Sony PlayStation 5 buyer’s guide - price, release date, and more - Android
Sony’s next entry in its critically acclaimed PlayStation line of gaming consoles is nearly here! Called the PlayStation 5 — or just PS5 for short — this next console will arrive November 12th and it has some pretty big shoes to fill.
Its predecessor — the PlayStation 4 — is one of the most popular gaming consoles of all time. Sony sold over 110 million units as of May 2020. The PlayStation 2 is the only home gaming console to surpass those numbers, selling over 150 million units in its lifetime.
Surely Sony is looking for a home run with its next-generation console. But will it pack enough punch to woo gamers around the world as the PS4 did? Here’s everything we know about the PS5 so far. Be sure to bookmark this page as we’ll update it as additional information comes to light.
Editor notes: This post was last updated 10/16/20 with details on the PS5’s user experience.
The PS5 is an upcoming next-gen gaming console from Sony. The system will formally be called the Sony PlayStation 5, or PS5 for short. Every prior iteration has adopted that naming scheme, so it’s not a real surprise.
The Sony PlayStation 5 is a massive jump forward from its predecessor, offering more powerful specs and a space-age design. Its main competitors will be the upcoming Xbox Series X and the Nintendo Switch. The latter of these consoles released in 2017 and while a great system, isn’t necessarily a direct competitor.
See also: PS5 vs Xbox Series X – on paper comparison | PS5 vs PS4 – should you make the jump?
The Sony PlayStation 5 isn’t out yet, so it’s really not fair to truly compare it to other consoles for now. Still, it seems fans are very eager for it.
In a recent Android Authority poll, we asked if folks were more interested in the PS5, Xbox Series X, or happy with another platform such as Switch or PC. An overwhelming 61.9% voted for the PS5, out of nearly 15,000 votes.
Sony revealed the PS5 design in full at a June 11 event. The console — as seen in the video above — stands vertically (but can be laid horizontally) and sports a black and white design that matches the DualSense controller. The design event revealed that Sony plans to launch two versions of the PS5 — the standard console and a slimmer Digital Edition that removes the optical drive.
As far as the PlayStation 5 controller is concerned, we got an official look at it even before we saw the console. Sony is calling it DualSense, and it’s the largest design departure from any PlayStation controller to date. Check it out:
Sony
As you can see, it features a new futuristic black and white design. Sony also revealed that the controller touts haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and a built-in microphone array. It also comes with a USB-C charging port, and Sony is replacing the Share button with a brand new Create button, though it has not revealed what it does yet.
Expect to see it launch alongside the PS5 this holiday season with standalone pricing of $69.99.
More: Everything you want to know about the PS5 controller
Sony detailed the PS5’s interface in mid-October, demonstrating how the system’s new UX elements will better serve the gamer.
Like the PS4, the PS5’s user experience still revolves around the PlayStation button on the DualSense. Users tap it on boot to access the user screen. But that’s where the similarities largely end.
Tapping the PS button in-game now opens the Control Center. It’s a side-scrolling but detailed bottom menu system that gives users immediate access to audio controls, friends lists, and more. Activities is the standout addition to the new menu. It’s a set of cards that can shortcut users to particular levels or adventures within a game. These cards also display progress, while some also provide gamers with tips, tricks, and tutorials to help find collectibles or best tough challenges. Sony also demonstrates how these cards can be viewed in a picture-by-picture mode. The Control Center also lists recent screenshots, news from PlayStation, and friends’ activities. Speaking of the latter, gamers can also join voice chats, view other users’ streams, or directly join their game.
Sony seemingly thinks this is where PS5 users will spend the majority of their time.
Read more: Xbox Series X interface: what’s new?
The new home screen is where users will land when first booting the console. It now features dedicated Media and Games pages, which should serve to separate your binging and playing habits. The PlayStation Store is now also integrated into the latter, and no longer a slow-loading app. Each game also gets its own hub, too.
In the video above, Sony notes that the UX is currently in a “pre-production environment,” but it looks pretty slick to us. The firm promised more details will be revealed ahead of the console’s debut.
What’s the difference between the PS5 and the PS5 Digital Edition? It comes down to the missing optical drive and the price tag. The designs are also a little different, due to the missing optical drive. If we’re being honest, the PS5 Digital Version looks a little better, as the bulge added by the drive throws off the device’s symmetry.
Should you get the PS5 Digital Edition over the standard model? If you honestly agree with the following statements, then yes:
If you will never use the drive, might as well save some cash!
Further reading: PS5 vs PS5 digital
In Sony’s recent system architecture deep-dive, the company revealed some details about its new technology and other hardware details about the upcoming console. According to the PlayStation 5 Lead System Architect Mark Cerny, the PS5 will tout some serious improvements over the PS4.
Here’s a complete overview of the PS5’s specs list compared to the PS4’s:
| PlayStation 5 | PlayStation 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz with SMT (variable frequency) | 8x Jaguar Cores at 1.6GHz |
| GPU | 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (Custom RDNA 2 architecture) | 1.84 TFLOPs, 18 CUs at 800MHz (Custom GCN architecture) |
| RAM | 16GB GDDR6/256-bit | 8GB GDDR5/256-bit |
| Internal Storage | Custom 825GB SSD | 500GB HDD |
| Expandable Storage | NVMe SSD slot | Replaceable internal HDD |
| External Storage | USB HDD support | USB HDD support |
| IO Throughput | 5.5GB/s (Raw), Typical 8-9GB/s (Compressed) | Approx 50-100MB/s (dependent on data location on HDD) |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448GB/s | 176GB/s |
| Optical Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive | Blu-ray Drive |
The deep-dive revealed a lot more about the PS5’s future capabilities too. We can expect an upgraded CPU in the form of the AMD Zen 2, which touts eight cores clocked at 3.5GHz. This should provide significant performance gains over the PS4’s eight-core Jaguar 1.6GHz CPU. The PS5’s custom AMD RDNA 2 GPU is also a solid upgrade over last gen’s custom GCN GPU.
This CPU and GPU combination will allow the PS5 to utilize ray tracing acceleration. Ray tracing is advanced lighting tech that can take in-game graphics to a whole new level by more realistically mimicking the way light behaves in an environment.
We also learned the PlayStation 5 will sport a proprietary 825GB SSD, and it will support off-the-shelf NVMe SSD expandability. Not only does that mean users will be able to easily expand their PS5’s storage, but it should also offer faster load speeds, allowing for bigger maps, as well as better system memory management.
Read also: How impressive are the PS5 specs?
The last major thing Sony revealed during the PS5 deep-dive is the console’s new custom AMD compute unit-based Tempest Engine. Using custom Head-related Transfer Function (HRTF) maps, this new tech should allow gamers to experience high-quality 3D in-game audio with even the most basic headphones or speakers. Cerny admitted the Tempest Engine is still in the early stages, and it may take years for it to fully develop.
At launch, customers will be able to select from one of five custom HRTF maps that best fit their sound profile. Cerny hinted at how Sony could expand on this tech in the future.
“Maybe you’ll be sending us a photo of your ear, and we’ll choose a neural network to pick the closest HRTF in our library,” said Cerny. “
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