Our PlayStation 5 has arrived—here’s what we can show you so far

  • The box is cool, sure…
    Sam Machkovech
  • …but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s the tissue paper it came in that’s gonna get people really riled up.
    Sam Machkovech
  • Precious child posing with PS5, for scale.
    Sam Machkovech
  • See, it’s just like the Nintendo GameCube.
  • Sales pitch on the back. The fine print at the bottom is pretty insignificant, except for reminding users that a portion of the built-in memory is dedicated to system functions. (But then why advertise the drive as 825GB instead of 1TB, with such a notice? Does that mean it’s less than 825GB of game-download space?)
  • What’s that fine print on one side?
  • It’s the contents.
  • Last side.
  • Copyright notices and Dolby/DTS confirmations.
  • Instructions on the bottom of the console for PS4-to-PS5 transitions. Funny that they put that on the box instead of inside an instruction manual, but I suppose some buyers want that last assurance before walking out of a brick-and-mortar store.
  • Another angle of the front, with more tissue paper.
    Sam Machkovech

This morning, the PlayStation 5 arrived at the Ars Orbital HQ, which means we’re allowed to say a few things—emphasis on “few”—as the new console’s November 12 launch date draws nearer.

First off, take a look… at the box! You can look as long and hard at the console’s box as you wish. As part of our console review agreement with Sony, we’re not allowed to share photos of anything inside the box yet, but we are allowed to confirm that there is indeed a working PlayStation 5 console in there. (Not cake.)

But we really can’t say anything else about its contents. Anything that resembles an “impression” is off limits at this point, so if your many questions haven’t already been answered by a Sony promotional video or social media post, we can neither confirm nor deny. (Our box absolutely pales compared to one of Sony’s lead hardware engineers tearing an entire PlayStation 5 apart.) At the very least, we can zoom in on the box’s fine text, which you’ll find in the above gallery.

One of those images confirms the exact contents you can expect, including a single DualSense gamepad, a packed-in copy of the new Sony game Astro’s Playroom, and cords for HDMI and power. Curiously, the box doesn’t confirm the HDMI cable’s rating. Is it HDMI 2.1, to support the box’s claim of “4K/120fps” imagery in HDR, or freaking 8K? Or will newer TV owners need to buy an additional cable? Even we’re not allowed to clarify at this point.

Speaking of boxes: We have more boxes!

  • The PlayStation 5 accessories sent to members of the press as part of the reviews period.
    Kyle Orland
  • DualSense, back of box.
    Kyle Orland
  • DualSense Charging Station, back of box.
  • Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, side of box.
  • Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, back of box. Sony makes very clear these work on PS4 consoles, as well.
  • But if you want to get into that “Tempest Engine” of 3D positional audio, you’ll want PlayStation 5.
  • PS5 HD Camera, back of box.
    Kyle Orland

Though Ars Senior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland is off the clock today, he was kind enough to send photos of his boxes of accessories: the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, the PS5 HD Camera, a standalone DualSense gamepad, and that new gamepad’s charging station. I had to ask him to do so because my own PS5 shipment hit a snag, with its “accessories” box flagged by a shipping agency for the vague reason of “Unacceptable or incompatible Hazardous material.” We might need to call in Sam Porter Bridges to deliver that last box. (No, we’re not allowed to unbox these publicly yet, either.) [Update, 11:57 a.m.: Kyle provided more photos since this article was published, which have been added to the above gallery.]

This post may remind you of the day an Xbox Series X showed up early at Ars Technica’s offices and I was barely allowed to say anything before running more detailed articles over the following few weeks. While it’s not crazy to expect similar things in the course of our PlayStation 5 coverage, we cannot otherwise confirm our preview or review timeline at this point. Rest assured, at least, that we’re tearing into these boxes for the sake of detailed Ars Technica coverage as soon as we’re allowed to share it. In the meantime, if you have questions, we might be able to answer them with tidbits from our previous coverage. Otherwise, if you ask something we can’t answer yet, trust us: we’re listening.

Listing image by Sam Machkovech

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1716770