Sony has spent over four years developing the next generation of the PlayStation that could revolutionize gaming. But what exactly will the new console offer? After all, many analysts agree that the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One were some of the best and most advanced consoles ever made. Both Microsoft and Sony didn’t feel the need to launch a new line of consoles. Instead, the two companies simply focused on new tiers for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 (respectively known as the Xbox One X, and PS4 Pro).
Sony is yet to decide on the name for the next-gen console. If history is to be believed, it’s very likely that it will be known simply as the PlayStation 5. Additionally, if you have been looking forward to a reveal this year, you will probably have to wait a little longer. Even though Sony has accelerated development the new console is not expected to be released in 2019. Sony is working very closely with game developers in order to help them adjust to the new capabilities of the consoles.
The next-gen console will get a serious upgrade on the GPU and the CPU capabilities. All console upgrades have followed this trend and we don’t expect the PlayStation 5, assuming that would be its name, to follow a different trajectory.
The goal of such a performance upgrade would be to deliver incredible graphical power along with performance to match the high caliber visuals - in a way it hasn’t been seen in consoles yet.
Developers have specifically asked for SSD drives instead of the standard HD. Many laptops nowadays come with SSD either complementing or replacing the normal HD storage. In simple terms, SSD is much faster and greatly improves performance, but is hasn’t yet been implemented on consoles. Sony might make history, because it seems they are experiment with specialized SSD for the PS5. For console users, this would mean dramatically reduced load times and better overall performance.
According to some reports, the next-gen console will likely use the next-gen AMD Ryzen processor line. The CPU contains eight cores. The GPU, on the other hand, will be a custom variant of the Radeon Navi family.
The GPU will have the ability to support ray tracing. This technique models the travel of light and stimulates very complex interactions in 3D environments, allowing for realistic behavior of lighting, shadows and reflections in real-time. Ray Tracing is not a new concept but it has mostly been done in Hollywood visual effects. No game console has ever been able to integrate it until now due to hardware and performance limitations.
The AMD chip will also have an integrated custom unit for 3D audio. Many experts feel that this will redefine what sound can actually do in a video game. The feature wants to make sure that sounds come from all directions. This could help enhance the immersive gaming experience that Sony wants to deliver with the new console.
The catalog of games will also be something to look forward too. With such a highly capable console that could include some of the most sophisticated features, it’s very likely that the gaming catalog will be quite intriguing - especially given Sony’s current line of highly succesful and praised exclusives.
But although launch titles are surely on their way, the first PS5 owners won’t have to wait in order to try the new system - the PS5 will have retrocompatility with PS4 games. This means any game you’ve bought for the PS4 will work on the PS5. This is important because Sony ditched retrocompatibility on the PS4, not allowing it to run games from previous consoles.
Finally, although it has not been confirmed if there will be a next-gen PSVR to accompany the PS5 at launch, Sony has confirmed the current generation PSVR will work with the PS5.
