Entertainment

Games: Sony's new PlayStation 5 will be a chink of light for gamers in this darkest of winters

What's in the box? A PlayStation 5, of course
What's in the box? A PlayStation 5, of course What's in the box? A PlayStation 5, of course

PlayStation 5 unboxing

NEVER has my trusty delivery guy come bearing more precious cargo. Like Brad Pitt at the end of Se7en, I hear you scream "What's in the box?!" Thankfully, (spoiler alert) not my wife's severed head, but something just as alluring.

Cloaked as it is in the kind of non-disclosure agreements normally reserved for randy royals, I can't actually tell you much about the PS5 yet, though I am allowed to show the box. And though I my be prevented from bean-spilling, rest assured my thumbs have been caressing its mammoth form in preparation for the November 19 release date.

Last week, the press could confirm only that they had the console and show its box. We're now at the stage where we can release the Kraken from its moorings and treat it like a lump of meat – ogling its soft lines, pinching its buttons – without reporting on what it does when hooked up to your telly.

What I can say is, it's a beast. The original PlayStation's great-great grandchild is the biggest home console ever to take up residence in your room. Trumping me on two counts, it's both pretty and huge, and comes with a stand, all the requisite wires and Sony's new DualSense controller.

It's not just the size of the thing – the PS5's curved shape means a stand is required to give it a solid footing, no matter if laid horizontally or vertically. Powered on, its subtle lighting means you don't feel like you're in Times Square, and while the PS4 sounded like a Chinook landing in your back yard (causing '80s Northern Ireland flashbacks), I can report the PS5 is whisper quiet.

Unlike Microsoft's Series X, whose controller essentially mimics the Xbox standard, your interface with PS5 feels like a genuine generational leap. Stuffed with features such as haptic feedback and adaptive resistance, the way its triggers fight your advances is a game-changer in immersion.

Each console comes with Astro's Playroom built-in, and while essentially a showcase for the controller's features, its charming robo-platforming is easily a match for Mario's 3D shenanigans.

The box is also at pains to reveal how easy it is for the newcomer to play your old PS4 games. Discs are a given, but for digital fodder you can either re-download from the store, transfer from your PS4 via wi-fi or, in my case, simply plug in the external drive housing your PS4 library. It's that simple.

Expect a full teardown in the weeks to come, alongside reviews of the biggest launch titles. In the meantime, rest assured that Sony promises a chink of light in this darkest of winters.