B16CXHatch

Brook Wingman XB2: https://www.brookaccessory.com/products/wingmanxb2/index.html I have a couple of their adapters for PS1 and PS2. They seem to work pretty well. I generally use a DualShock 4 on my PS2 as long as the game doesn't require pressure sensitive buttons and a DualShock 3 if it does.

I was having this exact issue myself not long after getting my PS5. A google search led me to a Reddit thread where people said the PS5 Ethernet port is slightly too big. Several people suggested folding a small piece of paper and jamming it between the plug and port. Others recommended switching to a Cat 8 cable. I tried switching to a Cat 8 cable from Cat 6a and that solved my problem. However, it appears you already have a Cat 8 cable. I'm also not 100% convinced that getting a Cat 8 cable solved the problem and a short while later, other parts of my network started developing minor issues. Brief drop outs, reduced connection speeds and whatnot. Turns out, I had two bad cables. Since all my cables were the same make/model just in different lengths, I replaced ALL my cables. All network problems disappeared after that. So that leaves me wondering if I just had a bad cable on my PS5. My recommendation is to just try different cables. The specific cable I use is a Tesmax 3ft Cat 8 Ethernet cable going into a switch.

The N64 is notorious for having a very soft, smeary image. It's a form of anti-aliasing that the system actually applies to the output intentionally. It accomplished what Nintendo wanted for the most part back when it came out but has proven to be less than ideal today. After seeing how good SNES, GameCube, PS1, PS2 and even PS3 can look on a CRT with decent S-Video cables, the N64 was a total let down when I upgraded its cables. It made little difference thanks to the anti-aliasing. However, you saying that it looked OK on a newer TV has me thinking that maybe there is something wrong with the N64 or the way it's hooked up. It's an old system, and it's analog video. It wouldn't be surprising. Otherwise, the N64 tends to look even worse on modern TVs. One thing I would recommend is try switching your A/V cables. Try to make sure you are using a good condition original Nintendo composite cable or, if you TV supports it, a good quality S-Video cable. I know I said it was disappointing earlier, but S-Video does still provide a slightly better image on the N64 vs composite. Just not the big leap of the other systems.

I don't use any of the streaming services on any them since I own much newer devices, but it is kinda neat that they still work. I do however still use a PS3 to watch 1080p Blu-rays. It puts out a better image than the PS5 does in my opinion, plus using the PS3 Blu-ray remote is just an infinitely better experience than the PS4 Blu-ray remote and the PS5 Media Remote. I even use a different PS3 hooked up to a CRT for watching DVDs.

It makes a slightly bigger difference on a Pro since they have SATA 3, but still not that big of a difference. It really depends on the game. When I tested it about 6 years ago, the best improvement I saw was a 10 second reduction in the time to load a save for Ni No Kuni II on a PS4 Pro with a 1TB Crucial MX500 (from 44 seconds down to 34). Amazingly, an original PS4 with a 500GB Samsung 850 Evo only took 2 seconds longer than the Pro (36 seconds). Some other games, I barely saw an improvement. One thing I remember reading about was that for some games the real advantage of the SSD was improvements in texture pop-in. I never tested that myself though.

Best overall value, Crucial MX500. I have them in two PS4s. They've been great. Solid build quality and reliability, plus they have DRAM caches. Priced decently at $135 on Newegg and Amazon. Best in class, Samsung 870 Evo. I have a couple in different applications. Fantastic drives. They're like an even better MX500. Overkill for the application and a bit expensive though. Priced at $150 on Newegg and Amazon. Best cheaper drive, Team Group T-Force Vulcan Z. These lack a DRAM cache which is the main reason why they're cheaper. I only have experience with the older DRAM equipped Vulcan drives, but the Vulcan Z still seems like a decent drive for the application. Priced at $111 on Newegg, out of stock on Amazon.

Sony specifically recommends using one with a heatsink. There are plenty of SSDs available with a preinstalled heatsink that fit just fine. They're not expensive. I have a Samsung 980 Pro with a preinstalled heatsink in mine. It was even advertised to be PS5 compatible. Even if you get one without a heatsink, aftermarket SSD heatsinks are cheap. I have some Thermalright SSD heatsinks that I think would fit that only cost $6.

I mean, I think it doesn't like that third party controller for the set up process. I'm willing to bet that a DualShock 4 would probably get you through set up, then your controller will probably work. You may just have to try to track down a cheap DS4 or borrow one to do the setup. I've also read that they can be finicky with USB cables during set up as well. I've always just used whatever cable I had handy and it's worked though.

Have you tried connecting an official DualShock 4? I'm betting it just doesn't like that third party controller.

Are you getting full system crashes or is just the game crashing? If you are getting full system crashes, then I would definitely suspect overheating. Take the PS5 out of the cabinet and try it if that's the case. The PS5 should give overheat warnings, but I have heard sometimes it won't throw the warning even if it is overheating. About 12 year ago or so, I was having a problem with my PS3 hard crashing while playing Uncharted games. My PS3 was on a shelf in my TV stand that was open at the front but had a closed back with just a small hole for cables. It was overheating. I finished my playthrough with the PS3 on the floor and didn't have any more problems. I later removed the back panel from the stand making it open front and back and never had another issue. Now, I only use TV stands/entertainment centers that are open.

It won't work on it's own but you can get an adapter like a Brook Wingman XB2. It supposed to work on every Xbox generation with tons of controllers including Xbox One and Series controllers. I have the PS2 version of it and the PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch Pro, and Wii U Pro controllers all work.

According to the Xbox Support site, the Xbox One X only supports 120Hz at 1080p and 1440p. There is no 4K 120 support on an Xbox One X. The Xbox Series X does support 4K 120, but not the One X.

I believe the Blu-ray laser is borked. You can't swap entire drives, but you may be able to swap the Blu-ray laser. Also, if you are putting discs in upside down and they are working, your PS5 is upside down. The disc drive should be on the bottom left, not top right. The label should be facing up when you insert a disc.

For specifically PlayStation 2, you can get one of those PS2 A/V to HDMI adapters. It plugs straight into the A/V port of the PS2 and has an HDMI out: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MYVF61Y I have one and used it some. It works reasonably well. I don't use it on the regular though since I have a CRT that I use with S-Video. Also, there are other similar adapters out there for other consoles, such as this one for SNES, N64, and GameCube: https://www.amazon.com/yoxxzus-Adapter-Converter-Cable-Gamecube/dp/B0BW8N6X48 If you just plan on sticking to Composite, they're pretty much all going to be crap. You'll get slightly better results if you use Component or S-Video and grab a converter for them, but then you'd have to buy new cables and you may as well buy the previously mentioned direct adapters.

Tap (don't hold) the power button with the system powered on. If it doesn't shut down on it's own after a few seconds, then you likely have a dead GPU or CPU. One of my now parts PS3s started doing this after I de-lidded the GPU on it. So, dead GPU. If it does shut down after a few seconds, that might mean there's something up with the video settings. All you have to do to sort that out is just press and hold the power button with the system off. It will beep and turn on. Keep holding the button down until a second beep and let go of the button. That will reset the video settings. If using HDMI, it should walk you through a quick set up. If that doesn't work, then there may be something else wrong like a broken HDMI or A/V port.