Well this was certainly unexpected. While rumors have been swirling around the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation for some time now, we haven’t seen anything credible. That is, until now.
Sony has highlighted what we can expect from the PS5 when it launches next year (not 2019 confirmed). And in short, it’s shaping up to be a monster as expected. Here’s the low down from lead architect Mark Cerny who was speaking with Wired:
- GPU is a variant of the AMD Ryzen third generation (Navi line) and capable of Ray Tracing. It will also support up to 8K resolution.
- CPU is a new AMD model and will allow 3D audio with no additional hardware.
- It will have a modified SSD and in a demo of Spider-Man, highlighted an area that would take 15 seconds to load on a PS4 Pro. On the next-gen machine, it took less than 1 second.
- It will still have a disc drive and play physical media.
- It will still be compatible with the current PS VR headset.
- It will support PS4 backwards compatibility.
Our Take
It’s great to finally see some confirmed information on the PS5. On paper, it has fans very excited as it seems to correct some of the concerns with the current generation in that the CPUs were outdated and incapable of truly pushing CPU heavy calculations in games. It’s also great to hear about new SSD technology for faster loading, and that physical games will still be accepted as expected. Lastly, we figured it would work with PS4 games as well, but its great to have the confirmation!