Final night time I lastly sat all the way down to play my new PS5 Professional console, and it took a second, however it clicked. I’ve been plugging by the previous couple of hours of Dragon Age: The Veilguard recently – principally agreeing with Kirk McKeand’s full Veilguard evaluate – and placing the sport I’d spent over 30 hours with on PS5 on the PS5 Professional was a fairly dramatic enchancment.
Kirk advised me that the sport’s Efficiency mode was “blurry” when in comparison with the Constancy mode, which isn’t a criticism I personally had. The picture high quality was tender, certain, however it appeared to suit the ethereal and nearly dream-like ambiance of the sport, and I’d somewhat not go for 30fps if I can keep away from it.
Nevertheless, the identical sport on PS5 Professional all of the sudden appears sharp and trendy. I assumed that the “tender” picture high quality was a post-process, stylistic selection on behalf of the artwork workforce and builders. Because it seems, it was simply an unlucky by-product of upscaling from a low decision. On PS5 Professional, The Veilguard appears easy and sharp at 60fps, inching nearer to a “true” PC-like expertise.
I had a lot the identical expertise with Alan Wake 2, which I liked on launch, however I needed to acknowledge that the 60fps Efficiency mode was holding again the visuals, particularly compared to the high-end PC model of the sport. You’re not going to get a “high-end” expertise with Alan Wake 2 on PS5 Professional, however it does look nicer. For those who do go for 30fps visuals, you get new ray tracing options – which might be an exquisite addition – when you can adapt to a decrease framerate. The much less mentioned concerning the smear-like impact in mirrors attributable to the low-resolution ray-traced reflections, the higher.
Issues aren’t excellent in both camp. These reflections in Alan Wake 2 additionally broke up and regarded extremely odd at sure angles, and in a single late Dragon Age cutscene that’s speculated to be hazy and dream-like, the brilliant streaks of hair every character has began to interrupt up and fizzle in sure lighting, turning into extra of an eyesore than an enchancment.
It’s early days, and I’m hopeful that any small points shall be solved because the Professional’s PSSR tech is improved in future updates. However these updates aren’t going to unravel the problems I’ve already had.
Plugging within the PS5 Professional and getting it up to date is as easy as the unique console, however my efforts to Information Switch between my PS5 and the brand new Professional had been fruitless. I attempted database rebuilds, updating from protected mode, all of it, and Information Switch refused to work. I tried to again as much as USB and restore from that backup on the brand new console — solely the backup bugged, failed, and deleted nearly all of my seize library that I’d rigorously preserved. Thanks Sony, now all of the proof that I used to be as soon as totally cracked at Apex Legends is gone.
I additionally want to say that I had two totally different individuals message me independently asking if I had any recommendation on learn how to join the vertical stand to the console. Folks shouldn’t want recommendation for one thing that needs to be so easy. A separate concern that I’m having is that I play a whole lot of preventing video games, and I play with an arcade stick. The PS5 Professional solely has USB-C ports on the entrance, and arcade sticks nonetheless use USB-A as commonplace. Consequently, I at the moment have two USB C-to-A adapters awkwardly poking out of the entrance of my console.
The PS5 Professional is a pleasant improve for these visible and efficiency fanatics who nonetheless primarily sport on console – I’ve a high-end PC, however consoles are simply a lot extra handy – so long as you might have the TV to profit from it. In case your TV isn’t 4K, 120Hz, and VRR suitable, then upgrading to PS5 Professional most likely isn’t going to supply any advantages that befit its hefty price ticket. That’s ignoring the disc drive – offered individually – which is at the moment out of inventory in every single place and being scalped on ebay.
However my greatest takeaway isn’t even associated as to if or not you “want” a PS5 Professional, the advantages of getting one, or the worth tag. It cements the concept that Sony rushed the PS5 to market. The bottom PS5 noticed a number of small modifications to the console earlier than the “slim” even got here to market—together with a smaller, lighter heatsink—after which it obtained a worth hike in 2022.
Now the PS5 Professional is right here, and it’s each smaller and lighter than the launch console by a fairly appreciable quantity. As a substitute of marveling at how far we’ve are available in 4 years, I’m left asking how Sony’s engineers tousled the preliminary launch so badly that all the things since has felt like a backtrack.
If you’re a type of individuals who performs video games totally on console with a brand new TV that options all the bells and whistles, then certain, the PS5 Professional is for you. However the excellent news is that it’s in inventory just about in every single place (not like the disc drive), and just like the launch of the preliminary console, it’s going to enhance over time. This as soon as once more seems like a Sony product that has been pushed right into a market that doesn’t actually need it, however that doesn’t imply individuals don’t need it.
I really feel assured that the PS5 Professional goes to supply me a greater expertise for upcoming video games, however my mates that come over to see most likely aren’t going to note a distinction.
