REVIEWS / GAMING CONSOLES / OWNER INSIGHTS
🦉 WE READ 248 OWNER COMMENTS
Gets PS5: what owners actually say
Owners appreciate the performance jump but question whether the PS5's exclusive library and value proposition justify the upgrade from PS4.
What owners complain about
- Price trend reversal SOME
Multiple users note that consoles are going up in price instead of down, which is unusual for a console lifecycle and frustrates potential buyers.
- Lack of must-have exclusives FEW
At least one owner states there hasn't been a single PS5 exclusive that made them feel they needed a new console; PS4 cross-gen support continued longer than expected.
- Supply issues staggered adoption SOME
Users report you couldn't find a PS5 on shelves until 2021-early 2022 due to supply constraints and COVID, which hurt the install base and kept developers supporting PS4 longer.
- PS4 backward compatibility gaps FEW
Some PS4 games are marked 'Only Playable on PS4' and appear in the PS5 library but cannot be launched; the P.T. demo is called out as the most infamous example.
- Physical used games missing DLC FEW
Used physical copies (e.g., FF7R Intergrade) do not include the INTERmission DLC, which was a digital redemption code tied to the original buyer.
What owners love
- Noticeable performance gains
Owners cite increased CPU and GPU power delivering higher frame rates even on backwards-compatible PS4 games.
- Physical media resell value
Users appreciate the ability to buy physical games and resell them, a benefit specifically recommended as a reason to get a PS5.
- SSD speed improvement
Commenters acknowledge the increased hard drive speed of the PS5 as a meaningful upgrade, though one notes you miss it when playing PS4 games from an external drive.
Surprising patterns
- COVID and supply chain issues so severely staggered the PS5 install base that publishers kept supporting PS4 far longer than usual, which in turn reduced the incentive for PS4 owners to upgrade.
- Some PS4 games show up in your PS5 library but are deliberately blocked from running — it's not a universal backward compatibility solution.
WHO SHOULD SKIP IT
PS4 owners who are satisfied with their current library and don't see a must-have PS5 exclusive, as multiple commenters feel the generational leap isn't compelling enough yet.
Synthesised from 248 real owner comments across 5 platforms. Every point is grounded in the comments — no marketing, no AI guessing. How we do it →