Sony’s long-awaited new console finally has a release window and a familiar name to boot.
The console will be called the PlayStation 5 and it is set to launch sometime during the Holiday 2020 window. In an interview with Wired, PlayStation system architect Mark Cerny said that “there is ray-tracing acceleration in the GPU hardware,” which confirms that the new console won’t just feature a simple software upgrade. Physical games on the PS5 will be housed on 100GB optical disks and the optical drive that they are inserted into will also serve as a 4K BluRay player. That being said, even physical games will have to be installed on the systems Solid State Drive (SSD) due to a speed difference between the optical drive and the SSD.
According to Sony, the SSD’s improved reading does mean that games will take up less space on the PS5, which helps soften the blow of the mandatory installs for physical games. For digital games, Sony’s new console will allow players the ability to download just the single-player experience or just the multiplayer experience if they so choose. Players will still be able to download the other experience whenever they want but this allows for quicker downloads and the ability to play a game faster.
Sony also announced several changes to the controller that will come with the new system. The current rumble technology that has been in use in PlayStation controllers since the PlayStation 1 is being replaced. In its place is a new type of haptic feedback that according to Sony will offer a broader range of feedback. Sony says that with the new haptic feedback, there will a noticeable difference in feeling depending on what game you are playing and what the situation is. For example, if you are crashing a car into a wall in Grand Turismo it will feel different than if you are getting tackled in a Madden match.
Similarly to the DualShock 4, the new controllers have R2 and L2 triggers, complete with new technology that Sony calls adaptive triggers. These triggers will allow developers to program resistance which according to Sony means that players may have to push down with extra force while driving in rough areas and that they will feel extra tension when drawing back a bow. Visually, Wired got their hands on the new controllers, and they say that it looks very similar to the DualShock 4, although Sony hasn’t given the new controllers an official name yet.
In the meantime, Sony has a trio of highly anticipated games in The Last of Us Part 2, Death Stranding and Ghosts of Tsushima, which are all set to launch on the PlayStation 4. For more on The Last of Us Part 2, check out our preview of the game’s first few hours and stay tuned to CGMagazine for more PlayStation 5 news.
