PS5 release date, design, specs and much more – Sony
The PS5 (or PlayStation 5) is the next-generation PlayStation console, with a release date confirmed for late 2020. At June 2020’s The Future of Gaming event, we finally saw what the PS5 console looks like, as well as seeing trailers for many of its first games, like Horizon Forbidden West, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and a PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls.
The PS5 design reveal was a shock, and it included the surprise unveiling of an all-digital PS5 without a disc drive. It’s another sign that console manufacturers have their eye on a future without physical media. While Sony didn’t reveal the PS5 price or release date, we now know a lot of what we can expect when the PlayStation 5 launches later this year.
In many ways, this was the equivalent of a PS5 E3 conference, and we now have a strong idea of what to expect from Sony’s next-gen machine.
Earlier this year, Sony revealed the DualSense PS5 controller, which includes a slew of impressive-sounding features like haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and a built-in mic. What really stands out about the DualSense controller, though, is its radically different look and space-age black-and-white color scheme, and it turns out the PS5 design has a similar look – this marks a significant departure from its predecessors.
Just as important as the DualSense Controller are the PS5 specs, discussed in detail at Sony’s March reveal event. Lead system architect Mark Cerny provided us with a deep dive into the PS5’s system architecture, revealing the technical inner workings of the PS5. We’ll cover them in more detail down below, but the short of it is that the PS5 is rocking an AMD Zen 2-based CPU with 8 cores at 3.5GHz, 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a custom RDNA 2 AMD GPU that puts out 10.28 TFLOPs of processing power.
When it comes to other PS5 features, we know the next-gen console will have ray-tracing, a super-fast SSD, a built-in 4K Blu-ray player and will be backwards compatible with a huge swathe of the PS4’s game catalogue. It may even have voice assistant capabilities to tell you how long it will take to beat levels. So far, then, the PS5 is living up to the hype, but it’s the games that’ll make all the difference.
Want all the juicy details? Here’s everything we know about the PS5 so far, including the newly-revealed design – and what we hope will be revealed the closer we get to launch.
PS5: KEY FACTS
What is it? The Sony PS5 is the next-gen PlayStation console, replacing the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro.
When will it release? “Holiday 2020” in the US, says Sony, so between October and December 2020.
What can I play on it? Loads of games! They include a new Spider-Man entry, a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel, a Demon’s Souls remake, Resident Evil 8 and much more to come.
Will PS5 have VR? Oh yes. The next-gen console will be compatible with current PSVR hardware, and there are also rumors of PSVR 2.
What will the PS5 cost? TBC. The PS4 and PS4 Pro were both $399 / £349 at launch, but we expect the PS5 will cost somewhat more. Leaks have suggested around the $499 mark.
Can I play PS4 games on the PS5? The PS5 will definitely be backwards compatible with “almost all” PS4 games – earlier generations are still to be confirmed. It will launch with support for the majority of the top 100 PS4 games, according to Sony’s Mark Cerny.
Will coronavirus delay the PS5 release? Sony has confirmed the PS5 release date is not currently delayed by coronavirus, and reiterated the fact that the PS5 is still on course for a “Holiday 2020” release in its end of year financial report.
PS5 DESIGN REVEALED
The PS5 design was officially revealed on June 11, 2020.
When it came to the reveal of the console itself, Sony nailed it – the icing on the PS5 games reveal event, and with a few surprises in store too. Not one, but two PlayStation 5 consoles will launch – a standard edition with a 4K Blu-Ray disc drive, and a slimmer, disc-free Digital Edition.
Both make use of USB-C charging for their controllers, and can make use of a HD camera accessory, alongside a new PS5 wireless headset and media remote.The consoles themselves feature a striking design that’s sure to split opinion.
A curvy mixture of black and white plastics with blue highlight lighting, it’s far removed from the ‘black box’ designs of previous PlayStation consoles. What was not revealed however, were pricing and precise availability, which remain a mystery beyond the aforementioned ‘Holiday 2020’ window.
The digital edition sees Sony moving with what’s increasingly becoming a physical-media-free hobby, banking on players to make use of digital downloads and streaming services rather than buying games or movies on disc-based hardware.
It’ll certainly make swapping games with friends a challenge, as well as trading them in, and gaming stores will likely be a little worried by its presence – especially if it proves significantly cheaper than the main version of the machine. But for those that enjoy building a physical library, the disc-based console remains an option at least.
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