PlayStation 5: official technical sheet

We already know many more details of PlayStation 5, a console that will offer us more speed, and thanks to its fast SSD disk It will only load levels faster, it will also open up new options for developers.

Mark Cerny, the lead architect of PS5 (and the previous PS4 Pro), has explained that they created a console that is easy to develop for, and whose innovations are easily assimilated, while compatibility with the previous generation is maintained.

For example, ray-traced lighting will give more realistic reflections, transparency, and complex shadows, but developers will be able to opt for conventional graphics engines until they feel confident about making the leap in their future games.

In addition, work has been done on energy management, since high power requires controlling the heat generated. The processor and graphics card may be slightly slowed down to reduce the temperature, with intelligent management.

Unlike its rival Xbox Series X, Sony has not put much emphasis on measuring the power of PlayStation 4 in teraflops. He affirms that his hardware optimization work together with AMD changes the way of measuring power, since the architecture has many improvements.

We will have to check this with the games, because on paper, the 10, 28 teraflops of PS5 remain below the 12 teraflops of Xbox Series X, your future competitor.

Thanks to the speed of the SSD, it would be possible for developers to load textures from disk as the player looks at one area or another of the stage, instead of using tricks like hiding cargo in a long hallway or elevator when entering a new level, which would make a difference in performance.

PlayStation 5 Specifications

Sony's new console promises to make the definitive leap to video games in 4K and 60 frames per second, and for that it is important the hardware. This is your technical sheet:

1. Processor: 8 cores up to 3.5 GHz, based on AMD Zen 2.
2. RAM memory: 16 GB GDDR6 at 448 GB/s.
3. Graphic: 10.28 teraflops, based on AMD RDNA 2 (36 CUs up to 2.23 GHz).
4. Storage: 825 GB PCIe SSD at 5.5 GB/s (9 to 8 GB/s with compression).
5. Expansion: Supports third-party M.2 SSD.
6. Sound: Object-based 3D audio.

3D sound will be very important on PlayStation 5, and Sony has created its own system that will make it easyperceive if an enemy or ally is in one position or another Therefore, it will not only enhance the audio spectacularity, it will also have gameplay implications.

Sony will focus mainly on headphones, which thanks to binaural sound allow these effects to be transferred easily, although it will also support Dolby Atmos sound systems.

PS5 and Xbox Series X: subtle but important differences

If we take a look at the Xbox Series X specifications, the Microsoft console seems to be a bit higher. For example, with 12 teraflops compared to the PlayStation 5's 10, 28 teraflops, or with a larger 1TB SSD.

The PS5 processor, at 3.5 GHz (whose frequency drops when exposed to excessive heat) contrasts with the sustained 3.8 GHz of its rival, which stays at 3.6 GHz if the developers They use hyperthreading, splitting the 8 physical cores into 16 threads.

In contrast, the SSD of PlayStation 5 reaches 5.5 GB/s (up to 9 GB/s with compression), so it gets well above the 2.4 GB/s (4.8 GB/s compressed) of Xbox Series X. This could become key, since faster loading of the disk opens the doors to better use of the rest of the resources.

Regarding graphics cards, the configurations change: PS5 will use 36 Compute Units (CU) at 2.23 GHz variable, while Microsoft opts for 52 units at 1.82 GHz fixed, both using the AMD RDNA 2 architecture.

Design, control and price: the unknowns

Although the technical sheet of PlayStation 5 is already official, for now its external design has not been presented. An important issue, since the high power could require a large size to cool the hardware adequately.

While we already know some details of the DualShock 5, we also don't know what it will be like externally, and no additional details have been provided regarding its advanced haptic system for vibration.

The price has not been confirmed either, some leaks suggest that the price of the PS5 components is 450 dollars, but they are not confirmed. In any case, the hardware shown doesn't look like it's going to be cheap.

Regarding the launch date, in theory it would be Christmas 2020, but the coronavirus he alth crisis could alter plans, and uncertainty affects almost the entire technology sector, which shares a large part of the production chain in China.

Sony has revealed the specs for the PlayStation 5, but the most important thing on a console is the games, so we imagine that in the In the remaining months it will be showing its launch titles, where we will be able to see how the power of the new machine is harnessed in practice.

What do you think of the PlayStation 5 technical sheet? Do you think that the power of the Sony console will mean a significant leap forward in games?