This article will be a sore find for some readers. Today, many still dream of turning on a PlayStation 5 and getting down to some gaming. The consoles are still really tough to find, but if you do manage to get your hands on one, here’s everything you need to know about getting started.
Set Your PlayStation 5 Up
This guide isn’t really a setup guide. It’s more what apps, services and games you should download to make yourself feel right at home. But, of course, you will need to setup your new console.
Sony provides a great guide online, but to be honest, the PlayStation 5 actually has a very intuitive setup wizard when you boot for the first time. Accessibility options are on by default too, which I thought was a nice touch.
Double Check Your HDMI Cable
As part of your setup, be sure to check which HDMI cable you’re using. Standard HDMI will work, but Sony ships the PS5 with a HDMI 2.1 cable. It’s really short, but it does ensure the best possible quality.
Keep Your Controller Wired In
While you’re setting up, try to keep your controller plugged in. It’s not fully charged out of the box so you may as well get that battery up to full juice as soon as possible.
Check Out Your Trials
To get the ball rolling, you can start out with some Sony trials. The last PlayStation I had was the PlayStation 2, believe it or not. I’ve only known Xbox Live for the past few years. I had to get my head around what these Sony services were all about.
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus is pretty much the must-have subscription for your PS5 if you want to play online-multiplayer games. It also gives you access to a host of other goodies. PlayStation Plus can be bought for a year, 3 months, 6 months or just paid monthly. However, the longer you pay up for, the better value you’re getting.
- Pay monthly: €9 per month | €108 per year
- Pay tri-monthly: €25 every three months | €100 per year
- Pay Annually: €60 per year | works out at €5 per month
PlayStation Plus does offer some more bang for your buck than just access to online gaming. This subscription also gives you access to popular PlayStation 4 games and even some new PlayStation 5 games too.
PlayStation Now
PlayStation Now is the slightly less important membership, or at least in my eyes it is. That said, I’ve paid for that too. While PlayStation Plus gets you online and offers some great games, PlayStation Now offers an incredible volume of games. This membership gives you access to over 700 games dating back to the PS2 era. You can even play on Windows PC if you like.
There are new games added every month and it’s often fun to dip in and grab a game for the craic. I’ve been playing The Last Of Us Remastered which is a PlayStation 3 game originally. Some of these games have stood the test of time remarkably well.
This is good news too. Between the two memberships, you’ll have access to some classic games. It’s just as well because there’s a very limited selection of next-generation games on the market, to be honest. I’ve been playing FIFA 21 (and enjoying it more than the last-gen console version) and the incredible Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but you could count the number of next-gen games ready to rock on two hands.
Play Astro’s Playroom
While next-gen games are hard to come by, there is one that stands out as being surprisingly good. Astro’s Playroom is a clever inclusion from Sony and it comes pre-installed on your console. You may be tempted to delete it, and you can, but it’s a lot more than just ads or bloatware.
Much like why Microsoft used to ship Windows with games to teach you how to use new features, Astro’s Playroom introduces you to the inner workings of your PlayStation 5 and the Dualsense controller. It does all of this with what is frankly a brilliant, top-rated, stand-alone game!
Turn On Remote Play
I’ve already gotten great use out of this though I will flag it depends on a decent internet connection. If herself wants to watch the telly but you really want to play your PlayStation 5, Remote Play is here to save the day.
I’ve installed Remote Play on my iPad and my laptop. Basically, it means I can cast games from my console to my other devices and play without the main TV that the console is connected to. You will need either your PS4 Dualshock or PS5 Dualsense controller hooked up to your device unless you want horrible on-screen controls.
Here’s how to set Remote Play up on whatever device you’re using. You can also download the PlayStation app for chats and notifications on the go. It’s only ok, so I’m not giving it its own section.
Sign Into Your Social Profiles
I love saving the odd top bin goal from FIFA 21 and sharing it over WhatsApp with friends. Surprisingly, it’s bloody hard to get videos of your gameplay off the PlayStation 5. For example, you can’t just download from your PlayStation app (as far as I know). Signing into your Twitter account and your YouTube account are the only ways you’ll be able to get your videos off and shared.
Here’s one of my favourite goals since I got my PS5.
Other than that, it’s just time to go and explore. Some of the older games will keep you entertained. Stranded Deep has taken a shocking amount of my life already.
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