PS5 is coming - but what do we still know?

This is official! The next-generation PlayStation is called the PS5 (PlayStation 5), and it lands in late 2020.

Earlier this year, we learned from Mark Czerny, chief architect of the next Sony console, that Sony is working on the successor to the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro. Although he did not give an official name or release date, Cerny shed light on some of the details of the choice about what we can expect from his equipment.

We found that the PS5 will continue to play discs, but given the exact specifications of the equipment and how it will relate to Sony and Microsoft’s plans for streaming games, we are largely ignorant.

Despite the fact that in recent months, Sony has constantly fed us juicy tricks, such as the official PS5 release window, the name and some details about the features.

In addition, we had some unexpected leaks in the form of a Sony-registered patent, which seems to demonstrate the general form of the PS5, buttons and vents - it was confirmed that this was the PS5 developer kit on the photo leak - although we expect the design of the final product will be others to launch the PlayStation 5 at the end of 2020.

Sony PS5 controller: release date, news and confirmed features
Sony made a tactical decision to abandon the E3 2019, but at the end of the year at Gamescom 2019 there were also no big announcements. Microsoft was more interested in showing off its Xbox Project Scarlett console, which, as we know, will also appear at the end of 2020, but these are still the first days, so we’re not quite sure how the inevitable PS5 battle will end against the Xbox Project Scarlett . ,

With the approach of 2020, Sony can only save a little longer in the smallest details of the next generation PlayStation. But between the rumored specs, the likely next-generation innovations, and the official features that we know about, we have a lot to do at the moment.

There is everything we know about the PS5, and what we hope will be revealed as we approach the launch.

[UPDATE: Recent leaks have given us a better idea of the price and release date of the PS5, if you believe them, of course. Read on to find out more..]

PS5 FAQ: Answers to Quick Questions

What it is? Sony PS5 will become the next generation PlayStation console, replacing PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro.
When will it release? "Holiday 2020", so between October and December 2020.
What can i play on it? Nothing has been confirmed yet, but expect all of Sony's major franchises, as well as exclusive developments such as Ghosts of Tsushima.
Will the PS5 have VR? Oh yeah. The next generation console will be compatible with current PSVR equipment, and there are rumors of PSVR 2.
How much will the PS5 cost? The PS4 and PS4 Pro cost $ 399 / £ 349 at launch, but we expect the PS5 to be slightly more expensive. Recent leaks suggested around $ 499.

PS5 confirms specs: what we know for sure

AMD’s bespoke 8-core chipset based on third-generation Ryzen architecture, in which the GPU uses the best bits of the Radeon Navi GPU family; integrated SSD storage system; 3D audio; backward compatible with PS4 games and PSVR equipment; Support 8K TV. All of this was demonstrated by PlayStation top dog Mark Czerny, who worked on the PS4 and is now responsible for developing the next-generation console.

Despite the fact that the appearance of the console remains a mystery, its internal components are in focus, and they are very promising. The AMD processor and GPU with a scale of one to two times reveal the possibilities of ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that can provide immersion in the game graphics of the next level. This is a Hollywood technique that is used in CGI's high-budget glasses, displaying the level of visual accuracy you can expect in context.

Mark Czerny told Wired that ray tracing is done by the GPU hardware, not the software layer. “GPU hardware is accelerating ray tracing,” Czerny explained. “I believe this is the statement that people were looking for.”

With 8K TV support, you get much more detailed textures, and much larger ones. Then the news of the custom SSD will be inspiring - just because the games will become more complex, this does not mean that they will load more slowly. It is assumed that the new SSD is 19 times faster than traditional SSD storage methods (but, given the difference in speed between the SSD and the optical drive, installing games will be required).

Physical games for the PS5 will use 100 GB optical disks inserted in the optical drive, which also serves as a Blu-ray 4K player, and the next generation equipment will have a completely updated interface.

Speaking about the new user interface for Wired, Czerny said: “Although downloading games will be pretty fast, we don’t want the player to have to download the game, watch what happens, download the game, watch what happens.”

“Multiuser game servers will provide the console with a multitude of integrable actions in real time. Single-player games will provide information about which missions you could complete and which rewards you can get for completing them, and all these options will be visible in the user interface. As a player, you just jump right into whatever you like. ”

According to Czerny, the sound will also reach the new “gold standard” on the PS5 thanks to a new sound engine that provides immersive sound, especially if you use headphones. Although the details remain unclear, expect something similar to what you saw when setting up Dolby Atmos.

PS5 games: all games confirmed and expected
The next-generation Sony PS5 console will also provide enhanced cloud gaming performance and “significantly improved graphics.”

This word is directly from the company itself, as it demonstrated the highest level during the presentation of the corporate strategy.

In a statement sent after the presentation, Sony stated that “the two keywords for the PlayStation’s future direction are“ immersion ”and“ smoothness ”, and“ immersion ”is“ an impressive increase in graphics rendering speed achieved through employment. ” further improving computing power and customizable ultrafast broadband SSD. ”

The company also emphasized the importance of its cloud-based gaming plans with Playstation Now, and somewhat unexpectedly doubled its underused remote play feature, saying that the “evolution” of this in the future “will provide a seamless gaming experience anytime, anywhere.”

Remote Play is already available as part of the PS4 package, allowing you to stream the game directly from the console to your computer, smartphone, tablet or PS Vita portable console. But Sony says that in the future it will “use the latest computing, streaming, cloud and 5G technologies” to allow it and PlayStation Now's performance to improve.

Sony's official video comparing the performance of the PS4 Pro with the next-generation PlayStation 23.6K6: 56:00 - May 21, 2019. Information about confidentiality and confidentiality 9 633 people say this

This seems to be the same demo that PlayStation hardware architect Mark Czerny showed in April, when Sony suggested that the SSD used is 19 times faster than the standard release. In fact, Sony's patent describes a type of boot software designed to essentially get rid of boot screens.

The SSD marks a big step forward for the console, and in a recent interview with OPM (via GamesRadar), Control developers say that the SSD "really stands out" because it will allow developers to create more detailed game worlds:

Sony also confirmed that the “incredibly powerful” backward compatibility of the PS5 will allow you to play online with PS4 players.

There were also rumors that the PS5 could be backward compatible with the PS4, PS3, PS2 and the original PlayStation, which means that its game library can stretch all the way to the glorious days of the mid-90s. The PS4 element of this rumor is now confirmed at least as well as PSVR support. Sony has also confirmed that PS5 players will be able to play online with PS4 players thanks to this powerful backward compatibility.

When it comes to the rest of Sony's vintage catalog? This remains to be seen.

PS5 release date

Sony has officially confirmed that the PS5 will release Holiday 2020, that is, from October to December 2020. A recent leak suggested that the release date would be November 20, 2020, but this has not yet been confirmed. However, it is in the right window, and before Christmas there is time to receive these orders.

This will put the PlayStation 5 in direct competition with the Xbox Project Scarlett, which will be released in the same period.

PS5 controller

According to Sony, the PS5 will ship with its own controller. The PS5 controller (we do not know the official name yet) will include tactile feedback to replace the DualShock 4 screen technology. This is aimed at improving the controller feedback and, consequently, the immersion of the player.

The PS5 controller will also have adaptive triggers, which, according to Sony, are "built into the trigger buttons (L2 / R2)." These adaptive triggers allow developers to program the resistance of triggers to more accurately simulate actions.

But what will it look like? According to Sony's patent for a new controller published by the Japan Patent Office (via VGC), the PS5 may look very similar to DualShock 4 - with some key differences.

To begin with, the potential PS5 controller seems to have a slightly shorter design, a built-in microphone, large triggers, no light bar and smaller joysticks. It also seems that the microShock 4 micro USB port has been replaced with a smaller USB-C port, which is located on the top rather than the bottom of the controller.

The lack of a light bar makes us think about how the PS5 will track the controller when it comes to PSVR and PS Camera games. This is usually done using a PS camera, so we hope that the console will have other means of monitoring the controller, otherwise compatibility will be compromised. Unless, of course, Sony is not going to switch exclusively to PSVR 2. However, this is unlikely, since Sony has promised that the PS5 will be backward compatible with PSVR.

It also looks like the stereo headset jack and expansion port at the bottom of the headset have been replaced with two large round ports. We think that they are still designed to connect headsets, but the two jacks can be headphone and microphone jacks, respectively, to increase compatibility with headphones. There is also a rectangular design that seems to wrap around the headset, which is potentially for compatibility with a charging dock. Again, this is all speculation on our part.

PS5 Price: how much will it cost?

Sony has not yet confirmed the price for the PS5, so we can’t say exactly what it will be. There were, however, rumors. A recent leak suggested that the console would cost $ 499 in North America when it launches. Naturally, this should be taken as a pinch of salt, but it would be gratifying if the console made a launch at this price, since it is only $ 100 more than the launch price of the PS4 and PS4 Pro.

We can expect that the price of the console will match the technology that it uses, but Sony will also have to know about its competitors. It is unlikely that Microsoft will want to make the same mistake as the last generation, with the Xbox priced too high, so Sony will have to make sure that it doesn't make a similar mistake in this generation when it is trimmed.

PS5 competition

We are terribly impatient about the release date of the PS5, but we finally know that the console will be released in late 2020. We cannot blame Sony for having spent a few more years truly presenting the last of the PS4, given its huge and loyal player base. In the end, the PS4 Pro is still relatively new to the market, and its direct competitor, Microsoft Xbox One X, is an even more recent release.

It seems that Microsoft will release the next generation console in the same window as Sony, which will put them in direct competition.

In addition to the next Xbox, the PS5 will also have to contend with Google Stadia, a streaming game service from the kings of the Internet. Since streaming will undoubtedly become a key component of any console in the future (and Sony’s patent for streaming has already leaked), Google’s experience in the Internet infrastructure can make them a dark participant in the gaming race.

But Sony and Microsoft may ultimately eat their own suggestions if the appetite for streaming makes powerful home consoles somewhat redundant.

Xbox Two vs. PS5: Predicting the Future