Six Months On, My PlayStation 5 Is Mostly An Expensive Netflix Machine

As an early adopter of the PlayStation 5, I was delirious with the possibilities of Sony's brand-new console. Lickity-split loading times, haptic feedback controllers and a bevy of new games to experience in gloriously high definition. But six months down the line, it's mostly gathering dust behind my TV, being booted up every now and then to binge watch a TV show or to fill the empty void with YouTube videos while I eat.

I am fully aware of the reasons why Sony's console has been hamstrung. Global distribution problems, computer chip shortages and the difficulties of launching a major console during one of the worst pandemics the world has ever seen, make for a rather debilitating stack of obstacles to overcome. It's unfair to be critical of the fact that I'm mostly just using it to tuck into a marathon of Simpsons episodes instead of having my eyeballs melted from their sockets by new gaming experiences, but here we all are.

When I reviewed the PlayStation 5 on its release, I said that the possibilities of Sony's kit was almost limitless. Particularly, I loved the DualSense controller and its integration into Astro's Playroom. Check that out right here:

The majority of my time spent on the PS5, outside of watching Netflix (other streaming services are available), is just replaying older games. Many of which don't have PS5 patches yet, so the experience is exactly the same as that of somebody playing on a PS4. Even games that do span the console generations, like Resident Evil Village, don't look lightyears ahead of their last-gen counterparts. Yes, the faster loading times are nice, but it's not like I'm calling up my friends and family to tell them I got into a game two seconds quicker. The technological improvements are welcome, and will be even more so once developers have had the chance to fully utilise them in two or three years time. Right now, it's just, like, whatever. You know? Big frickin' woop.

The big hope is that E3 will be something of a saving grace for the next-gen (new-gen? current-gen?) consoles. An abundance of new games being announced will go some way to satiating the gaping hole in my bank account, and the endless internal question of "why the heck did you buy this?" But that is the curse of the early adopter, I suppose. It's just been compounded by the truly unique social and economic pit we find ourselves in.

Ramblings aside, the real point of this article is to say to those who haven't yet managed to find themselves a PS5: don't worry about it. You're not missing anything, right now. For sure save up for one if you know there's games coming out that you want, or you really like the design and think it'll fit with the aesthetic of your underwater mansion or evil volcano lair. But for the time being we few will be sat waiting, patiently, for something to happen to make the purchase worthwhile. Anything would be nice. Please?

Topics: PlayStation 5, Feature, Opinion