Since I have been able to put the PlayStation 5 to the test, there are so many questions! Is the PS5 noisy? How long does the DualSense battery last? How long are the cables supplied with the PS5? Can I use Bluetooth headphones with PS5? These are just some questions that pop up around the internet. I have therefore decided to summarize some of the important ones in a single article. If you have others, do not hesitate to post them in the comments. Here is my PlayStation 5 FAQ guide!
GENERAL
IT LOOKS REALLY HUGE! HOW TALL IS THE PLAYSTATION 5?
It is quite big. The body of the console, base excluded, if placed vertically, is 39 cm high. If you were to place it horizontally, it would therefore be 39 cm long. Keep some free space in your entertainment centre if you want to acquire the PS5.
IS THE BASE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE PLAYSTATION 5 BOX?
Yes. Inside the package, you will find the below items.
- PlayStation 5
- Power cord
- HDMI cable
- DualSense controller
- USB-C cable for DualSense
- The base for arranging the console horizontally or vertically
- Instruction manual and warranty documents
IS THE PLAYSTATION 5 NOISY?
The answer is what you were hoping for! No, it’s not loud. The large fan does its job without producing excessive noise, avoiding the annoying sounds you encountered with PS4 or PS4 Pro.
DOES THE PLAYSTATION 5 OVERHEAT?
I did not notice overheating, even after sessions that well exceeded ten hours. The ventilation of the console expels the hot air from the rear vents. There are no parts of the PS5’s body that are overheated after gaming sessions. Placing your hands on it, the only ones that are hot are the low-side ones where the power supply unit is located.
CAN I PUT MY PLAYSTATION 5 INSIDE A PIECE OF FURNITURE?
It depends. Remember that the console ventilates from the rear, expelling the hot air. If, therefore, the piece of furniture or the place where you put it could end up “choking” the air path, avoid it. Make sure that the back of the cabinet / shelf / bookcase / whatever you are placing your PS5 in is open. This is so that the environment where it might be closed does not lead it to expel hot air onto other hot air.
WHAT IS THE SUPPORTED HDMI CABLE FOR PLAYSTATION 5?
HDMI 2.1
HOW LONG ARE THE CABLES INCLUDED WITH THE PLAYSTATION 5?
The supplied cables are 1.5 meters long.
HOW HEAVY IS THE PLAYSTATION 5?
The PS5 in the standard version has a weight of 4 kg.
CAN I EXPAND THE INTERNAL STORAGE OF THE PLAYSTATION 5?
Yes, but you must use a Sony approved NVME PCie 4.0 SSD. Read our article here for more details.
DUALSENSE, EXPANSION, ACCESSORIES
IS THE DUALSENSE COMFORTABLE TO USE?
The grip differs from that of the DualShock, but you get used to it quickly. The grip on the controller is firm and the ergonomics are good. There are excellent new triggers, dorsal buttons, and improved accuracy of the touchpad.
HOW LONG DOES THE DUALSENSE BATTERY LAST?
The answer depends on the usage. When I timed the controller’s battery, I ran out of it in just under eleven hours. However, games like Astro’s Playroom constantly activate haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. This uses more battery life that other games, for example. It will depend, therefore, on how much you play games that give strong feedback to the controller.
DOES DUALSENSE HAVE A BRIGHT LED LIKE DUALSHOCK 4?
It has a bright LED, but not like DualShock 4. In this case, the light frames the track pad, changing color and giving a nice chromatic projection effect on the white of the controller.
CAN I ADJUST THE STRENGTH OF THE DUALSENSE VIBRATION AND BRIGHTNESS?
Yes. By accessing the controller options from the console dashboard, you can adjust the strength of the vibration, adaptive triggers, and even the intensity of the LED light. By doing this, you can save some battery life.
CAN I USE THE DUALSHOCK 4 CABLE TO CHARGE DUALSENSE?
No. The DualSense cable has a USB-C plug, while the DualShock 4 had a mini-USB.
CAN I USE DUALSHOCK 4 TO PLAY ON PLAYSTATION 5?
If you intend to play PS4 games in backward compatibility, yes. If you try to play PlayStation 5 content with DualShock 4, the console will ask you to connect a DualSense controller.
CAN I USE BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES/EARPHONES WITH PLAYSTATION 5?
Unfortunately, not natively. You can use wireless headphones like Sony’s official ones or Sony approved ones. However, you can’t use something like Apple’s AirPods.
CAN I USE A USB EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE WITH PLAYSTATION 5?
Yes, but only for PS4 games or to store PS5 games. PS5 games cannot be played from an external hard drive.
WHICH EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES ARE COMPATIBLE WITH PLAYSTATION 5?
In order for you to format an external hard drive as PS5 extended storage, it will need to be a hard drive with USB 3.0 and at least 250 GB of capacity.
SERVICES AND GAMES
HOW MUCH FREE SPACE IS THERE REALLY ON PLAYSTATION 5?
The internal SSD has a capacity of 825GB. However, only 667GB is available to the user.
CAN I UNINSTALL ASTRO’S PLAYROOM?
Yes! You can uninstall it and free the corresponding weight (about 11 GB) if you wish.
DO GAMES STAY RUNNING IF I SWITCH TO ANOTHER?
No. However, there is a feature called Switcher which is accessible by pressing the PlayStation button at any time. Here it shows the running apps, followed by the last two most recent apps. You can use it, for example, to quickly launch another game without going through the dashboard.
CAN I SURF THE INTERNET ON PLAYSTATION 5?
No! The internet browser is not yet available at present time.
CAN I CHANGE THE PLAYSTATION 5 DASHBOARD THEME?
For the moment, this functionality is not yet present.
CAN I PLAY IN 4K AND 120FPS ON PLAYSTATION 5?
If you find a game running at the same time in 4K and 120fps, theoretically yes. The HDMI 2.1 cable supports this bandwidth, but right now all the games I tested were asking to sacrifice resolution to drive up the frame rate.
IS PLAYSTATION 5 REGION-FREE?
Yes. You can freely play games that come from the Eastern or American markets.
WILL PLAYSTATION PLUS OFFER ME PLAYSTATION 5 GAMES?
Yes. Sony is offering a monthly PS Plus game for PlayStation 5 subscribers as well, besides the two PS4 games.
BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY
CAN I PLAY PLAYSTATION 4 GAMES FROM BLU-RAY OR DO I HAVE TO DOWNLOAD THEM DIGITALLY?
Yes. You can insert the copy of the game into the Blu-Ray player if you bought the standard edition of the console. If you have Digital, you will obviously have to download the PS4 games.
DO ALL PLAYSTATION 4 GAMES IMPROVE ON PLAYSTATION 5?
I have observed that, even without patches, PS4 games perform better on PS5. Control, for example, has solved the stuttering problems that could still occur in some moments on the PlayStation 4 Pro. In order for the performance to be significantly improved, however, specific updates from the developers are necessary, as in the case of Days Gone.
ARE MY TROPHIES ON PLAYSTATION 4 KEPT IF I PLAY ON PLAYSTATION 5?
Yes. It syncs to the PlayStation Network profile. When you play a game, the console will identify the trophies and report those you have already unlocked.
CAN I TRANSFER MY PLAYSTATION 4 GAMES TO PLAYSTATION 5 WITHOUT RE-DOWNLOADING THEM?
Yes. You can do this using your home network, an ethernet cable, or an external hard drive.
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