The PlayStation 5, the newest gaming console from Sony, is set to go on sale this week, in two different versions, costing $399.99 for the digital-only edition, and $499.99 for the version that comes equipped with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive. It’s also very large, and some have compared the design to that of an old wireless router.

The new PS5 will also have some major games available at launch, including “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” “Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War,” and “Demon’s Souls.” The knock on its rival, the new Xbox Series X, is that the games it has available at launch are not nearly as compelling.

Now, the first reviews have begun to appear for the PS5, and they’re mostly positive.

In its review, The New York Times described the PS5 as “an entertaining behemoth.”

“With a winning combination of solid hardware and software, Sony’s new console makes us excited about the next generation of gaming,” Times reviewed Brian X. Chen wrote in his review, which was presented in the form of a discussion with his colleague Mike Isaac. Isaac, despite being an Xbox loyalist, agreed that the PS5 was his choice in this generation.

Chen went on to note that “The PlayStation 5 was very quiet compared with the PlayStation 4, which had such a loud fan that I always feared that it was going to explode.”

The CNN review of the PS5 was also positive.

“The design of Sony’s PlayStation 5 makes it worthy of being the centerpiece to any home entertainment setup,” the review said, while also praising the fast performance and the quick loading of games. Its performance was praised as similar to a gaming PC, which was also stated in many of the reviews of the new Xbox.

“It likely depends on your allegiance (to PlayStation or Xbox), but if Spider-Man is of interest and a truly next-gen console is on your list, the PlayStation 5 should be your choice,” the review concluded.

The review by Ars Technica called the PS5 more of a break with the PS4, because “Sony has put extra effort into a new controller and system-level features that try to make the new console more distinct from PlayStations past.” However, the visual improvement over the console’s predecessor is less of a leap, according to that review.

“For now, we can say the PS5 is an intriguing evolution in the PlayStation line, with a lot of interesting and experimental features on top of the expected hardware improvements,” the Ars review said. “Today, though, many if not most of the PS5’s biggest titles are also available in largely similar, only slightly worse-looking forms on the PS4. Given that, it’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend spending $500 for feature upgrades that are more pleasant than transformative.”

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters