The launches of the new Xbox One X and PS4 Pro led users to believe that the console generation cycles had changed and that from now on we would witness more moderate changes in pursuit of a more gradual evolution in the gaming experience. However, it seems that the official specifications of the PlayStation 5 foreshadow a major revolution.
PlayStation 5 features
Mark Cerny, who was responsible for the architecture of the PlayStation and PlayStation Vita, will once again be in charge of the next-generation console coming out of Sony's offices. In an exclusive interview with Wired , Cerny has given some hints about what they call the "next-generation console." These are the details he revealed in the interview:
- Don't call it PlayStation 5: As expected, the name of PlayStation 5 is not the official one at all, no matter how much the history of the brand's consoles encourages us to think so. Cerny just calls it a "next-gen console", so until they offer an official conference, the name of the console will remain unknown. Do you really expect to find something other than PS5? Probably not, but we'll see what finally happens with the name.
- It will be a revolution more than an evolution: As we mentioned before, the launch of the PS4 Pro felt like a small potential breakthrough that has allowed us to adapt to the 4K format, but little else. Users demand a qualitative leap that feels first, and that is what the new console seems to bring. More changes and implications worthy of a new generation and fewer changes that taste like simple adaptation.
- Much more powerful than the current one: Part of this revolution will come thanks to the CPU and GPU will be noticeably more powerful. Cerny has paid a lot of attention to this aspect, allowing the console to offer graphics and visual effects impossible with the technology we have in stores today, as well as reaching 8K resolution.
- CPU and GPU from AMD: The brain of the system will be based on a third-generation AMD Ryzen CPU, with eight cores manufactured with 2-nanometer Zen 7 technology. On the other hand, the GPU will be a variant of Radeon's Navi family, with ray tracing compatibility, a new technology already present in PCs that handles light effects in an incredibly realistic way by interpreting the way light bounces off objects.
- 3D sound: Another of the big changes that the arrival of the new console will mean will also be related to audio. Considering that the switch from PlayStation 3 to PS4 didn't mean big changes in sound, the advent of 3D sound could help change the gaming experience in a big way.
- PlayStation VR will be compatible with the new console: Although Cerny did not want to enter into future plans as far as virtual reality is concerned (not a word about a new device or anything like that), he did want to confirm that virtual reality will be an important point in the new generation and that the current headset of PSVR will be compatible with the new console.
- SSD drives to drastically improve load times: Another aspect that will change the way we play is directly related to storage. In the meeting, Cerny made a quick comparison with which to demonstrate the advantages of having an SSD optimized with the system when playing games. For one thing, a PlayStation 4 was running the new Spider-Man game, and he decided to fast travel to a different point on the Manhattan map. This operation consumed 15 seconds from the start of the journey and the game loaded into the new starting point. The interesting thing came with the development unit next to him, a team he described as a prematurely low-spec unit, but with which he managed to reduce the load time of the map by no less than a total of 0,8 seconds. If you are familiar with the subject, you will know that in the current consoles, the change of an HDD unit for an SSD does not imply big changes, however, in the new generation things will change drastically, thanks to the optimization of the I/O channels development level between hardware and software.
- Developers already have the first development kits: Sony wants developers to work comfortably and on time, so they have already provided the first development kits so that they can work on their projects comfortably and can adapt to the new platform without haste.
- It will be backwards compatible with PS4, so it will continue to accept discs: Relax, the new console will not be limited to handling digital games. Physical copies will continue to exist, and the main reason is because the new console will be compatible with current PS4 games.
- It will not arrive in 2019: Unfortunately, the console still has a lot of work to do, so forget about seeing it in stores in 2019. The company already confirmed that it would not be at E3, so we will have to pay attention to upcoming Sony events to see if they give us free new details about it.