Sony has just announced the PlayStation 5 – or, to be more specific, its “next-gen console”. An exclusive article published by Wired today reveals intricate secrets about what the company has been cooking – and it gives us a much better idea of what to expect. In short, it’s super-powered, already in the hands of developers, backwards compatible, and being designed once again by the PlayStation 4's Mark Cerny.
To confirm: this is not a drill.
According to the system architect, the new device is being designed to deliver “fundamental changes in what a game can be”. It will be compatible with the current PlayStation VR headset, although it seems likely the platform holder will also manufacture a new one. Cerny took time to outline how the new hardware will enhance audio by processing 3D sound.
It sounds like a significant step up in terms of power, supporting 8K graphics, dramatically faster loading with its SSD, and advanced processing techniques like ray tracing. This isn't a full reveal, but we now know a lot more about what PS5 will be capable of.
There's a lot of information to get through, so here's a list of all the key points to take from the report:
- PS5 Confirmed to Be Backwards Compatible with PS4 Games
- PS5 Will Be Compatible with PSVR, Says Mark Cerny
- PS5 Will Innovate How Game Audio Is Processed
- Don't Worry, PS5 Will Have a Disc Drive
- PS5 Will Use a Specialised Solid-State Drive to Dramatically Reduce Load Times and Improve Performance in Games
- Sony Has Been Building PS5 for Four Years Already
- Sounds Like Death Stranding Could Release on Both PS4 and PS5
- Sony Wants to Give Devs Time to Adjust to PS5's Capabilities
- Sony on Google Stadia: We're Cloud Gaming Pioneers
- Mark Cerny Says the PS5's Specialised Solid-State Drive Is the 'Key' to Next-Gen
- PS5 Will Support 8K Graphics
- PS5 Specs Expand to Ray Tracing, Bringing Hollywood Effects to the Home
- Sony Not Yet Ready to Talk About PS5 Price, Games, or Services
If you want to read the full report yourself, have a read of that Wired article through the link. What do you make of all this PS5 information? Are you excited by what we've learned? Prepare for next-gen in the comments below.
[source wired.com]
Comments 91
I don't think we would really need a new system since it feels like they haven't really use the full potential of the PS4.
Glad its compatible with the current VR....
''It will be compatible with the current PlayStation VR headset, although it seems likely the platform holder will also manufacture a new one.''
That's what I was hoping for! Awesome!
Fascinating article, I really do enjoy listening to Mark Cerny talk gaming tech, he really breaks it down so well and helps you understand how the raw tech is applied to gaming in both technical and gameplay terms. Really good to see that current VR models are going to be supported and that the console will be at least backwards compatible with PS4. Everything else I'll take with a pinch of salt - things change. But if we get ray tracing, super-fast SSDs, next-gen VR and cloud computing enhancements? Well, it all sounds pretty blood impressive, doesn't it? The hype starts now.
Outta nowhere
@Xaessya Can't tell if this is sarcasm? The PS4 is great but you only need to play a new AAA release on a top-end PC system to see where its limitations are. The Wired article also goes into great detail about how the new tech can impact game development from the ground up. It's well worth a read if you haven't already.
Sony you absolute mad lads
Ray Tracing and an SSD?!
How much are they gonna charge for the thing?!
I do hope we're getting a 4-hour long livestream with Cerny explaining every detail of the system. Should be an ASMR video!
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
So, finished of the Wired article.
That genuinely sounds mental!
Is this an out of season April Fools joke?
Holy smokes
@get2sammyb "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
Well your the one who's always clamoring for news.
And I'm the one who's always said - you can go back and read my comments somewhere - that some day Dreams would get buried under PS5, so there ya go.
Launching a new console in a Wired article wasn't what either of us wanted though. Maybe Sony was afraid of the X1 SAD getting too much attention ahead of it's May 7th launch?
And we already kinda figured it wasn't launching this year, but is it Feb/March or holiday 2020? Ok, gonna go read now. Catchya later.
wow this is actually real!!!
oh yeah I knew it.word up son
@get2sammyb Are you sure you can't pay @BAMozzy as a part time consultant to cover this stuff?
The CPU is based on the third generation of AMD’s Ryzen line and contains eight cores of the company’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. The GPU, a custom variant of Radeon’s Navi family, will support ray tracing, a technique that models the travel of light to simulate complex interactions in 3D environments. While ray tracing is a staple of Hollywood visual effects and is beginning to worm its way into $10,000 high-end processors, no game console has been able to manage it.
This came out of nowhere, I wasn't ready for this news. It seems exciting so far, I wonder what the price will be.
Insert Stephen Colbert 'Give It To Me NOW! gif right here...
Gravity Rush 3 as a launch title, LET'S GO!
Whoop SSD storage. Worried the price of this beast will be very high! But lets see! Hope Sony havent revealed their hand on some of the specs too early.
A very consumer friendly move with PSVR headsets being confirmed as backwards compatible
@Acquiescence surely “Knack 3” will be their killer launch game? 😉
Also lolz at 8k output. My tv doesnt even have HDR, let alone 4k.
Backwards compatible, to the surprise of no one.
1st April was two weeks ago??
@Rob_230 where did you read the 8k bit?
it's a big article so ofcource my simple mind can't find it
@rjejr Ray tracing isn't necessarily as complex as CGi Hollywood movies would be. Its possible on a GTX1060 which wasn't built for Ray Tracing like a GTX2080 for example. AI for example can be used to predict the path and resulting effects that 'rays' of light would have on a scene - filling in the gaps between the much lower number of rays leave. Movies may have 'millions' even 'billions' of rays and how they interact with materials, how the light bounces off and interacts with other rays etc - all for much more natural and realistic lighting of a scene. Obviously games can't take 'days' to process all those rays because the 'frame' has to be drawn in fractions of a second. What they can do though is send a few rays and predict what the rays in between would have done. Also can use traditional methods of lighting the scene rather than rely solely on Ray Tracing.
Its obvious that the Sony PS5 would have 'spatial' or 3D audio - its something the X offers and is considered the next 'gen' for Audio. The most well known is probably Dolby Atmos which is used for a lot of the 4k HDR movies and offered on Streaming sites as well as Set Top Boxes like SkyQ for example.
I am a little disappointed that a PS5 isn't coming this year. I was looking forward to having that 'power' to enhance the Exclusives on my radar. If it was out before the next Xbox, I would also be looking to play all the 4th Quarter big game releases we see in the run up to Christmas. I can at least play them on X for the advantages that has but given the choice, I would prefer to buy all my games once, and for the 'best' console out at that time. I don't want to buy the big releases before Christmas and then a few months later see them 're-released' for PS5 with all the benefits that console offers. Maybe I will skip a lot of the games and wait to see which (of any) release on the next gen consoles and play them first on that.
Of all the days for my Internet to go down and Sony do this.
And why now?
Going to start putting money away for launch now! All sounds fantastic so far!!
What the actual f? Going to wired now..
I'm just chilling reading news and stuff suddenly sony just drop a bombshell lol
This is not a drill indeed.
@wiiware I spat out my drink when I saw this thing on twitter lol
Yes! Mark Cerny the legend! GIMME GIMME GIMME
Wow, WOW
That came out of nowhere haha
@Rob_230 they say its a custom one and I read recently that SSD and RAM prices had a significant price reduction so maybe sony got a deal in buying in bulk from manufacturers?
One concern I do have, well two actually is that this sounds incredibly pricey, Sony can't afford to be charging near PS3 numbers again and revealing your specs this early gives Microsoft an opportunity to outdo it.
It's why I'm wondering about the timing of all this.
Nice - “still supports physical media; It won’t be a download only machine.”
Also interesting that the article contains a soft (implied) confirmation of Death Stranding being cross generational.
@AdamNovice the timing is mostly likely to put the spot light away from that digital only xbox one that releases next month.
also some outside pressure put on by wannabe contenders such as stadia.
as for pricing i don't think it will be more than 499. they will most likely sell the console at a loss but the sales of games and PS plus etc will make up for that.
@AdamNovice
Sounds all good to me. Will be pricey but reasonably so you can bet.
Perfect no reveal reveal too because it's still a while off and they need to be straight forwards before E3
All great news, but what a terrible way to announce a new console. Why not wait until E3, and announce it at Sony’s own show?
The hype is real!! BC out of the gates too, day one I'll be THERE!!!!
@AdamNovice If microsoft can outdo the specs and still keep the price below PS3 launch Prices then Kudos to them, I mean it can do 8K res, and I haven't seen any 8k TVs outside of electronic shows yet
@AdamNovice
Also don't worry about Ms. They r about to reveal the xb1 Sad 😏
Interesting timing
Woah, what happened while I was eating lunch?
Hope they have found a way to keep things cool, ps4 with its flat box design has awful air circulation and overheating issues, i think with ps5 we will see a taller console almost like a micro pc case
Exciting news. Actually quite relieved this will be backwards compatible. Means I don't need to hold onto yet another console.
So the craziness begins 😝
@jdv95 😀 haha no probs! Its during the section when comparing spiderman between PS4 pro and PS5
"Periodically, Cerny pauses the action to prove that the surrounding environment remains perfectly crisp. (While the next-gen console will support 8K graphics, TVs that deliver it are few and far between, so we’re using a 4K TV.)"
@BAMozzy Thanks for all the info.
"Maybe I will skip a lot of the games and wait to see which (of any) release on the next gen consoles and play them first on that."
Spiderman was my first game where I said I'll wait for the full 4k version and a 4k tv. Rented it from Redbox for my kid for a couple of weekends and played the first hour just to site see as I grew up in the city but I'm still holding out for the full game experience.
Any general thoughts on the CPU and GPU? The article mentioned 8k graphics but I dont' believe it. The article was overall poorly written I thought, like somebody who wants to understand stuff from a journalists perspective but doesn't really from a technology perspective.
"AMD’s Ryzen line and contains eight cores of the company’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. The GPU, a custom variant of Radeon’s Navi family, "
Are we talking X1X power, double, quadruple? Or is that too little info to go on?
@Rob_230 tnx!
yeah i don't think 8k is going to be the selling point.
8k tv's are indeed very rare and they cost a fortune.
4k/60fps will be the target point for most games and MAYBE the top level exclusives wil try to get 8k done.
@Amplified lets hope! I got a new laptop around xmas time last year, and the price difference between a hdd and an sdd was quite staggering - particularly with the ssd often having half the storage capacity (if not less) of a hdd. As you say, hopefully bulk buying and price drops will help! I feel like games are going to be pushing way above 100gb next gen so it feels like a 2tb ssd is a must as a minimum (unless we are being ushered into the horrors of cloud streaming) which thankfully doesnt appear to be the case reading the article
@jdv95 i can just imagine trying to convince my wife that we need an 8k tv now 😂
@Medic_alert
more powerful hardware - better performance
a hardware that can push 8k graphics even at least 30fps on that resolution should have no problem doing 1080p 60/4k60fps right?
and that SSD storage is not just for faster load times, that can also mean better world streaming, or hopefully no more texture pop ins. Basically people are excited about games looking better and performing better than what we have now.
@Rob_230 @jdv95 I've not seen an 8k TV in my local electronic store lol, that 8k is probably just for the extra swag points lol but lets hope for that 4k60fps standard
@Rob_230 i don't even think that you will be able to get to 8k on most games even if you had the tv.
smaller games sure,but i doubt AAA games will get 8k if some big games still struggle with having a stable performance with 4k.unless if it's a huge exclusive on naughty dog levels.
@Rob_230 Well, at least we got a heads up in advance, so we can start Operation Convince now.
@STLamy out of nowhere alright, just woke up to all this amazing stuff..
@Medic_alert well, people just get excited about new things there's no real reason behind them. Just because the people around you are excited for something doesnt mean you need to get hyped up as well, and that doesnt mean you ruin it for them either, if non of the information listed above interests you then nothing about the ps5 will. thats the only thing I can say. cheerio
P.S. didnt I say about games looking and performing better than what we have now? no one really gives a damn about the 8k resolution anyways, having a hardware that can do 8k should at least be able to do 4k60fps. 4K60 thats what matters not the 8k
@Medic_alert
'Ray tracing - so light bounce is going to make all the difference is it?'
Yes it will. Graphics will become more realistic.
'Faster load times? OK cool I guess but doesn't change the game, so far devs don't know what to do with it. And cost concerns for the size of that sort of drive could be an issue.'
Load times are a real pain.
'Backwards compatibility is cool but not next gen.'
Well it is next gen otherwise it wouldn't be backwards compatible. It means you won't lose your catalogue of games.
'Better audio.. OK.'
OK fair one, stick with your mono earphones whilst we all listen in full 3d audio. It's like the difference between listening to your music on a cheap phone and then going to a night club.
As for the 8k comment you already know the benefits by watching normal TV vs HD TV vs Ultra HD TV. Once you have sampled UHD the other viewing resolutions are compromised.
Next gen is not just a small upgrade, it's another huge jump.
@Amplified my jaw hit the floor when i saw all these articles lol
It's gonna cost a million dollars.
@Medic_alert The thing is, people have said this same thing every generation. "It's just better graphics, nothing's really changed", but it's not true. Better hardware gives talented devs more freedom to create more ambitious games that push the boundaries of what we've come to expect from the medium.
I get where you're coming from, but it's the potential promise of games in general taking a step forward that excites people. Yes, we won't get to see this leap in action until the PS5 launches, etc., but again, this happens every generation.
Well, this is a pleasant surprise to wake up to.
@ShogunRok Imagine God of War sequel on next gen hardware................... oh lawd he comin'
I'm ready, Sony. Show me the console and I'll show you the money.
SSD will be a game changer I think, it’s interesting that spider-man swing speed is a little slow because the harddrive can’t render the environment fast enough on ps4.
Says BC with PS4 but wouldn't be surprised if you need PS+ sub to enable it
Going with described SSD will probably mean comparatively low capacity (1Tb) but given increasing game sizes, 2Tb should be the minimum which will be prohibitively expensive
@Medic_alert you just answered your question as to why you're not excited about the next gen hardware.
@Medic_alert I have a 4k TV I never thought I would. 8k isn't much of a stretch after that.
I think initially knowing the PS5 will attempt 8k means for us peasents that 4k 60fps will be almost guaranteed - that's worth celebrating.
Can I also make a point about your above posts if I may;
You are saying that we won't have as big of a jump. Yet this gen we have had the unthinkable happen. True believable VR in our homes for under £300. And this is just the start.
Astrobot is an absolute masterpiece of a game, you haven't played it. If you want to see the biggest jump in games go and buy a psvr.
@BAMozzy I was about to ask where's that guy who writes comments longer than the articles. There he is
Woooh! I can’t wait. This is some awesome news. I wonder if they should have waited for a press conference though. Hmm. If Ghost of Toshima (wrong word) has a suped on version I will be so excited. But these look like great changes.
@rjejr 8k isn't out of the realms of possibility. If you take a game like Fifa that runs at a Native 4k and 60fps on a PS4 Pro (at least Fifa 17 did I think), then a powerful enough GPU could run it at 8k/60. It would need a HDMI 2.1 port to output at that resolution.
That's just a 4x boost in resolution and we don't know how much overhead was spare because the game ran flawlessly. I am not saying you would need a 16Tflop GPU (4x4.2) to get 4x the resolution because advancements in the technology means that you require 'less' computational power to achieve the same results - in other words, what 2Tflop GPU could do 5yrs ago is less than a 2Tflop GPU can do today.
Another aspect of course is 'native' 8k vs some reconstruction (like Chequerboard) 8k. A native 4k game on a Pro could for example use CB to reach 8k in the same way Native 1080p on a PS4 can use CB to deliver '4k' H:ZD, GoW for example. Both of those games are essentially running at 2x1080p and using the last frame(s) to fill in the other 50% of the image.
As the PS5 is said to support 8k, it doesn't necessarily mean that ALL games will be able to run at a Native 8k. No doubt some of the less complex (indie games for example) could run at a 'native' 8k where as a more demanding title may run at 2880p (4x 1440p) and be upscaled internally before outputting. Some may use reconstruction methods too.
It 'could' work much like the Pro does now. If you have a 4k TV, it runs like the Pro does for 1080p - either super-sampling 'higher' resolution games down - even if its 2500p (like a 1250p game may do on the Pro) If connected to an 8k display, games could run at significantly lower res (like Pro games do on a 4k TV) or use some of the methods I mentioned above. You could see some games locking to native 4k if you opt for that and turn off super-sampling and get the 'best' frame rates - like RDR2, the Last Guardian, KH3 etc does on a Pro if you select 1080p and turn off super-sampling.
Point is, saying a console 'supports' 8k doesn't necessarily mean ALL games will run at 'Native' 8k much in the same way the Pro 'supports' 4k but rarely do you see native 4k games.
Not all games are created equal, have the same demands on the GPU so building a 'console' that is targetting 4k, may well be looking at hitting native 4k on the most demanding games on the market. A game like the Witcher 3 for an example, may run at a native 4k and 60 fps on a PS5 (at least lets say that is the target). That would require a GPU to be say 8x as powerful as a PS4 as its 4x the 1080p resolution and double the frame rate - 4 x 2 = 8. However, GTSport runs at 1080p/60 - so to get that to native 8k, you only need 4x the power - half of the power needed to get the Witcher 3 to run at 4k/60. That would mean that the other half of 'unused' potential can be used to 'double' the frame rate (120fps - possible with HDMI2.1) or Double the resolution again (somewhere around 3100p) which could be super-sampled down for 4k TV owners or upscaled for 8k TV owners.
As you can see, some games may have a LOT more overhead to run at higher resolution than others, as well as have alternative techniques to output a game at 8k - even if they are not 'native' 8k OR running at resolutions above 8k - it could just be a 4k game internally upscaled before sending an '8k' picture - the XB1s does that with games as low as 720p - its internally upscaled by the video out section so a TV is receiving a 4k image despite the fact that the actual gaming hardware (GPU/CPU/RAM) is only running the game at 720p. The 'S' still supports 4k though because it has 4k media player, 4k streaming apps and outputs content at 4k regardless of how its running in the gaming part.
Supporting 8k and running games at a Native 8k are different!
Bloody hell. You turn off your internet for 5 minutes...
@BAMozzy "Supporting 8k and running games at a Native 8k are different!"
Well I know that much. My first thought when reading the Wired article was that the PS5 would support 8k vid streaming from NetFlix, not necessarily native 8k games. But you're right, having a console that can run 8k games isn't the same as running games at 8k, it just may mean the console can run games better, such as faster frame rate, at 4k. Or output 4k games at 8k, checkerboard or otherwise.
A lot to take in today. And I'm about to go try and download Dreams for my kids, and myself, then do some yardwork, was prepared for a PS5 unveiling. And so not ready for 8k of any kind. TV, streaming, gaming, any of it. Proper 4k and good HDR w/ some of that funky ray trace lighting stuff - don't worry, @NintendoFan4Lyf already covered that in depth - should last me through this console gen.
Mind. Blown 🤯
Sounds like that will cos a few quid though!
I just want to know one thing.
When can I Pre-order?
I know that some TV's have speakers right behind the display and wondered if the talk about audio was referring to that to help create that sense of presence they go on about. or whether we'll only see headphones give the same experience tied into the VR.
They're probably waiting till they have a strong launch line-up before deciding on a date.
What the hell? A wired article gets the drop on PS5? Weird decision.
Hope we get a proper reveal like we had for PS4.
This is all so random!
loving the sound of this cannot wait to get my hands on the Next PlayStation 👍👍🙂
@Medic_alert
You need to read the source report from wired.
The way Cerny insist SSD is the big deal and how the demo flies through the map should give you a hint that's not about just prettier graphics.
I'm guessing 8k support might just mean upscaling and being future proof. It's a good sign instead of the usual true 4k pr talk.
@Sinton think you are confused that was a tech talk, not a console reveal at a tech savvy website how this works.
@Medic_alert
I mean he just showed the difference in real time with a real game.
Of course theres a lot of more depth for devs to work on.
Sony can you give us 60fps(at least) as standard please before you even think about giving us RT,thank you.
Geez, I go away for work on one day and this happens.
Wow. That came out of nowhere. Really pleased to hear the backward compatibility confirmed.
Slow news day? ...... JK OMGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!
Specs sound remarkable but as long as Japanese game censorship is still their priority, i'm taking a hard pass on the PS5.
Hyped. I love my PS4 Pro and am excited for a few games, but I'm pretty tech savy and would love a console that can run all games at a native 4K with HDR. 2020 is going to be awesome.
Day one, if God wills it.
Hopefully this releases around Late 2020, so I can buy it for $250-$300 New or cheaper during Holiday 2024 sales.
Did not see that coming, very pleased to hear about the BC, and I like how they are keeping the disk drive, I think the duel 4 and 5 releases initially is a very good thing as well.
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