LONDON: The moment gamers around the world have been waiting for is almost here — they will finally get a glimpse of the much-anticipated PlayStation 5 (PS5) console on Thursday.
Manufacturer Sony is hosting a virtual “Future of Gaming” event at 8 p.m. (GMT), during which the new device will be unveiled. It will also be announcing the first games to be released for the console.
The fifth generation PlayStation is expected to be available for purchase at some point in the fourth quarter of 2020 with gamers able to pre-order their console starting in July or August.
Sony says the PS5 will usher in a whole new level of high-definition gaming as it competes with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X.
The event was scheduled to be streamed last week, but was postponed due to the start of the Black Lives Matter protests in the US, with Sony saying: “We do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and, for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard.”
Here’s what we know so far…
The event
Sony’s launch event will be live-streamed on YouTube and the gaming channel Twitch on Thursday June 11 at 1 p.m. Pacific time (8 p.m. GMT), when gamers will get their first look at the console.
The console
As mentioned, Sony has kept a tight lid on any images of the PS5 console being leaked, but excitement levels were ramped up in April when the company released an image of the new black and white controller that will be sold with the device.
Gaming experts are also hoping to get more details about the console’s hardware and processing power during the unveiling event, although Sony has not confirmed this.
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PS5 Specs
- CPU: AMD Zen 2-based CPU with 8 cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)
- GPU: 10.28 TFLOPs, 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 (PS4 games only)
- Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray drive
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The cost
The first of three big questions for gamers — how much will the device cost?
Sony has not yet officially confirmed the price of the device. In February, Sony’s chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki said: “We are competing in the space, so it’s very difficult to discuss anything about the price at this point of time, and depending upon the price level, we may have to determine the promotion that we are going to deploy and how much costs we are prepared to pay.”
However, based on industry leaks, gaming journalists and experts are expecting the final price to be around the $500 mark.
Will PS5 be backwards compatible?
The next big question of the lips of gamers worldwide. And the answer is good news, as Sony has confirmed PlayStation 4 games will be compatible on PS5.
Mark Cerny, a Sony executive, said earlier this year that “almost all” of the best-selling PS4 games will work on the new console. What has not been made clear yet is whether games from the PlayStation 3 generation or older will be able to run on the PS5.
The games
Last but not least, what will gamers be able to play on the new console? Only a few titles have been announced so far, such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Outriders and Fortnite. Experts are predicting that all of the established Sony franchises will become available, as well as upgrade options for existing PS4 titles.
