that Astro walks on have unique footstep sounds that play in the speak on top of the very subtle vibrations that make the world feel tactile. Moving the little guy around feels exhilarating and has a level of verisimilitude that is mainly unseen in most games. The drawback of a controller packed with features is that it drains the battery fast.
It was generous of Sony to include what is very possibly one of the best games they ever produced as a freebie. Sadly, Sony did fail to address the backward compatibility woes of the PlayStation 4 and this goes doubly so for PlayStation 5 Digital Edition which won’t play any PlayStation 4 discs that gamers would have acquired over the last generation.
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and its Disc Drive-equipped counterpart can play most PlayStation 4 digital games, but the digital edition won’t be able to run any discs for obvious reasons. What is frustrating is that all PSN purchases are not playable on either PlayStation 5 console.
Most PSone and PS2 Classics that you may have bought during the PlayStation 3 days may not be compatible with PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 4. This also applies to the many digital-only titles that are still exclusive to the PlayStation 3 PSN; like Bionic Commando Rearmed, Siren: Blood Curse, or Tokyo Jungle.
If the industry insists that consumers embrace digital-only consoles, then prior purchases with the same client ID should be honored on new hardware. This is especially egregious when PlayStation 5 hardly has any original or exclusive games to call its own. Even new/upcoming first-party titles are designed to spec for PlayStation 4 due to the large install base.
Regretfully, there is just no reason to own a PlayStation 5 yet since they are too hard to come by, and the industry won’t take full advantage of the technology it offers. A lot of this has to do with the fact that the shortages have stymied production and scalpers and that games are expensive to make.
The sad reality is that the PlayStation 5 may as well not have been released since so few games being made demand the specs needed. To its merit, this is a very powerful console that can run some existing PlayStation 4 games better than ever, but it is not worth the headache and wincing cost.
If you have the money and patience to acquire any variety of PlayStation 5, it will serve as a “PlayStation 4 Pro+”. Almost every new game coming out is a last-gen title with some added technical boosts. It is a reliably built beast of a machine that looks ridiculous but runs cool and quiet and sports one of the best feeling controllers on the market.
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console was reviewed using a retail unit purchased by Niche Gamer. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
