PS5: GET READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL OF GAMING
It’s been almost seven years since Sony announced the PlayStation 4, and boy has a lot changed since then. More advanced technology, innovative gaming franchises, and the rise of PC gaming, with consumers favoring building their own gaming machines at home. So can the PlayStation 5 live up to the hype, and take the gaming industry in a new direction?
INTRODUCING THE PLAYSTATION 5
Sony’s PlayStation 4 was, without doubt, one of the most universally-praised and popular games consoles ever made. Selling more than 102 million units around the world -
the device reached the 100 million sales mark significantly faster than the Nintendo Wii and Xbox One. But Sony will re-enter the market later this year at a time when the world has changed - where gaming is now always-online and predominantly desktop-based. The rise of games like Fornite has also gobbled some of Sony’s market share - teenagers who previously rushed to buy the latest game on a disc now head to the App Store for their fix.
But all is not lost. Let’s open by saying that the PlayStation 5 is a truly impressive machine. It will be available in two configurations - one with an optical disc drive for movies and games, and a ‘Digital Edition’ without a drive - the latter will be cheaper. Combined with a DualSense controller, the PlayStation 5 takes the gaming and entertainment experience to new heights and promises to be the hub of every gamer’s living room, offering access to cutting-edge games and indeed entertainment content like live streaming, YouTube, and TV applications.
The company’s lead architect and console producer, Mark Cerny, started the hype train
back in April 2019, teasing bits and pieces of the new machine ever since. In March of this year, we were treated to a deep dive into the console’s advanced architecture, which for the first time focused on SSD storage to increase performance. Last October, the PS5 name was confirmed, and at CES 2020 in January, Sony confirmed the official PS5 logo. Since then, we discovered the DualShock 5 controller, and following a delayed live-stream event in the absence of conferences due to the coronavirus, the lid was finally lifted on the console itself.
STUNNING NEW DESIGN
It’s fair to say that the reaction to the new PS5 console has been mixed. Though some have praised the machine’s bold and futuristic design, others have criticized Sony for opting for an Xbox 360-style shell, but the truth is that it’s what’s on the inside that matters. In its unveiling, Sony showed off the PS5 almost exclusively in its vertical orientation, where the white shell looks like a modern catsuit, creating a V to denote that the console is the fifthgeneration - a truly iconic PS5 symbol.
The wide collar on the device is designed to allow air to flow through the console. Rather than hiding this under the grill, Sony decided to highlight the process with stunning blue lighting, delivering on both form and function. Many would agree that the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, which sports a slimmer frame, is the better-looking option, as the disc drive on the larger device looks awkward and out of place. With two slim slots towards the bottom of the front of the console, alongside a USB-C socket, the device has everything you need to add peripherals and a long-awaited Ultra HD Bluray player for cinema geeks and families.
8K VIDEO SUPPORT FOR LIFE-LIKE SHOTS
Where the PlayStation 5 really comes into its own is in performance. The new device will support 8K video, shipping with an AMD Ryzen chip — a 7nm chip on Zen 2 architecture
— and a GPU from the Radeon Navi-family. Alongside that, the device is packed with SSD storage for the first time, which promises fast loading times, huge bandwidth capacity, and impressive graphics that blow the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One out of the water. The NBA 2K21 trailer featuring New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson really paints the picture
- highlighting just how crisp and fluid the graphics really are.
Critics have questioned whether the device - as standard - offers enough grunt for native 8K gaming, and the answer is only maybe. Though simpler games may find it easy to utilize the horsepower of the device, blockbuster titles will need to rely on checkerboard upscaling that is currently being used on the PS4 Pro - but
that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Developers in charge of games like Gran Turismo 7, for example, have already confirmed they’ll only be offering their games in 4K, but as technology improves, more 8K games could be introduced.
It had previously been suggested that Sony would announce a PlayStation 5 with 8K video as standard and higher frame rates to appease professional gamers and film buffs, but that didn’t come to fruition at the launch. Perhaps the company is holding off on its highend device for 2021 to increase sales following an initial sell-out when it launches?