The PS5 was launched in the middle of November 2020 and has been flying off the shelves since. How does it perform compared to the PS4? Hardware and feature differences

Hardware Differences

There’s no doubt that Sony’s PS 5 is a far more powerful console than its last-gen offering.

I’m not going to bore you with the nitty-gritty. Suffice it to say it has a more powerful processor, more RAM and a racehorse of a graphics card. PlayStation Store Amazon »

What’s worth mentioning, though, is that the PS5 has a few tricks up its sleeve over its older sibling.

• For starters, the new Sony beast is capable of 4K resolutions that can go up to 120 frames per second. Frame rates will depend greatly on a number of factors.
• Some games will be capable of switching between modes, performance and fidelity.
• The former will be where frame rates between 60 and 120 fps will be possible whereas the latter will favor better graphics over frame rate.

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The other hardware factor that makes the PS5 special is its custom SSD drive.

A lot may have bulked at it less than 1 TB storage space but the drive more than makes up for it with its incredibly high loading speeds.

During Sony’s presentation, we were given a taste of just how fast the console can load games. In Ratchet and Clank, entire levels and their NPC denizens are loaded in the blink of an eye. This enables game developers to create experiences that were previously unachievable with PS4 hardware. PlayStation Store Amazon »

Feature differences

When it comes to features, both the PS4 and PS5 have their advantages.

Sony’s latest controller, the DualSense, specifically has a whole bag of new tricks over its PS4 sibling.

For starters, the haptic feedback goes far beyond rumble, making it possible to feel every gust of wind, every little tap and click even the rain as it falls on your character. It’s difficult to give you a full picture of how DualSense feels. It’s, honestly, quite the experience when playing through the PS5 pack-in game Astro’s Playroom.

One minor feature the PS5 lacks over its older sibling that will likely not affect most people is optical outport. This enabled PS4 owners to output their console’s audio to their home theater system and other audio devices, such as a pair of Astro Gaming headphones.

If you’re a Twitch streamer, you may also miss this feature as it was integral for getting your game audio to your audio interface.

Game Compatibility

Sony has put a lot of care into ensuring that their latest console has backward compatibility with PS4 games. In fact, over 99% of last-gen games work flawlessly with a PS5.

On top of that, over 100 of these benefit from what Sony’s calling Boost Mode where the games are upscaled to higher resolutions and frame rates. This makes the PS5 a relatively appealing purchase to make even though its truly exclusive titles are scarce.

If you do, however, choose to wait before you upgrade, a good chunk of PS4 titles offers free PS5 upgrades. Games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077 and Watch Dogs Legion will allow you to download the PS5 version for free when you do finally choose to jump ship to the next generation.

It’s also worth noting that the Playstation 4 is capable of streaming games from a PS5. That’s an added incentive to hold onto your older console for longer.

The bottom line for you comes down to how you feel about upgrading at this point. The PS5 admittedly doesn’t have many games that aren’t available on PS4. In fact, the only title that may be worth it is the Demon’s Souls Remake. If you’re not fussed about playing your games at higher resolutions and frame rates, then perhaps holding off might be the best answer for you. PlayStation Store Amazon »

Fortnite is of course also playable on other consoles like Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. What is the advantage of choosing one console over another? Read more.

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