This review has spent 3,000 words talking about the PlayStation 5, which is the most I’ve written about anything. It’s as good a video game console as there has ever been. The combination of ultra high-definition video, increased framerates, high-end graphics techniques like ray tracing, and the lightning-fast SSD make it feel like a real-deal, next-gen successor to the PlayStation 4. And if you’re not ready to give up on the previous console, the PlayStation 5 reliably runs a vast majority of the PlayStation 4 library, with many of those games receiving upgrades to fidelity, framerate, and loading times.
But I’d be remiss to ignore all the reasons not to be excited for the PlayStation 5.
The world is still reeling under the weight of the covid-19 pandemic. There are more Americans out of work right now than at any point in the country’s history, with no relief in sight. Our health care system is an inherently evil institution that forces people to ration life-saving medications like insulin and choose suicide over suffering with untreated mental illness.
As I’m writing this, it looks very likely that Joe Biden will be our next president. But it’s clear that the worst people aren’t going away just because a new old white man is sitting behind the Resolute desk—well, at least not this old white man. Our government is fundamentally broken in a way that necessitates radical change rather than incremental electorialism.
The harsh truth is that, for the reasons listed above and more, a lot of people simply won’t be able to buy a PlayStation 5, regardless of supply. Or if they can, concerns over increasing austerity in the United States and the growing threat of widespread political violence supersede any enthusiasm about the console’s SSD or how ray tracing makes reflections more realistic. That’s not to say you can’t be excited for those things—I certainly am, on some level—but there’s an irrefutable level of privilege attached to the ability to simply tune out the world as it burns around you.
-Ian Walker
No, honestly half my hatred for consoles comes from the fact that this isn't true - the opposite if anything. A PS5 will not play any xbox or nintendo games, even if you own them, it will not play most indie games, it will not play any game at all that you haven't payed for, and it won't even play games you legitimately bought for one of their platforms if you happen to have bought it for a too-old version/too many years ago.
If i have to buy three consoles to be able to play all the games i want out of this generation, i'm not buying any at all - and thats not even factoring in the lack of emulation or piracy. You use a console and suddenly so much content becomes completely and totally inaccessible.
Personally I mostly just play old console games on emulator. There are enough fantastic games out there that it's not like I'm ever going to run out, I figure I might as well pay $0 to go back and play Super Metroid or Banjo Kazooie rather than shell out the big bucks for something about as good just because it came out this year.
And that's not even factoring in fan content.
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