Sony has shared more details on its upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) console, dishing on internal details without showing the system itself.
While its appearance is still shrouded in specifications, Lead System Architect Mark Cerny outlined its goals for developer-friendliness, supporting full backwards compatibility and in enhancing immersion with player feedback. The PS5 also includes upgrades which aim for quicker loading times than the PS4 “by 100 percent.”
Much of its speeds are owed to a custom AMD processor working with a built-in SSD, moving past the slower hard drives in the PS4 Pro. According to Cerny, the hardware works to put players back in the game as soon as possible with little to no loading screens. The processor includes on-chip ram, giving the PS5’s memory space to load game worlds without overall stress.
“As a player, you wait for the game to reboot, wait for the game to load, wait for the level to reload every time you die,” Cerny said, adding the speeds could even make fast travel and respawn options instant. The speeds also target up to instant times. While Cerny claimed the current consoles can load up to 50-100 megabytes per second, its PS5 will target at least five gigabytes per second.
Another new upgradable addition lets players add their own M.2 SSD expansions to bring their expansive libraries over, but with a catch. Third-party drives have to keep up with the PS5’s five gigabytes per second speeds while Cerny simply told consumers to wait for official suggestions.
The PS5’s custom AMD RDNA 2 processor also benefits from the new clock speeds, sharing some of its specs with the Xbox Series X while sharing slight changes in frequency. Players could also notice a cooler system this time around through power optimization and stronger fans, taking out the PS4’s habit of becoming a portable heater.
Interestingly, this paves the way for enhanced backwards compatibility with PS4 Pro and PS4 titles which are confirmed to be supported for “almost all” games on launch. As with all consoles, the PS5 will contain some hardware from its younger sibling for seamless backwards compatibility “with boosted frequency” while using its GPU for Ray Tracing.
Before the cast ended, Cerny took time to discuss the PS5’s focus on audio capabilities for better “presence and locality” in next-generation games. “But it’s clear that achieving our ultimate goals with audio is going to be a multi-year, step-by-step process,” said Cerny, who hopes their 3D sound works with any headphones and other setups plugged into the PS5.
For PSVR users, the 3D sound is what Cerny described as bonus immersion points. The platform is confirmed to keep going with next-generation support for a number of VR experiences as headsets continue to be sold.
Unfortunately, no glimpses or sizzle reels were introduced in The Road to PS5 presentation.
