Going over hardware and software. Not going over the every exact technical specs as you can easily look that up. Software can change overtime, this is review of software at launch. If any hardware hiccups or failures in near future I'll update this review
--Hardware:
Physical:
Looks futuristic yet tacky. In my personal opinion, looks doesn't really matter as long it can play next gen games well
Large console. Standing up it's the tallest home video console.
A lot of air-vents throughout making it aerodynamic, cool, quiet, and does not overheat or get hot with consecutive gameplay hours. This may change in the future if games require more performance out of the system, with similar fate like the PS4 where it was whisper quiet in beginning and became louder over the years with more graphical intensive games.
Has LED lights giving it a PC look (?)
Face plate easy to take out for future customization options (?).
667of 820gb of free download space in console
Swapping SDD is not as easy as Xbox Series X (with it's plug and play method) as you have to remove some screws. Upside is that it's standard and not a propriety SDD.
PS5 is compatible with most PS4 games. If you have an external SDD from PS4 it's just plug and transfer to PS5 internal storage
Comes with stand. Console is not entirely flat, so stand is required for horizontal position. You have console in vertical position without stand, but does not have grip (rubber feet) so may slide if bumped into or during an earthquake
Front of console: USB-C, USB-A, power, and eject button
Back of console: Two USB-A (Super Speed), LAN port, HDMI, and power port
Wished it had more USB-C ports to be future proof, but guess they kept USB-A for some current accessories to be backwards compatible. Disappointed the PS5 official 3D pulse headset and camera uses USB-A. Also no optical audio port means i can't use some of my surround sound headsets.
Load times for PS5 games are instantaneous. Ps4 games will load much faster, even without optimized patch.
Ps5 have ray tracing giving games realistic lighting effects
-Controller:
Console comes with one controller
Physically larger than past DuelShock controllers. Great for those with adult sized hands
Great tech demo included with 'Astro's Playroom'.
Haptic feedback. Similar to Nintendo Switch HD rumble, but more apparent. Not sure if developers will implement in future their games. Even with Nintendo first party; only '1-2 Switch' and 'Mario Party' from what I recall used HD rumble at great extent and it dropped off after that.
Adaptive triggers. Will feel resistance/push back on triggers if developers implement it in game.
Hope both Haptic feedback and Adaptive triggers say the entire lifespan and transfer to PS6 instead of dropping off like the six axis on PS3 and light bar in PS4
Has built in mic. Sound quality is similar to current smart phone on speaker. Has mute button
Similar to PS4, it has speaker and touch pad. Touch pad is more sensitive this time around
About double battery life of Ps4 controller. Able to get in 10 consecutive hours
Wished it came with back paddle buttons. Hopefully they release a DualSense Back Button Attachment like they did the DualShock 4
You can play PS4 games with DualShock 4 or DualSense . PS5 games only can be played with DualSense
--Software
UI, OS is the similar to PS4 with scrolling apps/games (left, right, up, down)
There's an activity row where you can track your progress on games
Other rows are News and PSN store
There are notifications popups, but you can turn on 'Do Not Disturb' mode
Similar to phone's swipe down tool bar for basic profile (trophy list, avatar, user info,etc), accessibility options, sound, Game Base, internet wifi select, controllers (see connected controllers), etc on home screen for easy access.
'Game Base' section is where you make party with friends and chat with them, view friend requests.
Share button this time around will pull up menu to take snap shot, record video, or save video previously played game session for up to 60mins
There's an 'Your Accolades' feature where you give props to other players. Reminds me of how to give endorsements (Sportsmanship, Good Teammate, Shot Caller) in Overwatch to encourage positivity in online community. For PS5 has Helpful, Welcoming, and Good Sport
There are accessibility options/preferences you can setup that transfers to your games
There's a 'Switcher' option where you can change games on the fly, but unlike the Xbox Series X's 'quick resume' does not leave where you left off, and will boot you back to the home screen of that game
Picture-in-picture mode if you want friends to help show you how to get through levels
PS4 games load faster on PS5 if downloaded to SSD. Graphical upgrade depends on publisher if they implement a 'PS5 upgrade" patch
-For PS5 trophies.
Trophies that have collectables there is a progress bar showing how much left to collect.
There are also tutorial videos for some games that implement it.
Some trophies once selected will drop you into the level/section where you can obtain the trophy. Again depends on game developer if they implement it.
PS4 trophies on PS5 act the same
Base price for games are $70 ($10 more than last gen); Excluding Special/Collector's editions, DLC, micro-transactions, loot crates, and surprise mechanics
Overall, aside from some odd design choices very capable next gen system. There are some features especially on the controller that developers have to utilize and may not be present in all games. If anything like the PS3 and PS4, going to have thousands of gameplay hours on this system