Sweet Potato

Saturday, August 8, 2020

August 08, 2020
0 Comments

Xbox Series X release date, specs, design and news for the new Xbox

The Xbox Series X is Microsoft's next-generation console, and its release date is coming in late 2020.

We've already seen the Xbox Series X's design, know some of the Xbox Series X games we'll be getting our hands on when the console releases later this year, which includes the likes of Halo Infinite and Hellblade 2, and have ample information on backwards compatibility and how cross-gen game ownership will work under the new Smart Delivery feature.

While we still don't have confirmation of the Xbox Series X price or release date (though recent a report points to a November release), we do know a lot about what to expect when the new Xbox launches later this year.

We know that the Xbox Series X design is a blockier style than we've seen in previous Xbox consoles, making it look similar to a small gaming PC. But, more importantly, we know what's inside the console, thanks to Microsoft giving us the Xbox Series X's full specs - and we can say for sure that the new Xbox is going to be an absolute powerhouse. While we cover these in more detail down below, the short of it is that the new Xbox is rocking an eight-core AMD Zen 2 processor running at 3.8GHz and a custom RDNA 2 AMD GPU that puts out 12 TFLOPs of processing power, as well as 16GB of GDDR6 memory.

When it comes to other Xbox Series X features, we know the next-gen console will have ray-tracing, a super-fast SSD, and potential 8K capabilities, while also being backwards compatible with four generations of Xbox games.

Want all the juicy details? Here's everything we know about the Xbox Series so far - and what we hope will be revealed the closer we get to launch.

XBOX SERIES X: KEY FACTS

What is it? Xbox Series X will be the next-gen Xbox console.
Xbox Series X release date: "Holiday 2020" - but likely November.
What can I play on it? Loads of games! Including Halo Infinite, Hellblade 2 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, with much more to come.
What will the Xbox Series X cost? No prices yet, and we're not expecting it to be cheap. But Microsoft has said it won't be making the same pricing mistakes as last generation so perhaps we'll be pleasantly surprised.
Can I play Xbox One games on the Xbox Series X? Yep! All previous generations of Xbox games will be playable through backwards compatibility.
Is the Xbox Series X better than PS5? It's still unclear but you can check out all the key similarities and differences in our PS5 vs Xbox Series X comparison piece.
Will the Xbox Series X support Xbox One accessories? Yep! Microsoft has confirmed all existing Xbox One accessories will be supported on Xbox Series X.
Will Xbox Series X have VR? Microsoft has confirmed Xbox Series X won't have VR at launch, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer saying the company is waiting until Xbox VR is a "no-brainer".
Will coronavirus delay the Xbox Series X release? It doesn't look like this will be the case as Microsoft is citing the same release window.

XBOX SERIES X RELEASE DATE

Microsoft has given the release window of "Holiday 2020" for the new Xbox - which means we'll likely see the Xbox Series X release worldwide between October and December this year. The new Xbox will release worldwide in this window, including in Japan where the Xbox brand has previously had poor sales.

We've always been expecting the Xbox Series X to release sometime in November as, historically, that's when Microsoft has released its consoles. But now we may have had confirmation this is the case. Dina Bass of Bloomberg tweeted the following, where Microsoft's CFO Amy Hood appeared to confirm the console was coming in November:

When asked further about it, Bass elaborated on Hood's response. "It was in response to a question from me and I said 'new console' and 'November holidays.' Her answer was the single word 'yes.'" That seems fairly airtight, at first glance, but then again November was never going to be much of a surprise.

Previously, we'd learned it's possible that the Xbox Series X release date could be November 26, 2020 (AKA Thanksgiving in the US) as an image stating the Xbox Series X is "coming Thanksgiving 2020" (shown above) appeared on a number of product pages around the world briefly before being reverted back to the previously announced Holiday 2020 release window.

A Microsoft spokesperson responded to TechRadar to clarify, saying: "An Xbox product page in some regions inaccurately listed the launch date for Xbox Series X as Thanksgiving 2020. We are committed to launching Holiday 2020.”

But this "Holiday 2020" release window was not always the case. According to Thurrot’s Brad Sams, who is a known industry insider when it comes to Microsoft news, the original release date for the Xbox Series X was reportedly set for late August, but was ultimately scuppered by the Covid-19 outbreak.

XBOX SERIES X PRICE

Microsoft won't be pinned down on an Xbox Series X price point quite yet, but analysts have predicted the new Xbox will cost roughly $499 / £449 / AU$749 - but this is still speculation.

It's not particular surprising Microsoft hasn't committed to an Xbox Series X price yet, given what a sore spot the price of the Xbox One was for fans. At launch, the original Xbox One cost a whopping $499 / £429 / AU$599, which was quickly reduced when Microsoft realized people weren't forking out.

Microsoft has at the very least promised that it's learned from this pricing mistake, with Phil Spencer stating that this time "we will not be out of position on power or price.” That doesn't mean that the new Xbox will be cheap, mind you, it just means the price point will be better aligned with the console's power and the price points of the competition.

Price will at least in part be determined by the cost of the components going into the console: Xbox Series X is going to be a lot more powerful than either the Xbox One Sor Xbox One X, and that will likely mean we're looking at an even higher price tag on any bundles and Xbox Series X pre-orders.

It looks like we won't have long to wait until we get a confirmed Xbox Series X price, with rumors suggesting we could get pricing information in August. Considering a Microsoft partner confirmed in a text to customers that Xbox Series X pre-orders will "open soon", an August price reveal seems likely.

Historically we've seen both Microsoft and Sony reveal their console pricing around June or July, but this time things are a bit different. The hot topic of pricing has many on the edge of their seats, as we see just how powerful the PS5 and Xbox Series are, and wonder how expensive the technology will be.

However, it does look like the Xbox Series X could be cheaper than the PS5. Sony Interactive Entertainment's president and CEO Jim Ryan has hinted that the PS5 might not have the 'lowest price' in battle against Xbox Series X

In a wide-ranging interview with GamesIndustryBiz, Ryan addressed speculation around the PS5 cost. While not revealing the price, Ryan suggested the PS5 price could be a significant hit on gamers' savings, and certainly not committing to beating the Xbox Series X on price.

Speaking on whether the potential for a Covid-19-related recession will affect sales of the PS5, a high-value gadget, Ryan said:

"I think the best way that we can address this is by providing the best possible value proposition that we can. I don't necessarily mean lowest price. Value is a combination of many things. In our area it means games, it means number of games, depth of games, breadth of games, quality of games, price of games... all of these things and how they avail themselves of the feature set of the platform."

It seems like we're currently in something of a standoff, with both companies waiting to see what the other will price its next-gen hardware at - possibly so they can undercut each other. It looks like Sony and Microsoft will be waiting until the last possible moment to set their pricing, with plenty of time before then to make adjustments. Still, enough time will need to be set aside before the consoles release between October and December for people to get those pre-orders in.

XBOX SERIES X SPECS

CPU: 8x Cores @ 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz w/ SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU
GPU: 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU
Die Size: 360.45 mm2
Process: 7nm Enhanced
Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 w/ 320b bus
Memory Bandwidth: 10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s
Internal Storage: 1TB Custom NVME SSD
I/O Throughput: 2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s
Expandable Storage: 1TB Expansion Card (matches internal storage exactly)
External Storage: USB 3.2 External HDD Support
Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive
Performance Target: 4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS

We now know what Xbox Series X looks like and what it's packing under the hood, and it's going to be an absolute beast of a console. The new Xbox's gaming PC design is pretty apt, considering the next-gen console's internal hardware is comparable to one - so make sure you check out our Xbox Series X spec analysis.

Digital Foundry analysis
The folks over at Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry got a close look at the hardware and, alongside Microsoft, announced the hardware that will be powering the Xbox Series X. According to Digital Foundry, the specs confirm that the Xbox Series X will indeed be twice as powerful as the Xbox Once X… in practise.

Digital Foundry saw an unoptimized version of Gears 5 running on the Xbox Series X running at the equivalent of ‘Ultra’ graphics settings on PC, and it comes with enhanced shadows and ray tracing. Where the cut scenes ran at 30FPS on the Xbox One X, Digital Foundry reported that on the Xbox Series X, it runs at a ‘flawless’ 60FPS. Also, this is an early port – on release we should see even better results.

As expected, the Xbox Series X processor is built into a custom Project Scarlett SoC (System on Chip), which uses an enhanced version of TSMC’s 7nm process. That seven nanometers is important. The smaller the process, the more efficient the chip can be. That means it can provide more performance for less power.

Making sure the chip inside a games console can perform well without using lots of power (and getting hot) is incredibly important. Based on the prototype hardware Digital Foundry seen, the Xbox Series X reportedly ships with a 315W power supply - delivered internally but the console is also equipped with parallel cooling architecture, allowing cool air in and letting that cool air stream through separate areas of the console.

A custom processor and graphics card from AMD
The processor is a customized AMD Zen 2 CPU with eight cores and 16 threads, with a peak speed of 3.8GHz, and a base speed of 3.6GHz.

As Digital Foundry reveals, these frequencies aren’t completely locked, which suggests the Xbox Series X could adjust the power of the CPU based on workload and thermals. So, if you’re playing a game that needs a lot of processing power, the Xbox Series X can give its CPU a boost, and then slow it down when you don’t need it.

Meanwhile, the GPU of the Xbox Series X is also a custom design with 12 teraflops of compute performance, with 3328 shaders allocated to 52 compute units, and runs at a locked 1,825 MHz. Interestingly, there’s no boost clocks for the GPU. It will always run at that speed.

The Xbox Series X also uses AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, and offers ray tracing for photo-realistic lighting. What does this mean in the real world? It seems the Xbox Series X will have the graphical power acquirement to a gaming PC with an Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics card. So, a very capable device indeed, but maybe not able to compete with the most powerful gaming PCs.

More memory for a smoother experience
The Xbox Series X also gets 16GB of GDDR6 memory – an upgrade from the Xbox One X’s 12GB GDDR5. That won’t all be used in games, however. Games will get a total of 13.5GB – 10GB of GPU optimal memory and 3.5GB of standard memory, while the remaining 2.5GB is reserved for the operating system, so the user interface of the Xbox Series X should run a lot faster.

The faster GDDR6 memory should also offer a big leap in performance. Match that with a super-fast NVMe SSD, and the Xbox Series X should feel very spritely when used.

8K capability
Despite 4K being the aim, Microsoft has said the Xbox Series X has 8K capability. Phil Spencer even changed his Twitter profile photo to (what appeared to be) a picture of the next-gen Xbox Series X's processor. It said 'Project Scarlett' on it (the codename for next-gen Xbox consoles), and was marked with '8K' (pictured above), suggesting Microsoft plans on doing more than simply talking the talk when it comes to 8K.

Variable Rate Shading
Microsoft is aiming to get Xbox Series X games to run at 60 FPS in 4K, calling the challenge a "design goal". The console will support up to 120 FPS too. The Xbox Series X will also feature Variable Rate Shading, which prioritizes effects on different in-game characters and objects for a "more stable frame rate and higher resolution", according to Microsoft.

Velocity Architecture
Made of of four key components, a custom NVME SSD, hardware accelerated decompression blocks, a brand new DirectStorage API layer and Sampler Feedback Streaming (SFS), Velocity Architecture will allow the Xbox Series X to deliver performance beyond its raw specs, virtually eliminating loading times, reducing game file sizes and allowing for the creation of bigger, more immersive, game worlds. In addition, it's the key to the Xbox Series X's Quick Resume feature, which allows players to seamlessly jump back into where they left off in a game.

Seagate expandable storage
The Xbox Series X Seagate expansion card looks like a cross between an external hard drive and USB thumb drive, and it’s designed to be plugged directly into the proprietary port on the back of the Xbox Series X console. While we don’t love proprietary ports, this looks like it’ll be used so that the speeds of the Xbox Series X expansion card match the speeds of the internal SSD inside the Xbox Series X. This means that, when playing games from the expansion card, there won’t be any impact to performance, which would happen if you used a slower external USB hard drive.

The Seagate website explains how this could be used with the Quick Resume feature of the Xbox Series X – where gamers can switch between games instantly without having to load the games again. It seems that switching between games on the internal SSD and the expansion card will be seamless (though you need to buy the expansion card separately).

The Seagate expansion card's flash memory is custom PCIe Gen4x2 NVMe with a capacity of 1TB.

Ultrawide support
Not only will games look better, they could be bigger. In an interview with PCGamesN, Samsung revealed that it's talking with Microsoft and pushing the gaming behemoth to adopt ultrawide support for the Xbox Series X.

Super-fast SSD
The Xbox Series X will make good use of having an SSD – a 'Quick Resume' feature for the console will let you "almost instantly" continue with multiple games, without the need to sit through load screens.

Improved latency
Microsoft also aims to improve latency through features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). According to Microsoft, "ALLM allows Xbox One and Xbox Series X to automatically set the connected display to its lowest latency mode". While "VRR synchronizes the display’s refresh rate to the game’s frame rate, maintaining smooth visuals without tearing". These features aim to minimize lag and make gaming more responsive.

However, don't expect video to do the Xbox Series X's power justice. Xbox boss Phil Spencer believes that it’s been challenging to demonstrate just how much of a leap Xbox Series X will be over Xbox One, as faster and more stable frame rates aren’t something that really comes across in videos.

Speaking to ex-Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-aime on his new podcast (thanks, GameSpot), Spencer lamented the fact that gamers might not appreciate the power of Xbox Series X just yet.

"One of the things I've talked about publicly ... but it's hard to come across, is the way it feels to play games on a box where frame rates are higher, frame rates are more stable," Spencer explained. "The fluidity of it, showing that in video form, is just impossible. How do you show how something feels?"

Backwards compatibility with Xbox One accessories
Microsoft has also confirmed that all your current Xbox One accessories will work with Xbox Series X, including existing controllers and headsets. But we'd doubt that also includes the ill-fated Kinect motion tracker.

That means that the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 will be forward compatible with Series X, but Microsoft is also launching a next-generation wireless controller to accompany the new console.

XBOX SERIES X DESIGN

Xbox Series X has a completely different design to its predecessors. For a start, the next-gen console has an upright tower design - similar to that of a gaming PC. However, Microsoft has confirmed Series X can sit horizontally or vertically.

From what we've seen so far, the console is black with slightly indented cooling vents on the top (with what seems to be a green light inside). The Xbox logo sits small on the top left hand corner of the console and there's still a disc drive - which is placed vertically on the left hand side also.

The Xbox Series X has the following ports: HDMI 2.1 output port, three USB 3.2 ports, one networking port, an expanded storage slot and a power input port.

The console reportedly measures 15.1cm x 15.1cm x 30.1cm and weighs 4.45kg/9.8lbs.

XBOX SERIES X CONTROLLER

Microsoft is releasing an Xbox Series X controller to accompany its next generation console. The new Xbox Wireless Controller will apparently be more accessible to everyone, as Microsoft has made an effort to refine the size and shape.

This shouldn't be too surprising to anyone that's been following the tech giant, as it's been making waves for accessibility in gaming for a while now with products like the Xbox Adaptive Controller. Along with enhanced accessibility, we'll also be getting a dedicated share button (finally) that will let you share screenshots and videos with your friends.

Microsoft has also revealed that it is optimizing latency in the "player-to-console pipeline" starting with our Xbox Wireless Controller, through a new feature called Dynamic Latency input. According to the company, this feature "synchronizes input immediately with what is displayed", making controls "more precise and responsive".

XBOX SERIES X: WHAT WILL I BE PLAYING?

We now have a pretty good idea of the Xbox Series X games we'll be getting our hands on when the new Xbox releases later this year. On May 7, Microsoft revealed a roster of third-party games coming to the new Xbox including Dirt 5, Scorn, Madden 21 and more. Then on July 23, we got a good look at first-party Xbox Series X games including a new Fable, Obsidian RPG Avowed and our first look at Halo Infinite gameplay.

Between these announcements, we've also had confirmation of a host of other Xbox Series X games we'll be getting our hands on. For a full look at the dozens of Xbox Series X games that have been confirmed so far, check out our full Xbox Series X games round-up.

But what else do we know about Xbox Series X games so far? During the Xbox Series X's official reveal, Phil Spencer said Series X games will be "more lifelike, immersive and surprising" and that the Xbox Series X will "lead us into the future of gaming". He also stated that 15 Xbox Game Studios are building a huge next-generation library that includes Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga and Halo Infinite.

Not a Halo fan? Don't worry, Xbox Series X will be capable of four generations of backwards compatibility - with the feature available from launch. That means the Series X will be able to play existing Xbox One games like Destiny 2 as well as backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. Not only that, but these games will "play better than ever before" thanks to Microsoft's new HDR reconstruction technique and the Xbox Series X's Quick Resume feature - without requiring additional work from developers.

In addition, the Xbox Series X's powerful specs will enable select backwards-compatible titles to run at higher resolutions or double the frame rate.

Not only is Microsoft doubling down on backwards compatibility, but the company is also introducing a new system called Smart Delivery to the Series X that, in some respects, could be seen as forwards compatibility.

With the Xbox Series X, Smart Delivery will seemingly ensure that you have the right version of a game, no matter which Xbox console you’ve bought it on, allowing users to upgrade compatible games to next-gen versions for free through the program. Not only that but save data will be able to be carried backwards and forwards between the Xbox Series X and Xbox One, allowing players to pick up and play on both current-gen and next-gen consoles. We already know some of the games which will utilize this feature, including Cyberpunk 2077.

We also know that Microsoft's game-streaming service Project xCloud will be out of public testing by the time Xbox Series X releases (with the service officially launching in September) so we should be able to enjoy Series X games on-the-go.

For those who aren't quite sold on upgrading to Series X quite yet, but still want to check out the best upcoming games, Microsoft has stated that there won't be Xbox Series X exclusive games for at least a year and, for the foreseeable future, new games are planned to work across the Xbox family of devices. That means you'll still be able to play them on Xbox One.

WHAT ABOUT XBOX SERIES S?

The Xbox Series S (codenamed 'Project Lockhart') is the rumored cheaper, digital-only alternative to the Xbox Series X.

Whether the new Xbox will actually be called the Xbox Series S is up for debate, but it shouldn't be long until we find out more. Reports have suggested that Microsoft will reveal this digital-only next-gen console sometime in August.

There has been speculation for some time that Microsoft is working on a lower-cost next-gen Xbox console, to sit just below the Xbox Series X. This disc-less, next-gen Xbox is rumored to be substantially more powerful than the (now discontinued) Xbox One S All-Digital console, and will allegedly come with both a solid-state hard drive and a faster CPU than any current game console – with developers reportedly likening its performance to that of the PS4 Pro.

Microsoft has previously confirmed the Xbox Series X will belong to a family of consoles, much like the Xbox One, but the company has yet to officially confirm that the Xbox Series X is in the works.

August 08, 2020
0 Comments

Horizon Forbidden West release date, PS5 exclusivity, trailer, and everything we know so far

Game

Horizon Forbidden West release date, PS5 exclusivity, trailer, and everything we know so far.

Horizon Forbidden West is the long-awaited sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, and it looks phenomenal. Debuted at the PS5 Future of Gaming event on June 12, it proved developer Guerrilla is making the most of the PS5 specs to create an impeccably detailed world, and hinted at the new locations Aloy will get to explore.

Horizon Forbidden West release date

The Horizon Forbidden West release date is scheduled for 2021, and that's all we know for now. Guerilla revealed the broad release window in a follow-up dev diary, but we don't have a day or even a month to plan for just yet.

Horizon Zero Dawn was released on 28 February 2017, three years and change after the PlayStation 4, but it's unlikely we'll see the same gap for the sequel. As one of PlayStation's flagship exclusives, we can't imagine it will lag too far behind the PS5's Holiday 2020 launch.

Horizon Forbidden West is a PS5 exclusive

At least for now, if you want to play Horizon Forbidden West when it's released, you'll need a PS5. Though it's worth noting that its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, is getting a PC release this year.

"Yes, I can confirm that Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to PC this summer", PlayStation Worldwide Studio head Herman Hulst wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "There will be more information coming from Guerrilla, from the new studio directors [Michiel van der Leeuw, JB van Beek, and Angie Smets] pretty soon."

But that's a long wait for PC players, and there are no guarantees Horizon Forbidden West will follow the same path.

"To maybe put a few minds at ease, releasing one first-party AAA title to PC doesn’t necessarily mean that every game now will come to PC," Hulst continued. "In my mind, Horizon Zero Dawn was just a great fit in this particular instance. We don’t have plans for day and date [PC releases], and we remain 100% committed to dedicated hardware."

"With the PS5's SSD, there will be virtually no loading screens," game director Mathijs de Jonge said in a recent dev diary, echoing sentiments from system architect Mark Cerny as well as several other PS5 developers. "In an open-world game like Horizon Forbidden West, if you open up the map and fast travel from one end to the other, or restart from a checkpoint, it will be super fast. When you boot up the game, you're right there in the action."

Horizon Forbidden West story

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Guerrilla shared a teasingly vague synopsis for Horizon Forbidden West.

"Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy’s story as she moves west to a far-future America to brave a majestic, but dangerous frontier where she’ll face awe-inspiring machines and mysterious new threats."

In a separate video, game director Mathijs de Jonge confirmed that the Forbidden West itself stretches from Utah to the Pacific coast, making for an in-game map that's "a bit bigger" than the ranges of Horizon Zero Dawn.

Aloy heads to the Forbidden West to uncover the cause of a strange crimson blight which is killing off plants, animals, and tribes, not to mention turning the local weather into a non-stop superstorm. She'll meet new tribes - including a hostile tribe capable of overriding machines - and face "dozens" of new machines as she searches for a way to cure the blight.

Horizon Forbidden West gameplay

We may only have one Horizon Forbidden West trailer to go on, but there's a lot we can unpack. Firstly, we can see that Aloy still has her Focus - her little Bluetooth earpiece - to help her scan the world around her. We also see her riding a Charger, so she's either managed to make a new spear to let her override them, or learned some new techniques to achieve the same end.

There was a heavy focus on underwater exploration in the trailer too, which means one thing... robot sharks. Other new machines include Shellsnappers, Sunwings, and Tremortusks, respectively based on tortoises, pterodactyls, and mammoths.

Guerilla and Sony have released the first track from Horizon Forbidden West soundtrack on various streaming services - the one featured in the first trailer for the game. Prominent Dutch video game composer Joris de Man wrote the score, titled Promise of the West, and it's a dynamic mix of sounds that swells into a thumping, epic conclusion.

Friday, August 7, 2020

August 07, 2020
0 Comments

Everything you need to know about the Sony PlayStation 5

Game

Sony's big PS5 reveal event from June was a doozy - we got games upon games, plus our first look at the glorious console itself, not to mention PS5 accessories. Since then, it's been a rather steady drip of smaller, yet no-less juicy details. Sony's PlayStation 5 is still on track to arrive sometime in that 'Holiday 2020' period, and we're waiting rather anxiously to hear an exact release date. We're also eager to see what comes of the chicken game Microsoft and Sony are playing with their respective next-gen console's prices.

The most important news about our new favourite console? Sony is offering two different versions, a standard model with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, and a digital model without a disc drive, meaning budget-minded shoppers will have a couple of options.

"With PlayStation 5, we are making a significant leap to deliver a truly new generation of transformative play experiences that will redefine expectations for what games can be," said Jim Ryan, president, and CEO of SIE.

"Worlds will be richer and more beautiful, they'll captivate your senses in ways you didn't think possible, and you'll be able to experience them much more seamlessly, with lightning-fast loading. Today's showcase is just a glimpse of what's to come in the next generation, and we want to thank our community for taking this journey to PS5's launch with us."

We already knew the PS5 specs, which gave us an idea of what to expect in the PS5 vs Xbox Series X war for your paycheck, and now we've seen a huge bunch of games running on PS5 tech. Not to mention that incredibly sexy real-time PS5 Unreal Engine 5 tech demo.

The PS5 is going to be in direct competition with the Xbox Series X, which is coming also in Holiday 2020.

"With every new console, the processor and graphics get better, which is, of course, compelling, but we need to have unique elements too", explained Ryan in an interview with Business Insider. Apparently many of these "bigger differences" between PS5 and PS4 haven't yet been announced.

Also, in a recent Wired article, PS5 architect Mark Cerny (the man also responsible for leading work on the PlayStation 4) gave us a bumper of info about the upcoming PS5 specs, alongside hints about what we can expect from the PS5 price.

The TL;DR version is that it'll be backwards compatible with PS4; it's been in development for over four years; a number of studios are already working on PS5 games; it'll boast 8K graphics and support for ray tracing; and under the hood will be a custom made AMD CPU and GPU. All that, combined with the new information means there's actually quite a lot we do know now about the PS5, so here we go:

When will the PS5 release date be?

Sony has now confirmed that the PS5 release date is set for Holiday 2020. "These updates may not be a huge surprise, but we wanted to confirm them for our PlayStation fans, as we started to reveal additional details about our vision for the next generation," explained SIEE President, Jim Ryan, on the PlayStation Blog. That's a good thing too because if Sony wants to compete with the Xbox Series X, it's had to look to release its next-gen console around the same time.

Thankfully, it doesn't look like we're facing a PS5 delay for now.

For a more specific idea of the PS5 release date, a new rumor has pegged the console's launch down for November 20 of 2020, simultaneously stating that it'll be selling for the day one price of $499 in the United States. For comparison, the PS4's initial cost was $399, which brings us nicely onto our next point...

PS5 COST

How much will the PS5 cost?

PS5 vs Xbox Series X – will Sony dominate the next-generation or can Microsoft stage a huge comeback?

After the big Wired article that officially confirmed the PS5, Wired's Peter Rubin took to Twitter to relay information that hadn't made it into the original article. That included slight hints towards the potential cost of the PS5. According to Rubin, PS5 architect Mark Cerny said that he "believe[s] that we will be able to release it at an SRP that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set".

When pressed on whether that means it will cost more than the PS4's launch price, he wouldn't give any further details, simply saying "that's about all I can say about it".

What it translates to though, is that the price will be relevant to the technology that's under the hood, and because it will be more powerful than the PS4, you can probably bet it'll be more expensive too. Our prediction is that will circle the $500 / £450 price point, but only time will tell.

Interestingly, a new report has emerged that Sony is struggling to keep the PS5 retail price low. The news comes via Bloomberg sources who suggest that the scarcity of particular internal parts in the PS5 is driving the price up on the production line, and Sony may choose to pass the buck onto consumers. The sources say the current unit price of the PS5 is about $450, which some in the company worry may already seem too steep to some potential buyers.

In the GDC-style presentation from Sony's Mark Cerny, he said the company has chosen to go with an 825GB SSD internal hard drive to try and keep costs low for the next-gen console, stating that:

"It's tempting to add more, but flash certainly doesn't come cheap, and we have a responsibility to our gaming audience to be cost-effective when it comes to what we put in the console."

Now, get out the salt and prepare for sticker shock. The PS5 price was seemingly leaked by French retailer Carrefour, and it's a bit more than most estimates. According to the reputed European store, the PS5 and its Digital Edition are priced at €499 and €399 respectively. That's £450 /$600 for the disc-compatible version and £400/$500 for the digital-only console. Again, that's quite a bit higher than most estimates, so don't start applying for loans just yet.

PS5 LOGO

The PS5 logo is rather familiar

At CES 2020, Sony revealed the official PS5 logo, and as you can see above, it's not exactly much of a surprise. It's exactly the same as the PS3 and PS4 logos, but with a rather slick five at the end.

PS5 SPECS

PS5 specs and performance: What technology can we expect?

Sony has already confirmed that the PS5 will be running on an AMD CPU chip that's based on the third generation of AMD's Ryzen line. It'll be an eight-core, custom-made, beast based on the company's new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. The CPU is a custom variant of AMD Radeon's Navi family, and will support ray tracing - an effect that is a staple of Hollywood, and one that's beginning to appear in high-end PC processors and the Nvidia RTX gaming line.

It's admittedly disconcerting to think a next-generation console could be running on three-year-old hardware by the time it comes out. Fortunately, in June of last year, a few industry sources speaking with Forbes contributor Jason Evangelho emerged under the guise of anonymity to clear up some of the erroneous reports surrounding what's really under the hood of the PS5. Their forecast? At least for its graphics, the PS5 is going to harness the power of the last-generation Zen CPU architecture in conjunction with AMD's freshly revealed Navi graphics architecture.

What is the PS5 really capable of? Developers discuss the potential of the next generation

A big part of that GPU setup will be support for 8K resolutions and ray tracing in PS5 games. The latter is a technology that greatly improves the visual fidelity in games, as it mimics the way light moves and bounces from object to object, particularly reflective surfaces, and refraction through water, other liquids, and glass. Given the proper optimizations, games could exhibit more realistic lighting and shadows as a result. In that same Wired interview, Cerny went on to say ray tracing isn't just about visuals, as it can yield audio enhancements for players and developers alike.

"If you wanted to run tests to see if the player can hear certain audio sources or if the enemies can hear the players’ footsteps, ray tracing is useful for that,” he says. “It's all the same thing as taking a ray through the environment.”

It turns out that Sony is also adding a custom unit for 3D audio in the PS5 too, taking the attention to audio and sound improvements to the next level for its upcoming console. "As a gamer," said Cerny, "it's been a little bit of a frustration that audio did not change too much between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. With the next console, the dream is to show how dramatically different the audio experience can be when we apply significant amounts of hardware horsepower to it.”

For gamers though, at least from my perspective, one of the biggest new improvements for the PS5 specs will be a huge decrease in loading times. At a corporate strategy event earlier this year, Sony's first PS5 gameplay reveal demonstrated footage that compared Spider-Man PS4 running on both the current-gen system and the PS5. The experience was recorded by tech journalist Takashi Mochizuki, and it clearly showed that Marvel's Spider-Man takes 8.10 seconds to load, whereas on the PS5 that load time is shortened to just 0.8 seconds. No, that's not a typo. Take a look below:

Thanks to the fact the PS5 is switching from disc-based hard drives to SSDs, Sony is also changing it's approach to how we store games on the next-gen console. You'll be able to configure exactly what parts of a game you want to store on your machine, "allowing [a] finer-grained access to the data". That means you'll be able to install just the multiplayer, or just the single-player, or delete one or the other once you're done with it.

Here's the full list of specs courtesy of Digital Foundry:

CPU: 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)
GPU: 10.28TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency)
GPU Architecture: Custom RDNA 2
Memory/Interface: 16GB GDDR6 / 256=bit
Memory Bandwidth: 448GB/s
Internal Storage: Custom 825GB SSD
IO Throughput: 5.5GB/s (Raw), Typical 8-9GB/s (compressed)
Expandable Storage: NVMe SSD Slot
External Storage: USB HDD Support
Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive

PS5 DESIGN

What will the PS5 look like?

The PS5 design is a bold step away from the traditional black box, with both the digital-only and disc drive versions boasting a white and black color scheme and serious curves. Think Wall-E's Eve on her best day.

Meanwhile, yet another leaked patent reveals that Sony is developing a mysterious cartridge product that may or may not be compatible for the PS5. Current bets have it down as an external SSD that can be slotted into the console for easy memory management of your PS5 games, but - again - it's entirely possible this has nothing to do with the PS5 at all, so take its design and appearance with a pinch of salt.

DUALSENSE PS5 CONTROLLER

What is the PS5 controller like?

The PS5 controller, AKA the DualSense, is the successor to the DualShock line. Sony abruptly revealed the controller in April after months of rumors and patents hinting at its functionality, and the DualSense lines up with a lot of what we've heard.

While the DualSense is distinct from the DualShock, its design follows many of the same principles. It's altogether rounder, with a sleek white-on-black aesthetic rather than the usual jet-black default, but the input layout is roughly the same. The light bar on the back of the DualShock 4 is now split between the sides of the central touchpad, and there's a new Create button in place of the Share button, but most everything else is standard for a PlayStation controller.

The biggest changes and advancements are found on the inside of the DualSense. The high points are:

Haptic feedback: the DualSense delivers "a variety of powerful sensations that you'll feel when you play, such as the slow grittiness of driving a car through mud." The DualShock 4 had rumble functionality, but the DualSense goes much further with more subtle and varied types of feedback.
Adaptive triggers: the L2 and R2 buttons on the DualSense can match tension of in-game actions. Drawing the string on a bow was the example Sony gave, but based on previous accounts, the same can be said of firing a heavy machine gun and the like. Sony also says that the angle of the triggers, relative to the whole controller, has been tweaked slightly
Create button: the Share button has been replaced, but the new Create button serves a similar purpose. Sony says that this button will create "new ways for players to create epic gameplay content to share with the world, or just to enjoy for themselves."
Built-in microphone: you read that right - the DualSense has a microphone built right into it, which ought to make hopping into a chat with friends quick and seamless.

PS5 UI

PS5 accessories

Along with showing off the PS5 design during the Future of Gaming stream, Sony also dropped some details about the accessories that will complement the new system.

Pulse 3D wireless headset – offering 3D audio support and dual noise-cancelling microphones
HD camera featuring dual 1080p lenses for gamers to broadcast themselves along with their epic gameplay moments
Media remote with built-in microphone to navigate movies and streaming services with ease
DualSense charging station for convenient charging of two DualSense Wireless Controllers.