First PlayStation 5 Details Revealed by Sony

Sony is finally speaking more about the PlayStation 5 and its specifics, though details on the new console's release date and its pricing are yet to be announced. What we do know now thanks to an interview between Sony's Mark Cerny and Wired is what some of the innerworkings of the console are made of and whether it'll be backwards compatible or not, but the console will not be shipping in 2019 as some have predicted.

Wired interviewed Cerny, the lead system architect for the next-gen console that'll likely be called the PlayStation 5, and shared details on the device's hardware. A point he wanted to stress was that the console wasn't simply an upgrade, though he did offer some details on what specifics would be upgraded within the console. It'll contain a third-generation AMD chip, a GPU that's a variant of Radeon's Navi series, and it'll also support ray tracing, a feature that's often marketed as a valued feature on the PC platform. Ray tracing has not yet been supported in a console. It'll support 8K graphics and will use still be able to use physical discs.

Another huge feature for the console is that it'll come with a solid-state drive (SSD), an option which PC players have had access to for years but one that's only been an option for console players if they purchase an external device on their own. Aside from providing more storage in an external drive, using a SSD has been known to dramatically reduce load times. Cerny demonstrated the effect to Wired by fast-traveling in Marvel's Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4 Pro which took around 15 seconds to complete. The same action when attempted on the dev kit took 0.8 seconds, Wired reported.

Cerny avoided going into the details of the plans for a new PlayStation VR headset and said he wouldn't be talking about Sony's VR plans, but he did offer some details on Sony's plans for the next console's games. It'll be backwards compatible with the PlayStation 4's catalog, so everyone who buys it will still be able to play their current collection of games. When asked specifically about Death Stranding, a spokesperson sitting in on the interview said the game would be out for the PlayStation 4, though Wired said Cerny's reaction suggested it might be a dual-platform release.

There's no known release date for the PlayStation 5 or whatever it'll be called, but Cerny did say that it won't be out anytime this year.

-----

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we cover the possible new Hawkeye series coming to Disney +, argue if Batman casting fatigue is setting in, we grade WWE Wrestlemania, and so much more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!