What To Expect From The Sony Playstation 5

Wondering what to expect from the sony playstation 5? Sony’s Playstation 4 console has sold over 100 million units making it one of the top selling gaming consoles of all time. With the announcement of the Playstation 5 console’s release on November 12th, 2020, gamers around the world are salivating at the possibilities. Given the state of the world today, a bit of good news and digital escape is certainly welcome. 

Sony plans on releasing two different versions of the Playstation 5 at launch. The ‘standard’ PS5 with an ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc Drive will be priced at $499.

The digital edition (which does not include the Blu-Ray Disc Drive) will be priced at $399. Both versions of the console have the same capability in terms of performance. 

 

What To Expect From The Sony Playstation 5

 

Accessory-wise, Playstation also plans to release PULSE 3D wireless headsets, an HD camera, a Media Remote, and a DualSense charging station to charge the new DualSense wireless controllers. 

Game-wise at launch, the PS5 will have Fortnite, Demon Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Destruction Allstars, Astro’s Playroom, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, and Spider-man: Miles Morales. There are other games scheduled to launch later on in 2021 but the official release dates haven’t been released as of the release of this article.

 

 

Features of Playstation 5

 

With the next gen of gaming upon us, it would be good to know what technological wonders we are in for. Just to summarize, let’s go over the features that will mean the most

 

Ultra-high Speed 825 GB SSD

 

Solid State drive technology is still considered a bit of a premium upgrade in most modern day personal computers. The read/write speeds of a typical hard disc drive are around 150 MB/s. Solid state drives have the capability of reaching between 500 MB/s and 3000 MB/s for some high end models. 

These speeds on the disc drive affect the speeds at which the console is able to load software. To keep it short and simple, these SSD drives on the Playstation 5 will allow for developers to drastically reduce load times and enhance the possible size of games as well. Open world games will get bigger and multiplayer maps will get bigger and more detailed as well.

While these two examples are just the tip of the iceberg of the possible improvements, SSDs are certainly a welcome improvement. 

 

 

Haptic Feedback

 

Haptic feedback in its simplest form is like the rumble feature in controllers. The Playstation 5 looks to improve upon this in the coming generation. Instead of using spinning motors to simulate various sensations through the controller triggers, the PS5 controllers will use ‘voice-coil actuators’. These actuators will allow for more precise sensations to be generated when compared to the old controllers from the Playstation 4. 

How well these work and what kind of ‘next gen’ experiences will come of this feature are a little questionable. Still, Playstation promises that this haptic feedback will be an improved experience when compared to the PS4 style controllers. See also : Top Hacks and Tips For PS4

 

4K-TV Gaming at 120fps + 8K Support

 

While the current gen’s upgraded consoles can deliver 4K resolution, most of the games struggle to reach or maintain 60 frames per second. An expected promise for next gen consoles is to have all games running at 4K resolution and fluid and smooth frame rates that can reach up to 120 frames per second. 

As a comparison to the PS4, the newest PS4 Pro can support 4K streaming and a few games can take advantage of 4K, but only at a max frame rate of about 30 frames per second. 

This feature is pretty exciting for fans of games with photo-realistic graphics. Upcoming games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, or Resident Evil Village will certainly take advantage of the graphical power of the Playstation 5.

Eventually 8K televisions will be available and Sony has assured that the custom CPU and GPU have the capability to support 8K resolution.

 

Backwards Compatibility

 

Every new generation of consoles needs to have something to play upon release so the ability to play games from the previous generation is key. If you buy the standard PS5, you will be able to play just about all of the Playstation 4 games. 

Interestingly enough, the Playstation 4 had access to games that were ported from the PS3, the PS2, and the PS1. The Playstation 5 will not be able to play PS1, PS2 or PS3 original games. There are some remasters that will be digitally available at some point, but the discs themselves will not work. 

Sony has decided to give Playstation Plus subscribers 18 free games on the Playstation 5. These 18 games are basically 18 of the top selling Playstation 4 titles. 

 

 

Some of the games included in this service are God of War, Fallout 4, Mortal Kombat X, Battlefield 1, and The Last of Us Remastered. 

 

Wrapping up

 

From a technological standpoint, the Playstation 5 is a great value for its power. It is understood that Sony always sells their hardware at a loss. The goal for console makers is to make their money back on services and software sales. For example, players that want to play multiplayer online games will need to purchase the Playstation Plus subscription at $60 a year.

There are a few other perks (like 2 free games a month and subscriber exclusive discounts), but the subscription is needed to play online only free games like the ever popular Fortnite.

If you compare the technical specs to a PC, you will certainly spend about twice the amount that Sony is selling the Playstation 5 at. The difference is that with a PC, you will have the opportunity to continuously upgrade as well as have better storage options and a huge PC gaming library.

All in all, Sony stands to set even higher sales records with their new gaming console as anticipation is high. Early pre-orders begin in mid September and most of the shops are sold out. So if you want to be assured of a console come November, you should begin your search now, visit online stores and subscribe to get alerts.

With the supply stream for electronics hampered by the effects COVID-19 delays in production, there is no telling how many consoles will be available for purchase during the holiday seasons.