GameLog Page

Please sign in or sign up!

...blogs for gamers

Find a GameLog

... by game	... by platform

[ advanced search ]

HOME	GAMES	LOGS	MEMBERS			ABOUT	HELP

dkirschner's Astro's Playroom (PS5)

[January 25, 2025 05:50:50 PM]

I didn't realize this was even a game, but apparently it is and it comes free with the PS5! I thought it was like Dreams, which was the free software with the PS4, and which was basically a content creator application for minigames. Astro's Playroom is a little Mario-esque platforming game / experience / tech demo / celebration of PlayStation. It was cute, short, enjoyable, and OH MY GOD THE PS5 CONTROLLER IS INCREDIBLE.

Seriously, what's up with the PS5 controller? What magic conjured it? This thing is so freaking cool. The new Xbox controller has haptic feedback, but nothing like the DualSense, and it doesn't have the adaptive triggers. I first noticed those in Returnal, which uses a half-press for one firing mode and a full press for an alt firing mode. Ratchet & Clank uses the adaptive triggers throughout. Astro's Playroom really showcases the range of vibrations for different environmental elements and actions. For example, walking on different surfaces produces different vibration intensities, patterns, and sounds. Like, you could close your eyes and guess that you were walking on glass or sand or whatever. It is SO impressive.

The controller sound is also well done. I completely disliked the PS4 controller audio and turned it off in every game that used it. The sound was tinny. But the PS5 controller audio is much improved, and I have noticed it most so far in Spider-Man 2, which I just started. Your phone calls come through the controller and various other sounds, those that are supposed to be especially proximal or "in your ear." It's really immersive. The only downside is that I often play PlayStation sitting next to Sasha while she is working. She has a preternatural ability to tune out my videogame noise, but the controller noise is right next to her and it is distracting. So, if I'm playing next to her, I need to turn it off, which is actually kind of neat to compare how the game feels and sounds with and without the controller audio.

I do wonder if third-party games or PS4 games use these features of the DualSense to their capacity. Actually...I know they don't, now that I think about it, because I just got done with a month of PS Plus, and God of War and the indies that I played didn't use vibration (beyond what is typical) or adaptive triggers. Are developers going to keep incorporating these features? Are there some games that are especially creative in their use of these features? Are they a novelty that I'll get used to or that will wear off?

Uuuh, anyway, I was writing about Astro's Playroom. Comes with the console, tech demo, Mario-esque...collect coins, stomp some bad guys...different levels showcase different features of the controller. Aside from the controller, I really enjoyed the PlayStation nostalgia. In each level, you find "artifacts" of the PlayStation days of old, like each console generation and its accessories. It was a trip down memory lane seeing the start screens of each console, especially the PS2, which I probably played the most of any console (till I got into PC gaming). You also see characters acting out different PlayStation games, which was fun. I noticed a Solid Snake in a cardboard box, Cloud's sword from FF VII, a plane flying around like in an Uncharted game (I think), the Horizon Zero Dawn main character, and others to guess at.

So, that was really cool! And, after my first month of owning a PS5 and month's subscription of PS Plus, where I knocked out a whopping seven games from the wishlist, I can cool it with the manic gaming and start digging into the physical discs. My plan is to purchase physical discs, beat the games, sell the discs back on ebay, and basically fund my PS5 gaming through buying and reselling. I am already halfway through Spider-Man 2 and purchased Persona 5 for when I am done with that (though I realize I could have played that on PC, so maybe I'll grab something newer that my PC probably won't run well like Black Myth: Wukong).

Hooray PS5!