Playstation is the brand name Sony Computer Entertainment gave to a line of video game consoles, handheld devices, media centers, online services and a series of magazines. The first PlayStation, released in 1994, signaled Sony’s rise to power in the video game industry, and within a decade, it had sold over 100 million units. It used compact discs, heralding the transition from cartridges.
The PS5 marks a major change for PlayStation in both design and gameplay. While Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S are delivering iteration on a successful formula, Sony has delivered a fresh new experience that looks like the future of gaming.
On the hardware side, the PS5 delivers an incredibly smooth and fast experience. Games load faster than ever, and there’s no noticeable lag between the system and your screen. The controller is an incredible piece of engineering, and the touchpad offers a whole new way to control your game.
The only downside to the PS5 is that its proprietary solid-state drive limits how many games you can install. At launch, you’ll only have 667GB of the 825GB available for games, a paltry amount that will force players to choose between titles once their storage fills up. The company has promised to address this in the future, but as it stands, the PS5’s Achilles heel is going to be its lack of external hard drives. That will be especially frustrating for those who enjoy the streaming capabilities of PlayStation Plus, which allows them to play a variety of games on their handhelds or computers without having to worry about space restrictions.