Official PlayStation 5 Details From Sony Reveal Backwards Compatibility, Ray Tracing, and More
For a long while, the next generation of console gaming has been largely kept a secret, the respective next hardware from Sony and Microsoft being left to varied speculation and leaks. However, it appears the time for next-generation is almost upon us as Sony has finally revealed the first official details for the upcoming PlayStation 5.
In an exclusive reveal with Wired, a basic rundown of Sony’s new console was revealed by lead architect Mark Cerny, providing an interesting initial peek at its planned internal specs. First and foremost, it was revealed that the PS4 successor will receive upgrades in nearly every capacity, with beefier CPU, GPU, and internal memory in mind for the emerging hardware.
Going a bit into specifics, Cerny confirmed the PlayStation 5 CPU is “based on the third generation of AMD’s Ryzen line” and will contain “eight cores of the company’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture.” In addition, the GPU was confirmed to stem from Radeon’s Navi family, and will feature support for ray tracing, a complex visually-seamless 3D rendering technique that high-end PC users are likely familiar with. According to him, this particular chip is being developed with functionality in mind, as it includes custom 3D audio capabilities that “will redefine what sound can do in a videogame.”
In another move toward innovation, it was also revealed that Sony will also implement Solid State Drives in lieu of the traditional storage of HDD. “The raw read speed is important,” Cerny said. “But so are the details of the I/O [input-output] mechanisms and the software stack that we put on top of them.” While no official hardware spec were provided on this front, it was said that these collective hardware upgrades ran about “19 times faster” than the current PlayStation 4 Pro.
As a likely relief to fans, Cerny also confirmed that support for the current-gen PS4 won’t disappear with the PS5, the hardware featuring a physical disc drive as well as being fully backward-compatible with the current library of games. It was also affirmed that VR will continue to be a focus with the PlayStation 5, and Cerny saying, “the current PSVR headset is compatible with the new console.”
A reveal such as this is likely exciting for anyone who calls themselves a PlayStation fan, especially with the implementation of backward compatibility and upgrades for the PS5. This hardware focus puts to bed rumors of an all-digital future for the Sony brand, at least for the time being. While there wasn’t any price point mentioned, much more is likely to be unveiled as time goes on. However, as Sony currently has no scheduled presence at E3 2019, it might be a while before we get anymore information.
What do you think? Are you excited about what the PlayStation 5 has to offer, or are you just over the moon about backward compatibility? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
