Topic: Does the PS5 Digital really look better then the disk model?

Hi, I sold my Series X today to move back over to PlayStation, I was PS4 last gen so have a collection of games, so on top of my digital collection I guess I’ll have to buy the disk model, but IMO the all digital looks a lot better.

Do you guys think the same? I would love for the rumoured removable disk model to be out by Christmas, I’ll ask for money to make up the difference to a PS5, but I doubt it will be, sadly.

Also can you play PS1 disk games on PS5? I have some of those too lol. Have no idea where my PS1 went to though.

For me its a no brainer why pay full price for games that you cannot re-sell once you have finished playing them, with a three year old catalogue of games on the second hand market you will soon get the extra you have paid for the disk version back and you can also play your old PS4 games many of which upgraded
(see link below)

https://www.pushsquare.com/guides/ps4-to-ps5-all-games-with-c...

As for the looks i guess its down to personal preference for me there is so little difference in them it wouldn't persuade me to go for the digital version for the reasons above.

See comparison picture - https://i.postimg.cc/rmydt8sm/pppp.png

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PS4 to PS5: How Do Free Upgrades Work?

PS4 to PS5's free upgrades will work differently depending on how the publisher decides to support the initiative and which versions of the games you own. For example, if you purchase a digital copy of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on the PS4, then you'll be able to upgrade to a digital copy of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on the PS5 free of charge. If you own a physical copy of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on the PS4, then you'll need to hold on to your copy of the disc, as you'll need to use this to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla on the PS5.

This means that if you purchase a physical copy of any of the games listed above, you won't be able to upgrade to the PS5 version if you purchase the PS5 Digital Edition. You can find out more about the two models courtesy of the following guide: PS5 Digital Edition vs PS5: What's the Difference?

@S1ayeR74 The disk model - like with the Series X over the Series S - will allow you to play PS4 discs via Backwards Compatibility but you'd need the Digital version on the Discless Hardware. There is NO way to verify you own the 'right' to play those games as the license is on the disc which obviously can't be read without a disk-drive.

As for the PS5 itself, it is only BC with the PS4 games - the only way to play PS1-PS3 games is via their PS+ service - the highest tier.

As for aesthetics, I really don't like either that much - the discless at least looks more symmetrical but I prefer the OG PS3 Phat for example and that wasn't my favourite Playstation 'design' as it too was somewhat large barely fit on the shelf. Each to their own, I bought the Disk version because I value function over Aesthetics. With swapping out the White covers for Black too, I much prefer that 'look' to the standard White - you may prefer the disc one too with different colour sides.

Before

After

As I said, each to their own and hope you enjoy your new Playstation when you get it...

Thanks for the replies, will be interesting to see what games I’ll be able to get free upgrades on. I do like that black look I have to say. And I did see they have launched some new colours recently. May look into one of those, or just buy some different colour side panels.

Keep us posted.

I like the look of both consoles, but they look better standing up vertical (at a jaunty angle) rather than lying flat, imo. I think they were designed aesthetically with verticality in mind.

As for disk or not, that depends how often you play your PS4 disk games, vs digital collection. I coped fine with a digital when I could first get one, something like April/May after release, due to the insane supply issues. As I was moving towards digital gaming anyway, as I'm not a big second hand buyer/reseller, anyway.

I later got a second PS5 for the disk functionality, but i've barely used it at all and played nearly exclusively digital games tbh, but it really depends on your own gaming habits.

Whatever you go for, I'm sure you'll be happy, as there's a lot on offer, and if you have missed out on the last few years of PS releases, PS Plus Extra, at least for one year, should be very good value and a great option for playing games you might not have played yet 😁

Also, Backwards compatibility is limited to PS4 disks only, so if you wanted to play older games, you'd have to hope you can get them digitally anyway via PSN or PS Plus Premium

I prefer the look of them horizontal but that's just personal preference, if owners have no preference i believe its better for the system to be horizontal as it aids cooling.

@Max_Headroom mine have never overheated (had the digital verital since april 2021) I'd be more worried about the disc one that I have horizontally, as that is in a wooden cabinet with much less space to breathe, so I kind of slide it out when in use to give the vents a place to go suck clean air from.

Vertical one looks nice with the PS cutout on the faceplate and it has 5/6 feet of ventilation room above it too haha. Just wish we could set it so the blue light is on when the ps5 is active, rather than the white light :/ they look so good for 4 seconds when you boot up and it goes blue lol

I agree the blue light does look the business.

Looks like i may have fallen for the old wives tale here and it makes no odds which way you stand it.

"Sony supports using your PS5 both vertically and horizontally, so there's no right or wrong way to do it—as long as your system gets enough airflow. Which orientation you should use depends on your needs. If you have lots of room and don't mind the PS5 taking up a lot of horizontal space, the horizontal look is sleek"
5 Mar 2023

disk model looks better but either way they’re both not as good looking as the original ps3 . the rhombus ps4 was by far the ugliest playstation ever

well , the ps3 super slim ….

Had a disc PS5 originally and honestly the asymmetry of it kinda drove me batty. Sold it and bought a digital first chance I got. I also prefer it vertical.

As for the digital vs physical debate, I slowly moved from exclusively physical to almost exclusively digital over the course of the PS4 gen. I found I rarely resold games and got very little from them even when I did and then you add in that two people can play off one digital purchase at the same time in the same household (with two consoles) and that pretty much sealed the deal, having a son with similar tastes in games. So the jump to no disc drive whatsoever was a fairly small one when the PS5 digital became more widely available.

But really it's all about what works best for you.

@nomither6 Have to say I agree with you that the PS3 Super Slim was by far and away the nastiest console have ever made. Not aesthetically (that award definitely goes to the PS5) but in terms of pure cheapness. The manual slide open lid that caused the PS3 to fall over if you had it stored vertically and the world's loudest Blu-Ray drive (PS5 is a close second, dependent on disc for some reason)

I quite liked the PS4's shape, especially the Pro which I still think is one of the coolest shapes PS has ever put out. Original, spiderman font PS3 was definitely the coolest.

@BAMozzy I agree it looks so much better in black than white. I did the same.

Mine is horizontal, but it's due to space limitations and so my cat doesn't try to knock it over. Hope one day to be able to do it vertical.

@sanderson72 i think the ps3’s hardware was just so old at the time and cheap to produce at that point that they were curious just how bare minimum they could go with it similar to the wii mini .

the ps4 was just a mixed bag for me , because i always saw sony consoles as premium high class products the ps1 was nice , the ps2 was pretty , the ps3 was sleek and just straight up futuristic and classy & the psp too; so when the ps4 came out i had the similar thoughts you had about the super slim ps3 - just cheap and ugly. but the ps4 design got better overtime and i also think the ps4 pro was the best iteration .

i’m just glad modern sony went with their stand-out and showy designs again with the ps5, the aesthetics are back on the right track . i hope they don’t start simplifying the look of the ps5 with later models but they always do .

and just to throw this out there - xbox designs are awful and they don’t even try anymore. all they care about is what’s inside , and nothings wrong with that - it’s just boring

@nomither6 Previous gen Xbox designs just remind me of an old Betamax VCR. Then again, the Series X looks like a paper shredder (or an ashtray with that top grid?) and the Series S looks exactly like the interior siren box on my old house's security alarm!

If they get round to simplifying the PS5 design, I'll be all over that. If they could make a console that could be laid down flat without a flimsy 'stand', that'd be a start!

I'm ok with a 'flat' box that fits on my shelf next to other flat boxes - like my SkyQ box or my Home Theatre system. I prefer the smaller more compact design too and fitting in the slot in my TV unit is far more important than how it 'looks'. I didn't buy the PS5 disc version because I prefer the way it 'looks' over the Digital version and if I bought on 'looks' alone, I may not have bought a PS5 yet - instead waiting for a Slim or a redesign to suit my preferences. I never minded the OG XB1 - I had more issues with the external power brick than the way that 'looked' because it 'fitted' on the shelf and didn't look out of place...

Point is, I don't have a choice in design in reality. I either buy for its functionality or 'miss out'. I want a Disc Drive more than I care about aesthetics so I bought both the XSX and PS5 disc version. I prefer the XSX 'aesthetics' despite how 'boring' it looks because it 'fits' on the shelf, blends in with the rest of the AV equipment and is perfectly stable horizontally, didn't require additional spending (like buying better stands to be more stable horizontally and side plates to hide the size and bulk of the PS5).

You'll never please everyone all the time but I put functionality over aesthetics and if I want to play Sony's Exclusives, then I have to make do with their PS5 design whether I like it or not. To me, being able to play the games I want (inc last gen games on disc I own) is more important than looks so even if I prefered the look of the All digital PS5, I'd still buy the disc version as the disc drive is more 'important' than looks to me...

I’m of the opinion that the aesthetics of the PS5 disc version grow on you and when I see it on my cabinet it looks quite nice. Everyone who comes over knows exactly what it is, there’s no mistaking it for a BluRay player or cable box.

That said, I agree with the annoyance of the stand. I tried putting it vertical for a while and I like the look, but my setup demands it be horizontal, and I just hate the whole issue with balancing it on the stand horizontally. Getting it clipped into the right place and secured back far enough is an extra step that discourages me from moving it once I have it in place. Of course it’s not often one needs to move their console, but still.

@Th3solution I went for these for Horizontal placement as the PS5 stand drove me nuts. It was always falling off when the cats went near it or I swapped discs...

and never had any issues since...

@BAMozzy I should invest in those because they do appear to make more sense than the singular little circle stand it comes with. For as big and heavy as the PS5 is, it’s remarkable that they decided to use that tenuous stand. It functions, of course, but requires a little extra effort to seat it firmly in place.

A quick search for those stands on Amazon shows that there’s a whole world of options, some of which have a usb plugs on the side for easier access and some with fans included which attach in the back to aid cooling. Any experience with those? I get a little nervous with second party accessories which have to be plugged into the console. I always fear them causing some weird short circuit of my console and damaging it.