When Genshin Impact first launched, I mainly played it on PC. If I just needed to clear my dailies quickly, I launch the game on my phone instead for the sake of convenience. But once Mihoyo enabled cross-platform progression for Genshin Impact on the PS5 and PS4, I find myself spending a lot more time with the game on the PS5.
Of course, I do occasionally go back to the PC or mobile version, but most of the time, I much prefer playing Genshin Impact on the PS5 now – it’s really the superior version. Read on to find out why!
Blazing Fast Loading Times
I’ve tested Genshin Impact on many, many powerful gaming machines – including the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE – but none of them can load the game as fast as the PS5 can. Whether I’m farming a particular domain or teleporting from one area to another, it only took literal seconds for the game to load on the PS5.
Of course, this can be attributed to the fast SSD of the PS5, but it’s worth noting that Mihoyo also made a custom file-loading system for the PS5 version of Genshin Impact. This gives the console an edge in loading times, even if you’re using an equally fast SSD in your PC.
Granted, a fast gaming PC can still load Genshin Impact relatively quickly, but when you’re on an artifact run, and you need to reload the same domain over and over again, the slightly faster loading times of the PS5 version makes quite a big difference. The fact that I’m looking at the loading screen less just lends to a more pleasant gaming experience.
Stunning Graphics in 4K at 60fps
Another feature that sets the PS5 version of Genshin Impact apart from PC – aside from the custom file-loading system – is an “all-new graphics library” that packs high-res textures to the environment of the game. Really, even at maxed out graphics settings on PC, the game still looks better on the PS5. Well, that’s the case to me, anyway.
It is for this very reason that I prefer to play Genshin Impact on the PS5 to enjoy new story content. Not only does the game look better, it’s just easier to get absorb in the narrative, thanks to the extra immersion provided by the DualSense controller. More on this in the following section.
Naturally, Genshin Impact also runs at 4K resolution on the PS5, and for the most part, the frame rate does stay consistent at 60fps. However, in more chaotic battle sequences (especially in the Spiral Abyss), the frame rate does noticeably drop. Thankfully, it doesn’t affect my ability to clear the challenges too much.
DualSense Controller Makes for a More Immersive Experience
I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: the PS5’s DualSense controller makes a game (literally) feel next-gen. Though Genshin Impact doesn’t use the DualSense’s Adaptive Triggers, it does implement the refined haptic feedback of the controller quite well.
Whether I’m unleashing a character’s Elemental Burst, accessing the quick select menu, or just walking through a bush, the DualSense’s haptic feedback captures these moments very well. It’s no wonder that the PC version will receive DualSense support in Version 2.2, which is set to go live this Wednesday on 13 October.
That being said, it remains to be seen if the DualSense’s haptic feedback can be emulated in the PC version.
Any Downsides to the PS5 Version?
Oh, definitely. The biggest one for me is the fact that the default controls…are not very intuitive. For some reason, the Elemental Burst is assigned to the Triangle button, while the Elemental Skill is mapped to the R2 button.
Given that these two skills are the main components of any given character, it’s much more intuitive to just assign them to buttons that are close to each other. After changing the mapping of the buttons to my liking, the controls do feel much intuitive.
But if I need more precise controls in harder content like the Spiral Abyss, I will still revert back to a mouse and keyboard on PC. As much as I enjoy playing Genshin Impact on the PS5, I still find it awkward to swap characters using the D-pad. No, I cannot change this to a different set of buttons, unfortunately enough.
But at the end of the day, I almost always go back to the PS5 version of Genshin Impact whenever I can. The faster loading times makes a huge difference in my overall gaming experience, and when I want to enjoy new storylines, the PS5 provides the best experience with its stunning graphics and DualSense implementations.
Out of all the new features introduced in Genshin Impact over the year since its launch, the integration of cross-platform progression with PlayStation really is my favourite one – it’s simply a joy to play the game on the PS5.