The next generation of consoles are on their way, that much we know. Both Sony and Microsoft revealed a small taste of their plans moving forward earlier in the year. Since then, minor rumors, leaks, and details have sporadically surfaced around the web, some even giving an indication as to a time frame for the release date of the anticipated PS5.
Sony’s PS5: Next Generation of PlayStation
We covered what we knew so far back in June of this year, but here’s the short in terms of the PlayStation 5 (still not the official name).
- Backwards compatibility with PS4 games
- Supports 8K
- CPU based on AMD Ryzen, custom GPU based on AMD Radeon Navi, ray-tracing support
- SSD
- Supports PSVR & physical media
Since then, Sony has kept to its word about committing to making this a smooth transition for gamers. Support of cross-generational play can be added to that list, so no need to you leave your PS4 friends behind. Additionally, the console is said to be powered by a special SSD crafted specifically for console gaming. I say “console gaming” rather than PlayStation as Xbox’s Project Scarlett is said to have similar capabilities with both estimating to be around 35 to 40x more powerful in terms of performance over current gen machines. To put it into perspective, these new SSDs are said to be 19x more powerful than traditional Solid State storage devices.
The PS5 also promises to bring a new audio experience to console gaming. It was previously mentioned the PlayStation 5 would adapt 3D Audio using a new sound chip that implements an algorithm to replicate the affects of a full surround stage through stereo speakers. Immersion in today’s games rely on sound just as much as visuals. This next step seems like a crucial one in bridging the gap between visual and audio fidelity.
Getting Our Hands on Next Generation
Details are excellent bits of information to tide us over in the meantime, but we really do want to know when the console will be launching. As of now, we know it will not be releasing in 2019. Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect on the PlayStation 5, confirmed we would not see the system until 2020.
New consoles typically are shown at E3 before launch. If this trend continues, that means we’ll like see an appearance by Sony and the new console at E3 2020. Sony’s conference or showing would likely confirm a release date at the end along with a price tag reveal. So when should it come out? If all the pieces fall into place as described above, you’ll likely by able to purchase the PS5 as early as November of 2020 with a price tag between $500 to $750, a price still cheaper than most modern cellular devices.
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