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First PS5 hands-on reviews emerge from Japan, and more tech news today

A lucky few in Japan had hands-on time with the PS5, and felt the exhaust airflow. Hot or not? Plus more tech news today!
By
October 5, 2020

Your tech news digest, by way of the DGiT Daily tech newsletter, for Monday, 5 October 2020.

1. Out of Japan: First PS5 hands-on reviews

PS5

Japanese reviewers are the first in the world to get their hands on Sony’s new PlayStation 5. A bunch of outlets showed off photos and video of the console in the flesh, and had the chance to play a few games, with some early vision of load times and gaming.

  • It’s a beast. The PS5 is the biggest console ever and early photos (still with plastic film on!) from 4Gamer, uploaded in very high-resolutions. Do check out what you see, even if most people will need Google Translate!
  • The images just lack the classic banana-for-scale type arrangement to really figure out sizing and dimensions, but hopefully no one should be surprised that it’s a big unit by the time first boxes are being delivered.

As noted by The Verge, there are a few hints at bits of metal hiding in the fins and vents, with this metal bit here supposedly a latch:

PS5 weird latch
  • The latch (or is it just a bolt/screw?) may be semi-accessible to open up the hardware box to add expandable storage with an SSD.
  • Sony promised this would be possible, but it hasn’t yet been explained exactly how it’ll work, including which type of connection is needed to connect your SSD of choice.
  • (4Gamer also explained that they hadn’t removed dust due to rushing through the photography and post-production process, but the non-matte finish may well collect dust anyway.)

Gaming:

  • Putting the console through its paces in a gaming session, 4Gamer said the console warmed up but remained cool: “As mentioned above, the exhaust was gentle, and I could hardly hear what seemed to be the rotating noise of the fan,” via translation.
  • A silent next-gen console? Hmm!
  • There were comments about the nice touch and feel of the new DualSense controllers, especially the joysticks, and some great up-close photography of them, too:
PS5 DualSense controller

Other insights:

  • Dengeki Online had a video of gameplay, and a helpful view of the PS5 running near to a TV, showing a rough sizing. (The TV looks something like 50-inch? It’s hard to judge).
  • Hanae Natsuki showed games ASTRO’s Playground and Godfall, the former we’ve seen before a few times.
  • One interesting nugget is that we see here and we’ve seen reports (AV watch) that the standard confirm/accept/continue button default has switched to X instead of O in Japan.
  • For Japanese gamers, that’s going to take some muscle memory adjusting to switch to the new control defaults. (You can experience the same shifting from PS4 to Switch!)

It’s only a month or so away: PS5 release date is November 12, 2020.


2. Google Pixel 5 vs older Google phones: Should you upgrade? (Android Authority). Also, why did Google choose the Snapdragon 765G for the Pixel 5? (Android Authority).


3. Galaxy Z Fold 2 durability test reveals major fixes and enduring flaws (Android Authority).


4. Mi Smart Speaker review: The best affordable smart speaker, but limited global availability for now even though it’s about $48 (Android Authority).


5. We asked, you told us: 72% prefer 60Hz OLED displays over a higher refresh rate LCD (Android Authority).


6. Apple’s new emoji wants you to know that you don’t have to be miserable when wearing a face mask (Gizmodo).


7. ZEISS’ full-frame Android camera is available to preorder for $6,000 (The Verge).


8. Tesla camera hack shows how your EV might monitor driving habits (Engadget).


9. Taiwan’s giant chip maker TSMC is feeling the heat in the US-China tech feud as it tries to stay a neutral friend to both (New York Times).


10. After two scrubs, Elon Musk says he will visit SpaceX launch sites in Florida: “Expect Musk to remind his launch team of his expectations” (Ars Technica).


11. Here’s a virtual tour of Machu Picchu (Google).


12. IKEA catalogues of the past. Huh, 1974 looks suspiciously 2019 aesthetic, but I am not the person to judge these things? (ikeamuseum.com)


The DGiT Daily delivers a daily email that keeps you ahead of the curve for all tech news, opinions, and links to what’s going down in the planet’s most important field. You get all the context and insight you need, and all with a touch of fun. Plus! Rotating daily fun for each day of the week, like Wednesday Weirdness. Join in!