PS5 Reviews Reveal Several Oversights, such as Lack of Quick Resume and External Storage Restrictions

[Tsing]

Image: Sony



The first PlayStation 5 reviews have hit the web today, giving Sony fans an in-depth look at how the next-gen console works and what it’s capable of. But while early critical reception seems to be positive, there are definitely some quirks with its hardware and software.



One relates to the competition’s Quick Resume feature, which, as Microsoft explains, allows Xbox Series X|S users to “continue multiple games from a suspended state almost instantly, returning you to where you were and what you were doing, without waiting through long loading screens.”...

Continue reading...

 

[SeymourGore]

Not sure why I was expecting the 'Quick Resume' feature on PS5 (looking back, I don't remember seeing it previewed), but I sorta was. The one that really surprised me was the inability to store PS5 games to an external drive. I knew you wouldn't be able to install and play on anything but that speedy internal drive, but figured it would be a given you could store them to an external then copy them over when needed (like XSX|S).

I'm telling ya, MS has the more impressive hardware this generation (and value if you equate Game Pass). If MS studios (and acquisitions) can start churning out quality exclusives I can see them giving Sony a run for their money.

 

[MadMummy76]

MS does not understand what makes a good exclusive. Otherwise they wouldn't have bought bethesda

 

[Brian_B]

If they launch in like 10 seconds, not sure I care all that much about quick resume. I mean, maybe if I had ADHD and just ~had~ to swap between games left and right and not need to go through the title screen and load menu... but I don't.

Don't even know how Quick Resume would work with online games anyway...

 

[Denpepe]

Don't even know how Quick Resume would work with online games anyway...

it's not made for that, but you can leave your current game to go play online with friends in a different game and just resume the other game where you left off once you are done without having to restart the game or checckpoint.

 

[Brian_B]

it's not made for that, but you can leave your current game to go play online with friends in a different game and just resume the other game where you left off once you are done without having to restart the game or checckpoint.

I admit that is a good use case

 

[MadMummy76]

I don't get what is the point of external storage on a console if you can't store games on it? What else are you going to have on a console?

 

[Uvilla]

I thought I was in for the PS5, but im looking at xbox much more though.

 

[Brian_B]

I thought I was in for the PS5, but im looking at xbox much more though.

I will admit the same. I'm pretty invested in the Playstation ecosystem, but apart from the controller it doesn't sound like PS5 is a huge leap from PS4. I don't hate the way it looks, but I'm not in love with it either, and it's so big I think I will have issues getting it in my entertainment center.

That being said, I'm mostly just looking at next gen to have a 4K BluRay drive, at least until some exclusive snags my eye and moves me to one (I'm not above buying a console for a single good exclusive). I guess I could have got a XB1X a lot sooner and had the player, but the fact that I had zero games for it kept me away. Game Pass is changing that somewhat though.

Right now, apart from just not really having any Xbox software to carry forward, the biggest issue I have with the XB1SXasdl;kjas; (obviously the ridiculous and confusion naming convention is my top issue) is the lack of any type of clock throttling - the thing runs at fixed max clocks, and that does concern me somewhat. I'm also minorly concerned with the proprietary SSD expansion slot.. although Sony uses standard m.2, apparently now it appears the device you plug in has to be whitelisted by them to work, so I guess that really is a moot point, if Sony continues with the whitelist approach and doesn't open it up.

 

[Burticus]

I don't get what is the point of external storage on a console if you can't store games on it? What else are you going to have on a console?

A little clarification.... The PS5 will support extended NVME storage (and has a slot for it) but Sony hasn't released the approved part list yet. Since the thing hasn't launched yet.... no worries. The external USB storage is limited to PS4 games at this time. I suspect moving forward they will open up the options to temporarily move/store PS5 native games to external storage to free up space on the less than huge onboard NVME SSD.

We'll see what happens after launch happens and things settle down and system updates start flowing.

And re: quick resume... I am not one to jump back and forth between games so rapidly that I would care. But if MS can do it on similar hardware specs, no reason Sony can't figure it out eventually.

 

[Brian_B]

I don't get what is the point of external storage on a console if you can't store games on it? What else are you going to have on a console?

Supposedly:

There is a m.2 add-in slot. That would support storing ~and~ playing all games from. But no drives have been whitelisted to use in that slot as of yet.

There is also USB 3. The shocker right now is that you can't move PS5 games there - you are supposed to be able to at least store them there, but not be able to run them there. I can't believe that's an intentional oversite, I think that's more an issue they haven't gotten resolved yet, but should be fixed with a system update soon. PS4 backward compatibility games can be stored and played from USB, and that has been tested out.

The big distinction is between PS4 and PS5 games. PS5 games are written assuming the SSD, and Sony won't let you run them without being on an SSD. They are supposed to at least let you shuffle them off the SSD to storage, that just isn't available yet. I think XB is set up similarly, it's just that theirs actually works like that on Day 0.

Supposedly, if you have an external drive from a PS4, it's plug and play over to PS5 for all the PS4 games saved on there.

PS5 SSD / HDD support and additional PS5 storage explained

Want more PS5 storage? It's a little bit tricky at launch

www.gamesradar.com

 

[Burticus]

There is also USB 3. The shocker right now is that you can't move PS5 games there - you are supposed to be able to at least store them there, but not be able to run them there. I can't believe that's an intentional oversite, I think that's more an issue they haven't gotten resolved yet, but should be fixed with a system update soon. PS4 backward compatibility games can be stored and played from USB, and that has been tested out.

Yeah like I thought, this is already being looked into. I suspect it won't take long for them to push a software update to be able to migrate PS5 games to USB like a "cold storage" and move them back later... has to be faster than re-downloading huge games. Everyone who uses PSN store knows how slow it is.

PS5: The Ultimate FAQ

Everything you want to know about PlayStation 5, all in one place.

blog.playstation.com

"Explorations for allowing players to store (but not play) PS5 games on a USB drive in a future update are underway. "

Right now on my PS4 I have a 2TB internal hdd, and an external 2TB USB drive. I'm pretty sure I can get the majority of what I want to play on a 2TB drive (getting rid of COD and Destiny 2 probably frees up 400gb right there). I am toying with the idea of buying a "cheap" 2TB SSD and putting it in a USB enclosure and using that instead of the slow azz 2tb usb backup drive. I need to look into cheap enclosures. Sony hasn't said one way or the other than a USB connected SSD would NOT work for PS4 games... just that PS5 games won't (yet).

I mean a half decent SSD hooked up via USB3 (10gbs) should be a lot faster than slow boat backup storage.

Looking at something like this maybe to slap a m.2 SSD in, $18

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085Q5ZDW1/?tag=thefpsreview-20

Or if I go with cheaper 2.5" SSD, this enclosure is $8

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY97QE8/?tag=thefpsreview-20

Or take the cheap route and use what I have and hope it becomes magically faster on a USB 3 based system. I assume USB 3 is at least a little faster than USB 2. I know in my heart I am a cheap bastard, this is probably the way I will go

 

[Brian_B]

Or take the cheap route and use what I have and hope it becomes magically faster on a USB 3 based system. I assume USB 3 is at least a little faster than USB 2. I know in my heart I am a cheap bastard, this is probably the way I will go

I don't know how it goes on PS5, but on a PS4, it required a USB3 drive to work as external storage - a USB 2 or lower drive would show up, but the OS wouldn't let you use it as extended storage.

That may be what you mean, but me also being a cheap bastard, I had a ton of USB1 and USB2 stuff laying around when I first got the PS4, and I had to go out and buy a USB3 portable to make it work. It's actually still the only USB3 external enclosure I own (that hasn't been shucked)

Although now that i think of it, I do have a few of those old shucked HDD controllers laying about, I could probably mod one of those and get an external drive working on it...

 

[LazyGamer]

Not sure why people are expecting to play off of USB devices. USB 3 will top out at around 1.2GB/s, while PCIE 4.0 x4 drives can do 7GB/s, and that's what PS5 games are expecting. USB 3 also adds latency over NVMe.

I assume USB 3 is at least a little faster than USB 2.

Around ten times faster by spec, but a lot of USB 2 devices are really cheap themselves. USB 2 is slower than many peoples' internet connections, it's that old!


Note that even TB3 / USB 4 are going to be slower than what PS5 games expect at their very max. You're not going to get away with running games on anything other than a next-gen NVMe SSD. That's just the bargain Sony made this generation.

 

[Denpepe]

Not sure why people are expecting to play off of USB devices. USB 3 will top out at around 1.2GB/s, while PCIE 4.0 x4 drives can do 7GB/s, and that's what PS5 games are expecting. USB 3 also adds latency over NVMe.

They are not expecting to play them from USB but to back up their PS5 games so they don't have to redownload them. For PS4 games it's also plenty fast

 

[MadMummy76]

Not sure why people are expecting to play off of USB devices. USB 3 will top out at around 1.2GB/s, while PCIE 4.0 x4 drives can do 7GB/s, and that's what PS5 games are expecting. USB 3 also adds latency over NVMe.


Around ten times faster by spec, but a lot of USB 2 devices are really cheap themselves. USB 2 is slower than many peoples' internet connections, it's that old!


Note that even TB3 / USB 4 are going to be slower than what PS5 games expect at their very max. You're not going to get away with running games on anything other than a next-gen NVMe SSD. That's just the bargain Sony made this generation.

I still believe this is an artificial limitation that sony just made up to lock you in to proprietary drive upgrades plus to make it sound like very next gen. I bet 99% of games would run just fine from any drive. But you are not allowed to because sony says so.

 

[Brian_B]

I still believe this is an artificial limitation that sony just made up to lock you in to proprietary drive upgrades plus to make it sound like very next gen. I bet 99% of games would run just fine from any drive. But you are not allowed to because sony says so.

I would expect the worst to happen would be texture pop or hitching while assets load - I mean, we see no shortage of it on PCs. But PCs don't have a QC validation process to go through either.

I can understand why Sony made it a requirement to run, and I can certainly see why developers would want to take advantage of it. But yeah, your right, there is no real technical reason to prohibit running from anything other than the SSD - it's just a decision to help ensure consistency for the developers.

 

[LazyGamer]

plus to make it sound like very next gen

We're all like, "Raytracing on consoles!"
And Sony's all like, "Look, a slightly faster SSD!"

I get it.

 

[Burticus]

Wait and see if maybe some firmware hacks come into play to allow different nvme drives to work. I recall doing this on my 360, flashing firmware of a $40 HDD to impersonate a $150 one.