Sony has confirmed that the PS5 is on the way. We tell you everything you need to know, from release date and price rumors to confirmed specifications and available games.
The PlayStation 4 continues to work well, especially thanks to the revitalization of the Slim, Pro and PlayStation VR models, which has expanded the gaming potential of the console, along with a wide range of fantastic titles that keep entertaining.
However, the PS4 is slowly approaching the end of its lifecycle and details are beginning to emerge about its long-awaited replacement.
Sony invited several media outlets to attend their California headquarters so they could see what to expect from the new generation of consoles. Some impressive results from the first version of the device were shown at the event, including a new CPU and GPU and the inclusion of an incredibly fast SSD that almost made loading times a thing of the past.
Since then, the Wired outlet has also released an exclusive on more console details, including hardware specs and, more excitingly, an official release date, while a patent leak gives us our first look at the next generation of DualShock 5 controllers.
We have all the details here, so read on if you want to know more about the new PlayStation 5.
When will the PS5 go on sale?
Sony has now confirmed that the 2020 holiday season would be the official launch date for the PS5, and yes, the company has also confirmed the PS5 as the official name (thank goodness).
We also now have a logo, the only thing Sony announced for the PS5 during its keynote address at CES 2020.
As we suspected, this puts it directly online to compete with Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox Series X, which will launch in the run-up to Christmas 2020. The battle for next-gen consoles is coming.
As for the full hardware reveal, there are a couple of rumors floating around the web right now. A rumor that the PS5 would be revealed at an event in New York on February 5, but obviously that did not happen.
“God of War” developer David Jaffe has also suggested that it will arrive in February, though later in the month. In fact, the developer claimed it would be revealed at an event on February 13 … which also didn’t happen. So basically nobody seems to know.
While Sony hasn’t revealed exactly when during the launch of “Holiday 2020” we should expect to see the console, but people seem excited by a tweet from Twitter user @PSErebus. By the count, the PS5 will supposedly be released on November 20, 2020 in the United States, and will cost $ 499.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) will launch PlayStation®5 (PS5 ™) in several countries in the holiday season of 2020 and will make PlayStation®5 (PS5 ™) available in North America on November 20, 2020 at a recommended retail price (RRP) of $ 499 pic.twitter.com/fe4jKlHmrH
The alleged price and release date sound realistic, and the Twitter user has a track record after correctly predicting the release date of the original The Last of Us 2, but we recommend that you take it more as a prediction than as objective data. .
It is not the only claim the Twitter user has made, as he has since tweeted that PS5 pre-orders will be available from March 5, not February as some rumors suggest.
One last thing to keep in mind: don’t expect to know more about the new console at this year’s E3 event. Sony has already confirmed that it is once again going to skip the biggest gaming fair of the year, so we won’t see any PS5 news there.
How much will the new PlayStation cost?
Without knowing exactly what is on offer, it is impossible to predict exactly how much the PS5 will cost. Taking into account that the PS2 that costs around 239 Euros, the PS3 425 and the PS4 365 pounds sterling, we can only assume that Sony will keep its price around 400 Euros.
The inclusion of a new generation of CPU and GPU, along with an internal SSD, could mean that it could be a little more expensive than we are used to.
However, due to the changing nature of the gaming landscape, Sony may not attempt to make money from the sale of its consoles at all, and may simply introduce it to as many homes as possible, and may be dependent on the sale of gaming after-sales services to generate income throughout the life cycle of each console.
What will the PS5 be like?
A LetsGoDigital report claims to have found a patent application for a console device with a V-shaped design. The website compares the patent application with another similar application from the PS4 in Brazil, as evidence that it could be a patent for the PS5. You can take a look at the patent in the next photo.
The patent application indicates that the designer of the unknown device is Yusuhiro Ootori, Sony’s technical director. The V could be in reference to the Roman number V, which is number five.
Obviously, this could be a design that the company does not end up using. It is indeed very different from the classic design of the PS4, and actually reminds us much more of the original Xbox that had an X-shaped design.
If this is not finally the design of the PS5, some of the conceptual images found on the web may be closer to its final design.
The PlayStation Now streaming service and digital downloads could be enough to remove the discs, so it could also be a more compact device.
Below we show an image of a conceptual design that we have found surfing the net.
What features will the PS5 have?
The PS5 will feature a CPU and GPU made by AMD.
The CPU is based on AMD’s third generation Ryzen series, and will contain 8 cores in the company’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture.
The GPU will be a variation of the Radeon Navi family and will support ray tracing, a graphics technology that allows for a more realistic rendering of the light path within a game, allowing for precise reflections in water and deeper shadows and with greater responsiveness.
Ray tracing technology was originally released by Nvidia with the launch of its RTX cards at Gamescom 2018, and you can see its effects in the following video.
The hardware upgrade most requested by developers and gamers alike is the SSD (Solid State Drive). As the games grow and the graphics improve, more and more of the hardware that stores the games is required.
The event showcased an early prototype of the future console that demonstrated the difference in loading times using the 2018 Spiderman title as an example. The fast travel feature requires the console to load a whole new environment, and on a PS4 this took almost 15 seconds, while on the new prototype console it took 0.8 seconds.
This massive increase in data transfer speed also allows developers to create experiences in which a character can move through a detailed world much faster than is currently possible.
Currently, Spiderman can only move around the world at its maximum belt speed because the console cannot build the world around it faster.
The demo showed a character moving at a speed closer to that of a fighter jet, with pauses to show the detailed world that was being loaded despite how fast the character was moving. This really opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of gambling.
The new AMD chip will also contain a custom drive for 3D audio, allowing for much more immersive audio as you can clearly hear sounds from all directions. This will be available through all speakers, but the gold standard will always be through headphones for the best audio experience.
The PSVR headphones will also be compatible with the new console and, being built on an architecture similar to the PS4, there will be a transition period in which titles will be released on both systems. It will also be compatible with previous versions so you can play PS4 titles on the latest generation console.
It is said that hardware will also be needed, despite the fact that the industry is undoubtedly shifting towards digital delivery methods and even a console-free experience will make streaming video game services like Google’s Stadia.
Will the PS5 offer support for VR (Virtual Reality)?
Sony has confirmed that the RV will be an essential part of its next-gen console, which won’t come as much of a surprise. However, we don’t have firm details on what exactly the strategy will look like as Sony is keeping it firmly under wraps for now.
The current PSVR headphones will be compatible with the latest generation console, so you won’t have to buy a new one. However, we would be surprised if at some point a new generation of headphones did not appear to make use of the new level of hardware that appears in the next console.
Will it be portable like the Nintendo Switch?
One of the other important questions surrounding the PS5 is whether Sony will follow in Nintendo’s footsteps and launch a handheld / home console hybrid like the Nintendo Switch.
There are some precedents, of course: Sony has previously released both the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation Vita, and the latter can even connect to the PS4 and be used as a display and remote control for games.
Still, the disappointing sales of the Vita mean that Sony is unlikely to have much of an appetite to return to the handheld market. Also, the PS4’s current dominance is due in part to its position as the most powerful console on the market – we can’t see Sony making the kind of trade-offs for the specs necessary for the portable form factor to work.
However, John Kodera’s comments from May 2018 suggest that this idea could also be on the table. In an interview with Bloomberg, Kodera said:
“In my opinion, instead of separating portable games from consoles, it is necessary to continue thinking of them [portable games] as a method to offer more gaming experiences and explore what our customers want from notebooks. We want to think about many options”.
What video games for PS5 have been confirmed?
While we can speculate on many PS5 games – God of War 2 seems likely, and surely Spider-Man 2 – there are only two really confirmed so far: Godfall and Outriders.
Godfall, the Borderlands Gearbox publisher’s “looting” fantasy, was announced at the Game Awards 2019 and looks likely to be a launch title, with a “Holiday 2020” release date. It is an exclusive for the PS5 console, without the launch for Xbox yet, but it will also come to the PC. Check out the launch trailer right here:
Outriders is more of a People Can Fly looter-shooter game, but at least it does have a proper gameplay trailer that you can watch, though note that it was captured from PC, not from PS5.