We finally have some concrete information on the next generation PlayStation console, courtesy of Sony themselves, via WIRED. PlayStation 4 Lead System Architect Mark Cerny conducted a very in-depth interview with Wired yesterday and uncovered lots of information fans have been very excited to hear. Cerny is currently working on the next generation console and has been since 2015. The name of the next console was never used but I’m sure we can safely assume it’ll be the PS5.
A highlight is that there will be backward compatibility due to the new system being based on PS4 architecture. This is a fantastic feature that means your gaming library will be transferable. It also means that there’ll likely be a lot of cross-generation games, Death Stranding being a potential contender. The console will also accept physical discs which is an expected but fantastic addition. Another constant between PS4 and PS5 is PlayStation VR. The current virtual reality headset, the market leader in sales, will be compatible with the next-gen system.
In terms of the components, there’ll be an AMD chip with a CPU based on third-generation Ryzen builds and eight cores of the seven-nanometer Zen 2 microchip. A custom version of Radeon’s Navi will be used for graphics and ray tracing will be supported. If anyone can utilize the power of ray tracing that’s Mr. Cerny. Another benefit is the console supports 8K output and 3D audio.
The hard drive is something that I’m very interested in and I wasn’t disappointed. The console will use a solid-state drive, recommended by developers, to open up new performance opportunities. Cerny used the example of Insomniac’s Spider-Man and compared the PS4 Pro version with the version running on the dev kit for the new console. Fast travel load time was 15 seconds on the PS4 Pro, 0.8 seconds on the dev kits. Incredible.
