The PlayStation 5 (PS5) Thread — Launching November 12, 2020 | $499 Regular, $399 Digital

[JFo]

There's a new article on Wired.com this morning with some more details about Sony's next gen console, including confirmation of its name. Unsurprisingly, it's called PlayStation 5. Since we have an official name for it now, I figured it's time we give the console its own thread.

 

There's lots of good info in the article. Here, Mark Cerny clarifies an important detail how ray tracing is done on the machine:

 

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Before they do, Cerny wants to clarify something. When we last discussed the forthcoming console, he spoke about its ability to support ray-tracing, a technique that can enable complex lighting and sound effects in 3D environments. Given the many questions he’s received since, he fears he may have been ambiguous about how the PS5 would accomplish this—and confirms that it’s not a software-level fix, which some had feared. “There is ray-tracing acceleration in the GPU hardware,” he says, “which I believe is the statement that people were looking for.” (A belief born out by my own Twitter mentions, which for a couple of weeks in April made a graphics-rendering technique seem like the only thing the internet had ever cared about.)

 

No confirmation on the size of the internal SSD, but they did have this to say about it:

 

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However, game installation (which is mandatory, given the speed difference between the SSD and the optical drive) will be a bit different than in the PS4. This time around, aided in part by the simplified game data possible with the SSD, Sony is changing its approach to storage, making for a more configurable installation—and removal—process. "Rather than treating games like a big block of data," Cerny says, "we're allowing finer-grained access to the data." That could mean the ability to install just a game's multiplayer campaign, leaving the single-player campaign for another time, or just installing the whole thing and then deleting the single-player campaign once you've finished it.

 

Finally, the controller apparently looks very similar to the Dual Shock 4, but with an added emphasis on haptic feedback and more subtle rumble effects:

 

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The controller (which history suggests will one day be called the DualShock 5, though Cerny just says "it doesn't have a name yet") does have some features Cerny's more interested in acknowledging. One is "adaptive triggers" that can offer varying levels of resistance to make shooting a bow and arrow feel like the real thing—the tension increasing as you pull the arrow back—or make a machine gun feel far different from a shotgun. It also boasts haptic feedback far more capable than the rumble motor console gamers are used to, with highly programmable voice-coil actuators located in the left and right grips of the controller.

 

Combined with an improved speaker on the controller, the haptics can enable some astonishing effects. First, I play through a series of short demos, courtesy of the same Japan Studio team that designed PlayStation VR's Astro Bot Rescue Mission. In the most impressive, I ran a character through a platform level featuring a number of different surfaces, all of which gave distinct—and surprisingly immersive—tactile experiences. Sand felt slow and sloggy; mud felt slow and soggy. On ice, a high-frequency response made the thumbsticks really feel like my character was gliding. Jumping into a pool, I got a sense of the resistance of the water; on a wooden bridge, a bouncy sensation.

 

 

Like I said, there's lots in the article, but lots we don't know yet as well. Surely, we'll find out more in the months to come.

 

EDIT: For the sake of reference, here's a link to the first Wired article on the PS5 from back in April: Exclusive: What to Expect From Sony's Next-Gen PlayStation.

[Starhawk]

It's happening!

 

[Angry the Clown]

Article confirms 4k optical drive for movies and that 100GB discs, as used for some 4k UHD movies, will be used for physical game releases too. I’m assuming 66GB discs for some games will be common as well. This is great news as it will increase replication and have a knock on effect of driving down costs which should open doors for more distributors wanting to release movies on the format.

I really like that they’re letting press in on some aspects of the system so early.  Very exciting.

 

I’m not sure I’ll be getting one at launch as, assuming it makes use of VRR...etc I’d like a TV that supports such bells and whistles, and I’d love surround sound again having gone this entire generation without it and I’ve no idea when that will be practical or financially possible. Having sold my PS4 earlier this year I’m happy knowing there will still be a number of late gen PS4 games I’ll be able to play (hopefully enhanced) on the new system too.

[Romier S]

Hardware level ray tracing is nice to have confirmed. It’s an ambitious add but good to see. 

 

Im also enjoying the transparency on the reveal of the PS5. They’ve done so without tipping their hand too much on the overall specs. I’m also glad to hear they aren’t messing with a good thing and improving on the Dual Shock 4 design. I remember hoping it would remain largely the same and that Sony would concentrate on adding haptic feedback in the next gen thread....

[Eldorado]

Hopefully we get improved battery life too.  Absolutely no reason to only get 4-5 hours.

[Starhawk]

I was glad to see the speaker was still in the controller and that it's improved. It's a subtle thing that really adds to the depth and immersion for me. Early on I always remember Resogun's use of it and even just picking up blocks in Knack are good examples. Combining this with haptic feedback will be interesting to try out and experience. 

[Romier S]

16 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Hopefully we get improved battery life too.  Absolutely no reason to only get 4-5 hours.

Indeed though the second revision controller is better. I usually get 6-8 hours out of it but it’s still a far cry from the 15-20 I get on the Xbox controller.

[JFo]

31 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Hopefully we get improved battery life too.  Absolutely no reason to only get 4-5 hours.

 

14 minutes ago, Romier S said:

Indeed though the second revision controller is better. I usually get 6-8 hours out of it but it’s still a far cry from the 15-20 I get on the Xbox controller.

 

From the article, the new controller does feature a larger battery (emphasis mine):

 

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Its larger-capacity battery and haptics motors make the new controller a bit heavier than the DualShock 4, but Aoki says it will still come in a bit lighter than the current Xbox controller "with batteries in it."

 

Of course we don't know yet if this means that battery life will be much better on the new controller, but the fact that it is larger should help.

 

One other thing I'm happy to learn -- the controller will charge with a USB Type-C connector instead of the mini-USB on the Dual Shock 4. I wonder if Sony will use USB Type-C on both ends (console and controller) or if the console itself will still use USB A connectors. I really hope it's Type-C on both ends, or a t least includes both option for player who may want to plug in legacy peripherals.

 

You can also turn it into a wired controller when connecting it to the console, like the Xbox One controller.

[Starhawk]

20 minutes ago, JFo said:

You can also turn it into a wired controller when connecting it to the console, like the Xbox One controller.

 

You can do this with the V2 DS4s as well. The interesting thing is the input lag is actually slightly worse than Bluetooth! It's an incredibly small difference, but you'd expect it to be better wired.

[Eldorado]

1 minute ago, Starhawk said:

 

You can do this with the V2 DS4s as well. The interesting thing is the input lag is actually slightly worse than Bluetooth! It's an incredibly small difference, but you'd expect it to be better wired.

Does that hold true on PC as well, do you know?  Wired DS4 on PC is my Rocket League controller and I would be terribly upset about having to switch, but I would switch if it holds true.

[Starhawk]

2 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Does that hold true on PC as well, do you know?  Wired DS4 on PC is my Rocket League controller and I would be terribly upset about having to switch, but I would switch if it holds true.

 

Looks like yes:

 

[Eldorado]

Hmm, guess I'm going to have to experiment using BT on PC and see what differences it makes.  I like to keep my input lag to an absolute minimum for that game.  

[Angry the Clown]

40 minutes ago, JFo said:

One other thing I'm happy to learn -- the controller will charge with a USB Type-C connector instead of the mini-USB on the Dual Shock 4. I wonder if Sony will use USB Type-C on both ends (console and controller) or if the console itself will still use USB A connectors. I really hope it's Type-C on both ends, or a t least includes both option for player who may want to plug in legacy peripherals.

C up front and A round the back might be a fair compromise. One C input at the back for external storage wouldn’t hurt either. So maybe 2 USB-C in the front, and a single C and an A round back.

[Angry the Clown]

Sony have gone so far as to also share information on their social media/website:

 

 

[OldDarth]

It all sounds great.

 

But it all sounds expensive too...

[King of All Cosmos]

Eager to hear learn backwards compatibility. Please play PS4 games. at the very least.

[Romier S]

2 hours ago, King of All Cosmos said:

Eager to hear learn backwards compatibility. Please play PS4 games. at the very least.

 

They’ve already confirmed PS4 backwards compatibility along with PlayStation VR BC as well.

[Romier S]

Famitsu confirmed with Sony that the PS5 will sport a custom AMD “Zen 2” x86 8 core, 16 thread CPU. A huge upgrade over the existing Jaguar processor in the PS4. Puts it closer to the 3700x Ryzen chip.

 

I struggle to see thing coming in under $499. 

[iainl]

23 hours ago, Angry the Clown said:

C up front and A round the back might be a fair compromise. One C input at the back for external storage wouldn’t hurt either. So maybe 2 USB-C in the front, and a single C and an A round back.

I'd assume they'd want to have some A sockets round the back for the PSVR, if nothing else.

[Angry the Clown]

39 minutes ago, iainl said:

I'd assume they'd want to have some A sockets round the back for the PSVR, if nothing else.

Excellent point!

[foogledricks]

What's the prevailing wisdom as to whether either the PS5 or Xbox Next will have a hardware advantage?  I recall from a while ago that it was the Xbox Next that would have the advantage but a lot can change quickly so... and for me it is the SSD that is the most important feature.  Not sure if Xbox will have that.

[Starhawk]

2 hours ago, Romier S said:

A huge upgrade over the existing Jaguar processor in the PS4.

 

Yeah, the weakest point of the current gen consoles was the Jaguar CPU which I think was more of a laptop oriented chip. This should be a huge leap comparatively.

[Angry the Clown]

29 minutes ago, foogledricks said:

What's the prevailing wisdom as to whether either the PS5 or Xbox Next will have a hardware advantage?  I recall from a while ago that it was the Xbox Next that would have the advantage but a lot can change quickly so... and for me it is the SSD that is the most important feature.  Not sure if Xbox will have that.

The next Xbox will also have an SSD. It’s generally believed that both systems will be very similar outside of any custom tweaks to the AMD components that they will each be built around (the “secret sauce” if you will).

[foogledricks]

Given the timing of the Last of Us 2, it seems like they will likely do a next-gen enhanced edition of that game like they did last generation.  Just wonder if it will be a launch title.

[Angry the Clown]

That's actually a really interesting point. MS have unquestionably raised the bar with what's possible in so far as enhancing existing titles via BC is concerned, and with Sony now surely following their lead on PS5 I wonder if that means we will see fewer actual remastered re-releases. Could paid enhancement patches become a thing next gen?