When the recent lockdown was announced, it wasn’t just introverts who rejoiced; anyone with an inkling of gaming was also looking forward to some extra time for consoling. With the said lockdown expected to be lifted but social distancing guidelines to remain in some form, it’s probably still recommended to limit outdoor activity until a functioning vaccine is created… in 2021.
When?
If we’re facing the indoors for another year or so, it’s timely news that Sony’s PlayStation 5 will be ready for worldwide shipping in late 2020, probably around the festive season, and here’s what we know so far.
Faster Than The Speed of Sound
The main thing they want to get rid of with the new console is loading time, and not only minimize it, but eliminating completely, especially for large-game worlds with fast travel options whilst 3D audio will give a greater sense of character and location presence. Imagine: raindrops will differ when hitting different surfaces and if an enemy happens to be lurking behind you, you’ll quite possibly be able to detect their location. Quite simply, this is set to augment the gaming experience beyond just stunning visuals, which are also getting an update.
So Real It’s Scary
The additional GPU power allows for even higher resolution and there’s the new ray tracing. This feature simulates real-life light movement, so water, glass, character hair, light refraction will all appear super realistic. This video detailing the visual and audio effects has dropped – remember to pick your jaw up off the floor when you leave. That sound you’ve just heard is the future version of this writer heading back to Red Dead Redemption 2 and (hopefully) Death Stranding on PS5.
The Past Remains Intact
Because yes, the best PS4 games will be back-compatible to play on the new console. So far, the 100 games to rack up most playing time will be the first ones to feature, but as time goes by and more testing is made, more games will be made available.
Always in Control
Last but not least, we’ve got talk about the other important bit that we all must keep – control. And we say it this way because all the best features for the DualShock 4 have been kept, but there are some cool new elements, not least it’s two-tone colour design. More than colour though, there’s new haptic feedback which means if you’re driving a car through mud, you’ll feel the grittier handling as it ploughs through, whilst the L2 and R2 butting will have adaptive triggers that provide tension if you were, by chance drawing a bow to shoot an arrow. There’s also a built-in microphone, but you’re probably better of keeping your headset.
Which games would you like to see featured on the new PS5? Let us know in the comments below – if you’re so inclined to mention all 100, feel free, but 10 would also suffice.
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