Published , by Brittany Vincent
Published , by Brittany Vincent
Sony Interactive Entertainment's lead PlayStation 5 system architect Mark Cerny lead viewers through a deep dive into the upcoming system during today's presentation.
The Road to PS5 was a long-awaited updated on the tech embedded within the upcoming system, which has been said to "shape the future of games." Obviously we don't know every single detail about the PlayStation 5 just yet, but Cerny's lengthy presentation certainly gave us a bounty of new information to pore over, including updated specs.
While the presentation did not reveal our first real look at the PS5 or several of the other pieces of information fans had been looking forward to, it was chock-full of specs that should delight anyone looking to know more about its inner workings. The PlayStation 5 is confirmed to feature the following specs, all powered by a CPU and GPU made by AMD as well as an 852GB SSD.
The system will include 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz as well as 10.28 TFLOPs and 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (all custom-made by AMD) in addition to 16GB GDDR6/256-bit.
Mark Cerny noted that there were three important principles that went into bringing the system to fruition: balancing evolution and resolution, listening to developers, and "finding new dreams."
Cerny noted that the SSD was the most important request from game developers and noted that it would be integral for loading data in lightning-fast intervals. The PS5 can, for instance, load 2GB of data in 0.27 seconds, compared to the PS4's 20 seconds for the same amount. The SSD will also be a boon when it comes to RAM storage. The PS5's SSD is almost as fast as RAM, so game data can be retrieved quickly from the SSD to free up the RAM already in use.
In terms of the GPU, Cerny noted that a series of new strategies came about that allowed the team to develop new strategies that resulted in a capped 2.23GHz graphics process to produce 10.3 teraflops despite the processor being topped off at 3.5GHz. Not only will this reduce the amount of power consumption by the system but it will help it to keep quieter and cooler at the same time.
Cerny noted that the PS5 audio would also feature what the team is referring to as the Tempest Engine in terms of audio hardware that allows for 3D audio, starting with headphones. It will be considered the "gold standard" for the console, which will create virtual surround sound even for those who opt to use their own TV speakers or soundbars and other setups.
It was also confirmed that the PS5 won't be completely backwards compatible at launch with PS4 games. Most of the top 100 games measured by play time will be playable when the console debuts later this year, but the other titles will be rolled out on a case-by-case basis.
Right now, there's still a lot we don't know about the PS5, but that should hopefully change in the coming weeks. We'll keep you posted when there's more information coming down the pipeline.