I was 14 years old when the PlayStation 2 (PS2) released in 2000. I recall getting home from school that day and patiently waiting for the delivery woman. Not FedEx or UPS but rather my mother, a Wonder Woman who had managed to pre-order the system from a local shopping mall games store. Information on game consoles and games themselves were exchanged via early web forums, news stand magazines and word of mouth at your local GameStop and EBGames stores in those days. Facebook was yet a thing, let alone Twitter. The global shut down fears of Y2K, unbeknownst to everyone, was about 20 years premature. Society was far less automated in the early 2000’s than it is now, not even Jeff Bezos knew what Amazon would soon turn into. Still, I had managed to give her enough information to make what seemed impossible a reality. A skill, as time would prove, she readily excelled at. After what seemed like a lifetime to an early teen, she finally arrived from work that day carrying a large bag, and within lay that iconic and beautiful all blue box. The PS2 was the first PlayStation console I owned, from there I’ve generally been tied to Sony’s ecosystem (other than having also owned the legend that was the Dreamcast).
After 6 years of what some will call the golden age of gaming, 2006 brought the launch of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and its all powerful cell processor (co-developed by Sony, IBM and Toshiba). The launch of the PS3 may have solidified my gamer-card because it was at that launch that I participated in an act synonymous with the most die-hard of games fans. I camped outside of a local Wal-Mart in West Palm Beach, Fl for a day and a half in order to be one of the first with an original “fat”, fully backwards compatible PS3 (a relic which sits perched in my guest room closet today).
A generation later, the launch of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) correlated with a period of major transition in my life. I had just been accepted to a residency program at The Ohio State University (I’m a doctor of physical therapy by trade). As a Haitian immigrant, otherwise known as a dreamer, South Florida was all that I’d known since my parents found the means to bring me to the states at the age of 6. All for a shot at that “American dream”, however much the fallacy we now know that concept to be. A year after receiving my doctoral degree from Florida International University (FIU) in 2012, the want for specialized training was drawing me far from the nest of South Florida towards the heartland of America, Columbus, OH. The start of my residency program was the August before the PS4 launch in 2013. For the nearly two years I was progressing through that program, the PS4 served as a physical link to the past (insert Zelda reference in a PlayStation article). Although, since the start of graduate school in 2009 to as recently as 2019, I had found myself with less and less available time for gaming. Honestly, my PS4 for most of its life cycle, mostly served to stream Netflix. A far cry from the time and effort I placed into my PS2, and to a slightly lessor extent the PS3 which carried me through the formative undergraduate years. High school and early undergrad saw me invest copious amounts of time in notable classics like Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 4, Ico, Dead or Alive 2 Hardcore, God of War, Final Fantasy 10, and Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and 4.
Despite this changing relationship with games, I remained ever aware of games industry dealings. From listening to The 1UP show in the era prior to YouTube influencers, reading IGN and kotaku articles, to currently listening to the Kinda Funny Games team and regularly indulging in the tech wizardry of Digital Foundry. I’d stayed abreast with the industry, despite a temporary hiatus in my personal active involvement. The running joke in my family (other black nerds and gamers) was that I’d become a games collector. A title stemming from an ever growing pile of critically acclaimed titles (some new, some franchised) which were either tucked away in my entertainment drawer or sitting atop with the plastic shrink wrap undisturbed. Some key titles being, Kingdom Hearts 3 (they did make me wait nearly 2 console generations so I think it only fair), Devil May Cry 5, Nino Kuni 2, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and the Last of Us Part 2.
In this last decade, personal pursuits led me to a more spectator role in the thing I’d grown up loving. I had chosen to level in other aspects of my person, that is to say I decided to grind interpersonally, culturally, historically and professionally. Still, the love, memories, joy and anxiety formed in my parents living room between family and friends decades prior in my youth had never fully faded. Part of me understood that eventually, something would rekindled that commitment and drive to once again indulge in the games industry and revisit those emotions.
In comes the PlayStation 5 (PS5), a system placed in the unenviable position of following a hugely successful Sony console. The previous time that occurred, PS3 succeeding the PS2, it didn’t start off so smoothly for Sony (Riiiiiidge Racer). Throw in a global pandemic unlike anything seen in the past century, reports of supply shortages, industry wide work from home orders and a vacuum of information from Sony eliciting PS3 era post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in gamers the world over. The actuality of the PS5 launch just over 2 weeks ago on November 12th 2020 seems against all odds. Even more impressive, to do it with unequivocally the strongest console launch lineup of games in PlayStation history (they are in a tight race with the Dreamcast and its masterful arcade ports for best lunch lineup overall in my book, Soul Calibur anyone?) is astounding.
The previous 2 weeks has been the most consistent period wherein my PlayStation has spent more time running games than it has running Netflix, hulu and Amazon Prime apps since the early days of PS3. The PS5 is a joy, sitting perched on my entertainment stand, it resembles a piece of future tech designed to bring us that much closer to the promised augmented reality future of PS9 Sony’s marketing machine promised us during the launch of the PS2. Attached to an LG CX OLED display, the initial boot up animation (a one time affair) primes you for the next generation, something Sony has been keen to remind us they believe in. I’ve quite enjoyed the wholly different feel and look of every PlayStation generation and this user interface (UI) is no exception. While keeping the general utility of the cross media bar initially introduced with the PS3, it is layered with customization all geared towards streamlining the gaming experience. This is highlighted by the complete separation of game and media apps compared to previous generations. More importantly, the ace of this UI lies in its integration with the games themselves. The new activities and cards features are by far my favorite new additions, cards are series of, well, cards which allow you to jump directly to certain stages and or challenges in a game. Provide trophy information, or updates on dealings within the game itself directly from the publisher. This feature has taken games from a linear start to finish experience to something more akin to a card dealer giving you the option to choose your level of participation based on your terms. I cannot wait to see what someone like Hideo Kojima does with such a feature. For something like this to work you need the hardware to boot, what the engineering team have created is impressive to say the least. It is fast and powerful, yet whisper quite. It’s towering size all a measure to disperse the heat resonating from its cutting edge AMD and custom internals.
Speaking of games, the first software I played on the system was Astro’s Playroom. A plat-former, dare I say, which plays just as good as your most memorable Mario. Beyond its tight and enjoyable gameplay, Astro never fails to draw nostalgic smiles from its plethora of references to classic PlayStation titles. Seeing Clouds buster sword, Parapa The Rappa, and Lara Croft scaling cliffs leaves you wanting to explore every crevices of the stages searching for that next classic reference. I haven’t even mentioned its masterful showcase of the new DualSense controller. The DualSense stands above any controller next to or before it. I’ve had two family members visit in the time that I’ve had the system, and for each one, the first game I decide to boot in order to give them their first taste of PS5 has been Astro’s Playroom. From first experiencing the resistance of the triggers, to feeling the different sensation of metal floors and ice under Astro’s robotic feet you realize the goal of the PS5 is to make you feel these experiences rather than simply visualize them.
I invested in Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls as my two launch purchases. Miles Morales is everything you could imagine or want from a minority (Black and Latino) super hero video game. I missed Spider-Man PS4 a couple years ago, though part of me feels that may have been for the best. Having Miles Morales be my first foray into the universe Insomniac has created seems fitting for a minority such as myself. The games representation of black and Latino culture is careful and authentic. It is gorgeous to look at and, outside of the short few seconds it takes to go from UI to game, plays continuously without a discernible loading screen in sight. Swinging through the city is exhilarating and draws you to routinely pause and toy with the robust photo mode.
Demon’s Souls is by far the most visually impressive game I’ve played, ever (calm down PC elitist). From the Nexus to the gates of Boletaria, this remake of a PS3 classic is densely detailed. Offering both a performance and fidelity mode, the main difference noticeable between the modes, without the comparative tools of a Digital Foundry, was in the frame rate going from 60 frames per second (FPS) to 30 FPS respectively. Impressively, BluePointe games was able to accomplish detail and atmosphere without the use of ray tracing for lighting and/or shadows. Highly touted features for this generation of systems, bringing greater parity to high end PC architecture. It makes you wonder what titles will look like in a year or two once developers start to make games exclusively for these nextgen systems using nextgen tools like the recently revealed Unreal Engine 5 (initially shown running on PS5). If launch day can deliver Demon’s Souls, the next 5-6 years will be a visual treat for gamers.
Ultimately, if you are lucky enough to grab hold of one of these elusive consoles, you’ll be treated to an experience which culminates in the stimulation of every emotion, cell and sense in your body. Five generations in, Sony has come out of the gates flexing some serious muscle with the PS5. Jim Ryan had an interesting statement about the PS5 and gamers in a recent interview, wherein he described the 30 or slightly older gamer who may have been taken away from games amidst other pursuits. Individuals who now found themselves enthralled by the entertainment love of their youth through newfound drive, interest, time, and financially stability. All while more mature and with possibly a family of their own. To us, the PS5 is a love song.
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