Oh boy. Look, listen, I know. I write for a gaming site, and somehow in all this time I've never touched anything beyond the realm of Nintendo? Yes, really. No, I don't even have a gaming PC. I have no excuse, and yes, I'm slightly ashamed.
However, dear reader, a new age is upon us - and by us, I mean me specifically. In the year 2022, after 16 years of owning nothing but Nintendo handhelds and consoles, I finally bought a PlayStation 5. A miracle in many ways - one, given my sworn lifelong allegiance, and there's also the fact that I was actually able to get a unit despite the stock shortages. A very proud achievement, I'm not gonna lie.
Anyone with a PS5 will no doubt have experienced the adorableness that Astro's Playroom has to offer, but it also has some amazing Easter eggs. Check them out below.
Let me tell you, making the switch (ironically) has been an experience. From the minute I got the console out of the box, I've been surprised in so many ways I didn't even know possible. Here's a little rundown of my experience so far - the things that I don't know how I lived without until now; the stuff that's far cooler than it has any right to be; and the stuff that, frankly, has had me a bit baffled.
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First of all, since it was the first thing that (almost literally) smacked me in the face, can we talk about the size of this lad? Absolute unit. I know that people already thought that the PS5 was big compared to its predecessor, but let me tell you, it's an even bigger jump going from the Switch to this chunky boi. Sat at the side of my white Switch OLED, it gives off major "don't talk to me or my son ever again" vibes. I'd also like to note here that the sheer enormity of this thing meant that after all these years, I finally had to unplug my Wii U, which I genuinely feel quite guilty about. Sorry, old friend.
As the saying goes though, size doesn't matter (unless it makes you unplug your Wii U), and obviously the main event is what the console can actually do - but before I could even get that far, I fell at the first hurdle of trying to set it up. After a lifetime of having my trusty A and B buttons, which meant "forward" or "back" respectively, having two buttons in the same spots on the controller mean the exact opposite things was incredibly disorienting, and I immediately got it mixed up. This resulted in a very polite pop-up on the setup menu, letting me know I might happen to be pressing the wrong thing. It was right.
The first chance I got, I mapped the controls to get back to what I was used to, although I still have to press them in their original order to select my PS Profile when I turn on the console, which continues to catch me out. Also, the fact that one of those buttons is "X" (and yes, I know it's the "cross" button, but that's what it looks like) is still throwing me, because everything I've ever known tells me that it should be the top button. Every time a game tells me to press it, everything goes wrong, because not only is it not at the top, but it's also no longer in the place it appears to be on the controller, thanks to my button mapping. I'm getting there though. Just, slowly. Very slowly.
Speaking of the controller, allow me a moment to gush about the DualSense. Because I'm a woman of culture, I kicked off my PlayStation experience with the adorable pre-downloaded platformer Astro's Playroom (actually, mostly thanks to the recommendation of GAMINGbible's own Ewan - thanks, Ewan), and that initial walkthrough of what the controller can do? Holy moly. I realise I'm in danger here of sounding like a boomer who can't comprehend the tech behind any of these fancy vidya games that they never had in their day, but wow. Those haptics! Those lil robots really are in there! I thought that the JoyCon vibrations were good, but this is on a whole new level. Also, I'll be completely honest, I had no idea there was a touchpad on this thing - the moment it asked me to swipe on it blew my mind more than it should have.
One of the things I did know going into this was the massive file sizes of some of these games - compared to the Switch's, they're ginormous. What I didn't realise was that even with the Disc Edition of the console, you still have to download everything - I thought having the physical games would remove the need. So, that's slightly frustrating? It's not a big deal, but I do love that with a physical Switch game you can just pop it in and be ready to go, so this is one thing that I can't say I'm a fan of.
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But once I finally did get into a game though? Oh boy. Despite getting my hands on Horizon Forbidden West, I began my first proper PlayStation adventure (sorry, Astro) with its predecessor, Zero Dawn. Gotta play things in order, y'know? But anyway, even though that's a five-year-old, previous-gen game, I can't believe how gorgeous it is. I've immediately become more understanding at some of the digs some people make about certain Switch games' graphics, because some of them really are worlds apart. Don't get me wrong, I don't personally think that realistic visuals are the be-all and end-all of any game, but it's certainly impressive to see it.
But you know, dear reader, even with all the fancy things this big ol' hunk of a console can do, it's been one very simple feature, which I know is nothing new to anyone who's touched anything beyond Nintendo's hardware, which has proved to be a game changer for me, literally. Trophies.
I like completing games. I like seeing collectable pages fill out. I like seeing percentages go up, stars appear next to save files, and all the other good stuff that comes with finishing everything a title has to offer. Now, you're telling me that every single game I play has a load of achievements to fill out? That are linked to my PlayStation profile? That show how many people have got them before me?! Sign. Me. Up. That little "ding" that comes through when you achieve one of these things? Sublime. A truly unparalleled rush of dopamine. Just, *chef's kiss*.
Not only was buying a new console a bad idea for my already overflowing backlog in general, but now, having all these extra achievements to tantalise me? Getting this thing may be the worst idea for my productivity I've had in a long time. But you know what? I'm loving every minute, and although my heart is probably going to remain Nintendo's until the end of time, they definitely have some competition now.
Featured Image Credit: Erik Mclean via Unsplash, Martin Katler via UnsplashTopics: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo, PlayStation, Opinion