The new PlayStation will feature custom hardware, a solid state drive, 3-D sound support and backwards compatibility, writes Keith Stuart, but it won’t be out in 2019.
Sony has announced the first details of its next PlayStation console, but is yet to name it and has confirmed it will not be launched this year.
In an interview with Wired magazine, system architect Mark Cerny, who was instrumental in the design of the PlayStation 4, revealed the machine will feature an eight-core CPU based on the third generation of AMD's Ryzen processors, and a custom graphics processor based on the forthcoming AMD Navi family, which will be capable of real-time ray tracing, an effect that simulates the path of light through a scene, allowing for incredibly realistic and complex reflections, refraction and shadows.
While real-time ray tracing is common in CGI movies, the effect is only just appearing in modern PC graphics cards.
The next-generation PlayStation will also include a solid state drive, replacing the hard disc drive usually found in games consoles, which Cerny claims will lead to faster game downloads, faster graphics rendering and shorter loading times within games.
He is also promising a custom AMD sound chip to provide 3-D audio and says the new machine with support virtual reality, at first via the current PlayStation VR headset, but later possibly via a new next-gen headset.
Support for 8K televisions is also likely.
While Google and Apple have announced cloud-based gaming subscription services, and Microsoft has its own Project xCloud streaming service, it seems Sony is committed to physical game sales - the next generation PlayStation will still have games on discs.
It will also be backwards compatible with PS4 titles, although there are no details on how many games will be supported and how.
In an industry increasingly moving away from dedicated platforms, filled with high-end hardware and supporting physical media, and towards digital-only streaming and subscription models, the next generation PlayStation seems, at this stage, to be something of an anachronism.
- Guardian News and Media
