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Playstation 5 price, release date, specs? Here’s all you need to know!

VideoTechnology
By Shehzeen Akbar
© PlayStation

Gamers love their consoles, and the new Playstation 5 has been all over the internet lately, especially after its design reveal. Sony unveiled the sleek and stylish design of the PlayStation 5 at the “Future of Gaming” event, which streamed live on the 11th of June, 2020.  Before the event, Sony hadn’t announced anything about the PS5, except for a bunch about the games that it is to offer. After the event, the gaming world was abuzz over the details of the gaming console.

Design of the PlayStation 5

According to Sony, the PlayStation 5 boasts Sony’s “most striking design yet”. Sony has never had the first edition of a Play Station launch in white; this breaks the chain. The look is overall super streamlined, black and white and gives futuristic vibes.

The device is tall, taller than all other previous play stations and Xbox models, but you may also place it horizontally to suit your space. There is a soft black body right in the middle of the console with blue glowing lights from its side, installed on ridges in the body itself. Shelling the main body is a layer of white sheet that will give a pop to your personal set-up if it is predominantly black, and will blend in if it is predominantly white.

The controllers are also white and give a soft, elegant look; a detailed description is down below.

Playstation 5

Play Station 5 will be launched in 2 separate console systems

The Play Station 5 has two systems and the PS5, as we know it, is not going to be released as a solo model, and will be having the release of its other system, the Play Station 5 – Digital Edition, accompanying it. While the PS5 main console has an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, the Digital Edition is all-digital and comes without a disc drive. Absence of the disc drive makes the Digital Edition look alot more streamlined, sleek and elegant. This is, however, the only difference between the two consoles, and was developed as a response to the demand of the consumers who wanted to go digital with their play stations.

Playstation 5

DualSense – PlayStation 5 Controller

The DualSense controllers are a new line of controllers that are an upgrade to the previous DualShock controllers. They feature a bunch of similar traits, and some new and upgraded ones.

Much of the features of the Playstation 5 controller are ones that were already being rumored about. The controller is fairly curvy with changed hand angles and better grip and, as previously mentioned, matches the black and white color scheme of the PS5 console.

Playstation 5

The button set-up is essentially the same but there are a bunch of upgrades which include the adaptive triggers and the haptic feedback system. Adaptive triggers are installed into the L2 and R2 buttons, giving you the feel of genuinely being in the game as you play it. To explain it better, Sony states its purpose as to allow users to “truly feel the tension of your actions, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow.”  About the Haptic feedback system, Senior VP at PlayStation Platform Planning & Management, Hideaki Nishino, in a blog post says, “[haptic feedback] adds a variety of powerful sensations you’ll feel when you play, such as the slow grittiness of driving a car through mud”. The light bar has been split and moved and now, two bars sit on the two sides of the touch pad.

Playstation 5

The Play Station 5 controller has a built-in microphone for better in-game chat with other players and offers a longer battery life. The Share button has been replaced by a new “Create” button which not only offers ways for players to create gameplay content but also to share this content with other users. There’s more about the Create button but Sony plans to reveal it once the PS5 launch date is near.

PS5 Specifications

Moving on to the Play Station 5 specs. The Play Station 5 features quite a few new ground breaking features, compared to the previous play stations.

  • CPU: x86-64-AMD Ryzen™ “Zen 2”, 8 cores/ 16 threads at 3.5 GHz (with variable frequency)
  • GPU: RDNA2-based, 10.3 teraflops, 36 CUs with 2.23 GHz (A lot compared to the 1.84 TFLOPs and 18 CUs at 800MHz of the PS4)
  • GPU Architecture: Custom RDNA 2
  • Memory/Interface: 16GB GDDR6 / 256-bit
  • Memory bandwidth: 448GB/s  (The PS4 only had 176GB/s)
  • Internal storage: Custom 825GB SSD
  • Expandable storage: NVMe SSD Slot
  • Optical drive: Ultra HD Blu-ray™, up to 100GB/disc. The Digital Edition doesn’t have any.
  • IO throughput: 5.5GB/s (raw), 8-9GB/s (compressed)
  • Video Out: 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs, VRR (specified by HDMI ver.2.1)
  • Audio: “Tempest” 3D AudioTech

AMD Ryzen processors recently came out as a competitor to Intel’s processors and they do reflect that they’re worth it as the number of cores and the high-end threadrippers are great for the high quality processing that video games require, especially if they’re in 3D. These CPUs are custom made for the PS5 and are based on the third generation of the AMD Ryzen processors.

The GPU is also custom made for the PS5 and offers 50% better performance when compared to the RNA1 GPUs.

The SSD is super crucial to the PS5 gameplay as SSDs have a pretty fast rate of data transfer and allow for great reductions in the loading time of games and levels etc. Another benefit is the loading of the required data only, and not more data just for the sake of it. This means that the features most needed are the features paid most attention to – for example, it’ll focus more on speed when you want to run and more on loading graphics when you enter a new world.  It also reduces hitching, stuttering or lagging in games, allowing for smoother game experiences. Another plus would be that you would have a better and greater choice in terms of what to install and remove such as games, player modes etc.

The Tempest 3D AudioTech of the console is a technology that balances the audio waves and makes them appear to be coming from all sides. The Tempest chip makes it all possible. Here’s a fun thing: there’s this technology called Head-related Transfer Function which studies the spectral changes occurring as sound waves pass from a certain source to a recipient. It charts the sound sources as it studies the physical cues and localizes the sound waves. This is important for the development of 3D Audios and the Tempest engine is based on HRTF which also requires minor measurements like that of the shape of someone’s head as HRTF varies with different people. This also affects the Interaural Time Difference or the ITD which is the time sound takes to travel from its source to one’s ears. These factors convey the amount of effort that was put into the PS5 audio system to provide the users with the highest quality 3D Audio system. Sony modeled the system by producing audio for a hundred different people and then launched five presets for users to choose from, according to what fits them best.

Price and Release date

For now, all we know about the Playstation 5 release date is that it will be released around the US Holiday season and to quote Sony, it will be “in time for Holiday 2020”. This time period puts up the PS5 in a competition with the XBOX Series X, which will also be launched during the Holiday Season this year, as the official website states.

According to a leak by Twitter user IronManPS5, the release date will be November 20th, and the Play Station 5 price would be $499.

November, being the launch month, does make sense considering how the PS4 was launched on November 15th ,2013 and the PS3 was launched on November 11th, 2006.

Sony hasn’t mentioned a price tag, however, it is expected for the price to go pretty high, and considering the upgrades the Playstation 5 carries it sure does make total sense.  The digital edition doesn’t carry a disc drive, so it will have a lower price compared to the main console. A Bloomberg report estimates the cost price of one console, for Sony, to be $450. This would naturally raise the retail price up to around $500 or more. However, the competition against Microsoft’s Xbox might force Sony to go lower and as the time comes closer, multiple leaks are coming in and multiple retailers are saying things. According to a Canadian retailer’s Facebook page, which is currently accepting pre-orders for the console, the price of the PS5 will be 559 CAD or 410 USD.

All in all, the price and the launch date are still unknown, and you’ll have to wait for a while to see if all this tech and games fit in your budget or not.

The PlayStation 5 Games

More than the design, it is the software and the games that determine the demand of a gaming console and Playstation 5 is going to have a great start as the number of games are the highest ever on a first Play Station launched. Additionally, the games are HQ display with a HQ system and accessories. The games line-up was also announced at the “Future of Gaming” event, and lists a bunch of both first-party and third-party games.

The exclusive Play Station 5 games include:

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

The Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was previously believed to be only an expansion of the older PS4 game, but it was later confirmed by Insomniac Games to be a standalone game.

The gaming experience is to be greatly enhanced, thanks to the haptic feedback system which will allow users to feel the swing, punches, web-shots etc. According to the PlayStation Blog, the game expands Marvel’s Spider-Man with an all-new story.

2. Demon’s Souls

First launched on the PS3 as an exclusive, the Demon’s Souls for the Playstation 5 is a remake. It is, for certain, very mysterious and definitely looks wait-worthy as the trailer doesn’t give off much about the game. The remake is by Japan Studio and Blue Point, and offers “beautiful shadow effects”, according to a PlayStation Blog. The players can choose between two different graphics modes during the game; one of the graphic modes is focused on fidelity, while the other one is focused on frame-rate.

3. Project Athia

Project Athia, a game designed for the Play Station 5 at Luminous Productions, is set-up in a different world and is going to be full of action and twists.

4. Gran Turismo 7

Whether this is a launch game or not is unknown, but this update to Gran Turismo on the Play Station 5 with the DualSense controller is going to be a whole new experience. GT7 is also going to allow you to feel the presence of other cars around you, thanks to the immersive 3D audio offered.

5. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

This game was, certainly, designed with the main purpose to show-off how well and fast the PS5 loads its levels and the intricate details that these levels feature, thanks to the new SSD Storage System. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is also from Insomniac Games and exclusive for the PS5.

6. Horizon: Forbidden West

This sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn features Aloy as she continues her story. This game is definitely the one that has the most users anticipating it. However, this is not a launch title and will be released on the PS5 later in 2021.

7. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Coming from Little Big Planet, Sackboy is a part of Sackboy: A Big Adventure. This is a super immersive 3D game which offers a multiplayer (which is likely to be four-player) set-up. According to the PlayStation Blog, it is a collaborative and chaotic multiplayer fun game.

8. Returnal

Resembling Edge of Tomorrow, this game comes from Housemarque and features multiple alien planets which shift with the player’s death, as death is part of the game. This game gives off a mysterious aura of, hopefully, a great storyline.

9. Destruction AllStars

This game looks light and fun, but is full of action and wrecking vehicles. The game is multiplayer and the trailer gives off the impression that it starts off with all the players loaded in their vehicles and then, very soon, leads to a whole frenzy where everyone fights against  one another to keep their character alive.

10. Astro’s Playroom

Astro’s Playroom comes from Japan Studios and looks like a fun game that will be full of Astro’s playfulness. The game is to have four worlds for players to explore from and features a gameplay that is to be well-suited to the DualSense features. Astro’s Playroom is going to be pre-loaded onto the Play Station 5.

11. GhostWire: Tokyo

GhostWire: Tokyo was announced as a PS5 exclusive at Bethesda’s E3 2019 press conference. The game features Tokyo after a sudden disappearance of the city’s population, as it undergoes an attack by a bunch of paranormal forces. The players goal in the game is to solve the mystery and fight the ghosts. Produced by Tango Gameworks, the game will be launched on the console in 2021.

12. Godfall

This was one of the first games to be officially confirmed for launch on the Play Station 5. Godfall is a game of action where you roleplay as a Valorian Knight and fight through the four elements of earth, air, fire and water to reach and meet your boss. It is “the first-of-its-kind, looter-slasher, melee action-RPG”, according to the Epic Games’ website.

13. Kena: Bridge of Spirits

The game created at Ember Lab, a small studio with a small team, is full of compelling characters who go on story-driven adventures. You play as Kena and play in a new world experiencing and manipulating it.

14. Deathloop

Deathloop is a game of fight between two assassins. It is a multiplayer game from Arkane Studios, in which everytime someone kills you, you reawaken and live the same moment again. The game story bears a similarity to the Tom Cruise movie, Edge of Tomorrow.

Some of these games will later be released for PC, too.

Apart from these confirmed exclusive games, there are some other previously known and played games too that have been confirmed to be playable on the PS5. The PS5 offers backward compatibility with the PS4 which means that players will be able to carry their progress or saved games from PS5 to PS4, and vice versa.

Some of the confirmed Playstation 5 games are:

1. Little Devil Inside

 2. Goodbye Volcano High

3. Gothic

4. Grand Theft Auto V

5. Hitman III

6. Bugsnax

7. NBA 2K21

8. Oddworld: Soulstorm

9. Scarlet Nexus

10. Solar Ash

11. STRAY

12. Pragmata

13. Ghost of Tsushima

14. Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One

15. FIFA 21

16. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

17. CHORUS

18. Cris Tales

19. Destiny 2

20. Dirt 5

21. Dying Light 2

22. Madden NFL 21

23. Outriders

24. Planet Coaster: Console Edition

25. Cyberpunk 2077

26. Quantum Error

27. Resident Evil 8: Village

28. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

29. WRC 9

That’s all that we know about the Playstation 5 at the moment! Let’s wait for more details, and then till the holidays for the PS5 to released!

All Images: © Sony

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