PlayStation 5: confirmed 8K, Ray Tracing, backwards compatibility and physical support

Mark Cerny, one of the heads behind the design of the PlayStation 4, has released a lot of information regarding the new Sony console, the PlayStation 5. Wired interviewed Cerny, chatting about all the shareable information regarding this console described as a new generation.

Everything starts from primary information: the PlayStation 5 will not arrive in 2019, confirming more and more a possible launch in 2020 (probably in November). According to the information released, Sony has worked with many software houses for this console, now releasing the dev-kits quickly, so as to prepare the way for its Ps5. The role of Lead System Architect allowed Cerny to manage the work as he saw fit: for this reason he listened to the feedback of all the developers, trying to produce a machine capable of integrating all the required functions.

It starts from the power: the Ps5 will feature a third generation AMD Ryzen CPU (eight core and 7nm processor, with Zen2 architecture). The GPU will be a custom variant of the Radeon Navi family, and will support technology Ray Tracing. This is the first big step towards a new type of realism, as this technology will allow to reproduce realistic reflective surfaces in real time. Cerny also hinted that Ray Tracing could be used to calculate sonic bounces, giving further realism to the game. The AMD chip also contains a custom unit dedicated to 3D audio, thus greatly improving the sonic result of video games.

Even if there is nothing new about the PlayStation VR 2, it is certain that the VSFR it will be compatible with the console. To add instead a big news will be the solid state memory unit, for friends SSD, which will greatly speed up game uploads. If you don't believe this, you'll be pleased to know that Mark Cerny has launched Marvel's Spider-Man on both PS4 and PS5, giving Spider-Man a quick trip. The loading on Ps4 lasted 15 seconds, the one on Ps5 (or rather, on the Dev-Kit, therefore not as powerful as the retail version) 0,8 seconds. The improvements, according to colleagues from Wired, also seem to be on the management of the cameras.

The PlayStation 5 is also confirmed compatible with the8K (although it ran on a 4K) and will also feature a disc player, averting the end of physical media consoles. Finally, you may have noticed it from the test with Spider-Man, but the Ps5 will be backward compatible (now, for sure, with Ps4). The launch will still be accompanied by a cross-gen period (with games coming out on both consoles), but we are sure that this backward compatibility will facilitate the transition to the next generation.

In short, the dances are open, now the ball goes to Microsoft: welcome to the beginning of the new generation.