The PlayStation 5 isn’t new anymore, but that’s kind of the point. The hype and shortages have settled, the updates have landed, and now it’s just part of everyday gaming life. After a few years with it, I can finally say the PS5 isn’t about what it promised on paper — it’s about how it feels to live with it day after day. Spoiler: it’s still damn good, even if it has its quirks.
The Design You Still Can’t Ignore
Let’s start with the obvious. The PS5 is huge. Not “slightly bigger than the last one” huge — it’s a small piece of furniture. At first I thought it looked ridiculous, like a futuristic router wearing shoulder pads. But over time, I’ve stopped noticing. Maybe I’ve just accepted that this giant white spaceship is part of the living room décor now.
The real win is how quiet it runs. Once you’ve lived through the jet-engine PS4 Pro, the PS5 feels like silence. The fan hums softly, and that’s it. You can play late at night without the whole house knowing. If you’re a parent or just someone gaming while others sleep, that matters more than the design ever will.
The DualSense Difference
The controller is where Sony nailed it. The DualSense isn’t just a new shell — it genuinely changes how games feel. The adaptive triggers add real tension, and the haptic feedback gives each game its own texture. Firing a bow in Horizon Forbidden West or feeling the rain tapping through Returnal makes older controllers feel numb in comparison.
What I like most is that it still feels solid. Even after a few years, my original DualSense hasn’t drifted or fallen apart. Battery life could be better — you’ll still be charging every few sessions — but that’s a small trade-off for what it delivers.
Late at night, when you’re playing with the lights low, the glow from the touchpad and the subtle vibrations make the experience more immersive than it has any right to be. It’s one of those rare hardware features that still feels cool long after the honeymoon phase.
Performance and Speed
The first time you boot up a PS5 game, you notice it. The load times are almost gone. You go from dashboard to gameplay in seconds, and that’s something you can never un-experience. Once you get used to it, going back to older consoles feels painful.
Most games now hit a steady 60 frames per second, and plenty offer performance modes that keep things smooth. It’s not a PC powerhouse, but for a plug-and-play box, it’s impressive. Whether you’re exploring massive open worlds or just jumping into a quick round of Rocket League, the PS5 never feels sluggish.
The internal SSD only gives you about 667 GB of usable space, which fills fast. Adding an NVMe drive is easy enough these days, but it’s still annoying that storage expansion feels like homework. That said, once you’ve upgraded, it’s one of the most seamless systems around — no clunky menus, no long transfers, just fast access to everything.
Games and Ecosystem
Sony’s always carried its consoles with exclusives, and the PS5 is no different. Demon’s Souls, Spider-Man Miles Morales, God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, The Last of Us Part I — the list reads like a flex. These games show what the console can do, and they look incredible even on a mid-range TV.
The DualSense support in first-party games keeps reminding you that you’re playing something built for this hardware. It’s subtle, but it makes the difference between “yeah, this looks nice” and “wow, this feels next-gen.”
Backward compatibility is another quiet win. Most PS4 games run smoother on PS5, and if you’ve got a digital library, it’s all right there. It’s nice not having to juggle two consoles just to replay an older favorite.
Then there’s PlayStation Plus. It’s evolved into a mixed bag — some months are great, others not so much — but the Game Catalog tiers have real value if you skipped a few big titles over the years. It’s not quite Game Pass, but it’s getting closer.
Everyday Use
The interface is clean, fast, and thankfully quieter than it was at launch. It still hides some settings in weird spots, but it feels good to use once you know your way around. The Activities cards that let you jump straight into missions or challenges sound like a gimmick but become handy when you’ve only got 30 minutes to play.
That’s what makes the PS5 such a great console for adults who still game. You can turn it on, be in a match or a story in under a minute, and turn it off just as quickly when life interrupts. No long boot-ups or weird updates that eat your whole night.
Media support is decent too. It’s not the ultimate entertainment hub, but Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify all run fine. I still mostly use it for games, but it’s nice that it handles streaming without issue.
Hardware Stability
Three years in, the PS5 feels reliable. Updates have improved everything from rest mode to fan curves. Crashes are rare, heat isn’t a problem, and controller firmware keeps getting better. It’s not perfect — the storage issue is still the biggest weak point — but overall it’s one of the most stable launches Sony’s ever had.
The Price of Next-Gen
At around $799 AUD for the standard disc version, it’s not cheap, but it finally feels like you’re getting value for money. Between the hardware, exclusives, and future support, the PS5 still feels like a solid investment for the next few years.
The only real frustration left is availability of accessories and the occasional price spike on DualSense controllers, but those are small things compared to how complete the system feels now.
Verdict
After living with it since launch, the PS5 still feels like the best balance between power and simplicity. It’s fast, quiet, and packed with games that actually make use of its tech. The DualSense alone justifies the upgrade.
It’s not flawless. The storage setup is annoying, and the size still makes it hard to fit in smaller setups. But those are minor issues compared to how smooth and enjoyable it is to use.
For players who don’t have time to waste, the PS5 just works. You can jump in, play something great, and log off without the drama. Whether you’re deep into story games or squeezing in a few matches after the kids are asleep, it hits that perfect middle ground — powerful enough to impress, simple enough to live with.
Final Score: 9/10
Still the best console for gamers who just want to play.
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