PS5 - My Experience Buying One, Games I'm Playing, and Those I'm Looking Forward To

Hi everyone thanks for visiting the site, reading the post, or watching the video. Today I wanted to talk about the PS5 I finally got after about a month of active searching, my tips on how to get one, impressions and games I’m currently playing, as well as future games from this year’s E3 that I’m looking forward to.

So before we get into the games let's talk about the console. It's been almost 7 months since the console’s original release date, and it's still hard to get your hands on one. I would guess it’s just as hard to pick one up now, compared to when it first released. You’d think it’d be easier now, but the reason for this is that more games like Rachet and Clank, exclusive to the PS5 are starting to come out increasing the demand. Also similar to most products, you have an enthusiastic group of first adopters, but a majority of people would wait for reviews, good word of mouth, or until bugs/kinks are worked out before they jump on board. Sony made it seem like anyone who wanted a PS5 will be able to get one at launch or shortly afterward. Obviously, the PR/advertising department was a little too optimistic, but the global pandemic leading up to the release probably had a larger impact than expected. Sony and Retailers could still do a better job preventing resellers and people still flipping both versions of the console for twice or more than the retail value. While things should be picking up, Sony is starting to be more realistic by saying that the console will be hard to find going into next year. Now is probably the best time to buy if you don’t want to wait another 6 months. The demand for the console will pick up again before the winter holiday season, and I’m sure the PS5 will be on everyone’s wish list even more so than last year.

So if your in the camp of people who’s been waiting since release to get your PS5 what’s the best way to get one? I don’t have any secrets, but can give you some suggestions that worked for me, and just know that while it can increase your chances, a lot is still based on luck. Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way. The first is to join Twitter and follow a PS5 restock person, whether it’s Matt Swider, Jake Randall, or any of the others. Most times those Twitter pages will tweet out a day or two before a retailer is likely to have a restock. I don’t think you need to watch all the Youtube videos on tips and tricks and especially wasting your time waiting all day for an unconfirmed drop, but I would recommend looking out for the drops from retailers that give a specific time. But if you miss one, you may need to wait a couple of weeks for the next confirmed drop until they replenish their stock. Obviously, if you know a retailer like Target, Bestbuy, or Sony Direct is dropping, make sure you’ve created an account, already logged in, and saved your credit card and shipping info. You will still probably need your card around for the CVV number on the back, so it's helpful to memorize that.

The easy part is getting the PS5 into your cart, but checking out is where you’ll have to be quick and persistent. While you can have live streams that have alarms when things go in stock, by then you’ll probably be too late by a few seconds, which can make all the difference. So get everything set up 5-10minutes before the announced drop time, and as the time gets a minute or two out, start refreshing your page to look for the add to cart button to pop up or become clickable. While some videos suggest also trying a mobile device, I found that it wastes time if you're trying multiple devices, so unless you have a friend helping you out, just stick to one. One suggestion that did really help from Jake Randall’s video is that you shouldn’t give up after you see the sold-out button, retailers like Bestbuy and Walmart drop consoles in waves, about 10minutes apart, so expect to keep trying for about 30minutes past the original release time since you are actually more likely to get it later since many people will quit and assume it's out of stock after the first minute. If your watching twitter or a Livestream, ignore the people in chat or replies. Most will say it's out of stock or tell you to refresh your page to try to get you out of the queue to improve their own chances.

I was able to get my PS5 order through Walmart after failing to secure one through Target and BestBuy weeks earlier. I generally think I have bad luck, so when I say it finally got my order through I was anticipating my order to be canceled because it's not uncommon for retailers to oversell the stock they have. But that day I was really lucky as instead of getting an email saying my order was canceled, I got an email two days later from Walmart saying that they did oversell their digital consoles, but they would be sending the more expensive disk version instead. Wow, for a company like Walmart that gets a bad rap, I was definitely skeptical at first, but super excited when I saw it ship earlier than expected, and arrive with the upgraded version as they promised. Not only that, it arrived earlier than expected, about a week after it was ordered, and the box it came in was in pristine condition. I guess I was expecting something more beat up for the discount I had. Kudos Walmart, next time I’m nearby one of your stores I’ll buy something.

Thinking about the two versions of the PS5 console, I know people like myself would prefer the digital version because it's cheaper, but I would definitely recommend the disk version, even if you have a PS4, because not only is it going to be harder to get since its cheaper, therefore waiting longer to get it, it also really convenient not having to swap consoles when wanting to play a PS4 game you have a disk for. You’ll end up saving money in the long run, with used games, games on sale, and things that require the disk drive. For example, if you wanted to upgrade your older FF7R copy you already have on the PS4 to the PS5, you’ll need the PS5 console with a disc drive. And if you need to purchase the game again, that’s already $70 you would need to spend. If money is not a major concern the disk version will reduce your carbon footprint, and I believe it will be more convenient or an incentive to get everything digitally in the future, but we're not quite at that point yet for this console generation.

I’ve been playing a variety of games since my PS5 arrived. Generally, I like to play one game at a time, but I went a bit overboard a started a bunch just to get a taste of what the console has to offer. What everyone is saying about the console is pretty accurate. It is big and will take up a lot of space, and the hard drive size is disappointingly small. But on the upside, I’m really enjoying the faster load times, and particularly the Dualsense controller, with the rumble features and adaptive triggers. I got the pulse 3D headphones after seeing so many games advertising the 3D audio along with the Dualsense’s features, but I don’t see it as a leap forward in technology like the controller is, and can’t tell much of difference from the speakers in my decade-old TV or cheap previous headphones I was using. The audio on all the games sounds amazing so far, so you probably don’t need to invest too much in new audio equipment to experience it. The headphones are comfortable, and it being wireless is nice, but I still get a bit of a headache after playing for more than an hour at a time.

As for games, I’ve already begun playing Astro’s Playroom, FF7R Intermission, Returnal, and the new Ratchet and Clank. Astro’s Playroom while better with VR, does show off a lot of the features of the PS5, and the characters and collectibles related to the previous PS consoles and games are charming. Playing FF7R, I love Yuffie and she’s already my favorite character other than Red 13, and can’t wait for Cid or Vincent in future episodes or part 2. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, looks and feels amazing, I'm enjoying the new character of Rivet, and it's reminding me of Uncharted 4 with amazing action set pieces with so much going on, making it feel like an epic AAA movie you’re playing. But my favorite game so far, that I’ve spent the most time with is Returnal. I love difficult games, and I always play games on the higher difficulties when given a chance, so I’m glad that this game is as difficult as I expected it to be. But I didn’t expect to be so immersed in the world and story that is unfolding. It feels like a cross between the Aliens/Prometheon movies, incorporating standard mechanics of roguelike games similar to Enter the Gungeon, with fast action combat and projectiles that remind me of Nier Automata. I’m addicted to the game, with runs lasting more than an hour at a time, and immediately wanting to start the next one when I die. I hope to have reviews or some other content for these games on my channel in the near future.

Lastly, in this video, I wanted to talk about future games from E3 that I’m excited to play this console generation. First is the sequel to one of my favorite games on the PS4, which is the new God of War. While no specific release date is given yet, the first game did such an amazing job pushing the limits of the PS4 that I can’t wait to see what the developers can do on the PS5. My next highly anticipated game is Elden Ring, which finally got a new trailer with gameplay and a release date of Jan 21 of next year. The two FromSoftware games I’ve completed, Sekiro and Bloodborne, have me really looking forward to this game. Lastly is one that is exclusive to Xbox, but hopefully playable on PC or made available on PS later, and I’m talking about The Outer Worlds 2. I’m currently playing the first one and loving the characters, style, exploration, and humor so far. Since there is no news of the next Fallout or Elder’s Scrolls game, this is one I am definitely looking forward to.

If you made it to the end, thanks for sticking around. I haven’t made many posts/updates lately, there's a variety of reasons, but one is I’m thinking about what types of content work better for the website and YouTube channel. I like doing reviews, but since I play well-received games and a while after they are released, I don’t find I’m adding new or helpful information. Maybe I’ll cover more indie, RPG-focused, or guide videos instead to find a niche for the channel. Let me know in the comments what you’d like to see, and if you haven’t already, leave a like, sub, or watch my other videos.

Have a great day, and hope to talk to you again soon.