While some lucky gamers have already picked up Sony’s next-generation console, our region must wait another agonising week. In the interim, the Nexus Hub staff got access to an early review unit PlayStation 5 and, sticking with tradition, this presented the opportunity to unbox the console, photograph and film it from a myriad of angles, and stack it alongside its predecessors. In this feature – with a video to follow soon – we’ll provide some impressions of Sony’s new hardware.

Note: Given there’s no difference in the specifications between the PlayStation 5 Blu-ray and PlayStation 5 Digital, we’re just looking at the model with the disc drive for this feature.

The packaging and retail box

We’ve known for a while now that the PlayStation 5 was going to be huge and both the size and weight of the packaging is equally impressive. The PlayStation 5 retail box is simple but effectively packed, with white now seemingly the dominant brand colour, however, the opening flap is still the iconic PlayStation blue. The retail box itself is clearly designed to highlight the appearance of the new console, rather than plaster text everywhere. It highlights support for 8K output-resolution (a feature that’ll mostly apply to streaming media), HDR (for both games and media), and 4K/120 Hz output that’ll be the maximum targets for games.


You already know what you’re in for once you get your hands on the packaging. We’ve stacked it up alongside the prior 3 generations for comparison.

What’s in the box?

Opening the top flap, you’ll first remove a separate box housing the new DualSense gamepad, base plate, and cabling. Below that, padded by two cardboard sleeves, is the PlayStation 5 itself, wrapped in a thick layer of anti-static wrap. Extracting the console requires some effort and you’ll want to lay the retail box on its side and slide it out. Despite weighing much the same as their competitors premium console – around 4.5 kg and 3.9 kg for the “Digital” version – it’s an ungainly beast given the size (39 cm x 10.4 cm x 26 cm), and pulling it straight up and out is risking disaster if it slips your grip.


Despite being just shy of 40 cm tall, the console looks great in the vertical orientation and feels sturdy once the base plate is attached.

The console

The PlayStation 5 immediately scores bonus points with its futuristic and distinctly console-like design. Sony has always created great looking consoles – if we exclude a few tacky-looking “slim” versions – and the PlayStation 5 will stand out among your other devices (and not just because it’ll literally be taller than all of them bar the TV). As with their prior generations of consoles, the PlayStation 5 feels unique, not drawing on any prior console design elements.

Stood upright and looking front-on, the distinctive V-shaped cover plates on the PlayStation 5 exist for more than aesthetics reasons. To either side of the shiny black inner casing, you’ll find several large vents for air intake, which run up and over the top of the unit. A massive 120 mm fan draws in air, pushes it over the internals and massive heat sinks, and vents it through the back of the unit. In terms of IO ports, the design is kept simple. On the front, you’ll find a power button and disc eject button, one USB 3.1 type-A port, and a USB 3.1 type-C port – used for the DualSense charging cable and packing 10x the bandwidth, maybe for future accessories like PSVR v2.0? On the back, between the exhaust vents, you’ll find the figure-8 power port, the 2.1 HDMI-out port, two additional 3.1 USB type-A ports, and an ethernet port.


The shiny black central casing does a good job of concealing the ports and looks great when the console boots up, highlighting the edges with a blue glow. Unfortunately, it's a fingerprint magnet.

On the base of the console, assuming you’re going to mount it vertically, there’s a small plastic cap that can be removed, exposing the anchor point you screw the base onto. This is, for aesthetic and space-saving reasons, probably the orientations you want. You simply twist the clip on the base to expose a small screw inside, pop it out, orient the base plate, and screw it tight. If you’ve got space for the horizontal configuration, you can leave the screw in its housing, find a textured area on the inside of the cover plate, clip the base plate over the edges, and lay the console down so it rests snugly on the sloped surface provided. It’s a slick but not entirely stable design, so mounting the PlayStation 5 in the vertical position appears to be the safest option.

For those interested in the cheaper PlayStation 5 Digital, it’s worth noting the lack of a Blu-ray drive means you’ll be committing to digital purchases going forward and, if you’re looking to take advantage of the backward-compatibility feature, you’ll need an existing digital PlayStation 4 library. Sadly, Sony continues to pretend anything pre-dating the PlayStation 4 generation doesn’t exist, so we’ll have to wait and see if we get emulators for earlier games in future updates. The optical audio port has also been removed, a potential issue for those using a sound system connected by a TOSLINK cable.


The unique design ensured the PlayStation 5 got plenty of attention from everyone with a camera on hand.

The gamepad

Sony’s last-generation DualShock 4 was already a massive leap over the rubbish DualShock 1 through 3 (feel free to argue in the comments) but the DualSense goes a step further. The basic analog and button/trigger configuration remains the same, but the gamepad has more heft, sits more comfortably in your grip, has several textured surfaces, and just feels sturdier than any prior Sony gamepad. The black and white design complements the console, and you’ve still got the dedicated share button, touchpad, gamepad speaker, and 3.5 mm audio jack. Thankfully, the obnoxious light bar on the DualShock 4 has been moved to the edges of the touchpad (and should no longer reflect off the TV in a dark room). All that said, it’s the internal features that are the true highlight.

First up, haptic feedback allows for games to further immerse you by simulating on-screen action with far higher spatial precision than the crude vibration feature in past designs. Now you can feel the vibration in specific parts of the gamepad, correlating with directional feedback in the game. Secondly, adaptive triggers can now vary resistance based on what's happening in-game. This could allow for different sensation when drawing a bow or pulling the trigger of a firearm, or emulate the force needed to fully depress the break pedal in a racing game. The only real negative I can think of is that the DualSense, given its updated shape and weight, may no longer be as comfortable for those with smaller hands.


As far as gameplay goes, the new DualSense gamepad may be more impactful than higher resolutions and framerates.

Final thoughts

Sony has stuck to its guns and provided yet another next-generation console, not only significantly more powerful than the last but also one that provides unique aesthetics and novel hardware features. The PlayStation 5 looks premium and feels well-constructed in hand; it’s simple to set up, transfer your profile, and game data; the DualSense sits better than ever in your hands and has tangible gameplay benefits; and you’ve immediately got access to both next-gen exclusives and your existing PlayStation 4 library (of which several games ware receiving enhancements, and you can use your older accessories when playing them).

Finally, I'd like to give a shout-out to the camera and editing team who generated a ton of great footage to use.