Early last year Sony's Mark Cerny, the man tasked with leading the team to create both the PS4 and PS5, confirmed that the console will retain its disk drive, but also have a feature linked to streaming as well as new storage that surpasses typical PC SSD specifications. While only a few games have been confirmed for the console thus far, expect the newest editions of Sony's biggest franchises, such as Horizon and The Last of Us to be on their way.
[Sony] will not be attending E3 this year.
In terms of design, we may know more than what’s usually the case for console reveals. Back in August, tech website LetsGoDigital released what they claimed was the patented design for the PS5. However, this turned out to be the development kit, and such pieces of equipment often bear little resemblance to the hardware that reaches customers.
Nevertheless, the leaked image shows a V-shaped console (possibly a reference to the Roman numeral for five) that features multiple USB ports and extensive cooling vents, likely needed to deal with the level of power that the new console will consume and the subsequent heat that will be generated.
The Japanese media megacorp has also confirmed it will not be attending the gaming world's biggest tech and marketing event, E3, this year. However, according to TechRadar, insiders suspect that Sony will release a slew of information about the console around the same time, on their own terms, so as to avoid competing with Microsoft for event coverage.
Fans can also take comfort in the fact that almost all PS4 games will be backward compatible with the latest console, including VR titles. So players can enjoy classics such as Shadow of the Colossus & God of War once more with the improved specs of the new hardware.
Other confirmed specs include 3D audio, an eight-core AMD chipset, SSD storage & 8K TV support capabilities. The controller will also be updated, with the DualShock 4 rumble tech being replaced instead with haptic feedback. This is all supposed to help with player immersion.
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The final design has yet to be confirmed by Sony but, if gaming history tells us anything, it's that the build-up to the release of a new console is just as important as the console itself. Sony won the last round of the console wars, and it appears they’re gearing up to do it again.
Featured image credit: @verge (Twitter)