Sony has good news for fans awaiting an official announcement for the PS5 release date.
It was recently revealed that the next-gen PlayStation would have a late 2020 launch window.
Less clear is whether or not the PS5 will launch in all regions simultaneously. Fortunately, Sony has dropped a big hint about its global release plans for the next-gen PlayStation.
In an interview with Business Insider Japan (via Gematsu), Sony’s Jim Ryan discussed the Japanese launch plans, and whether or not it would be delayed in the region like the PS4.
And the good news is that Ryan doesn’t think a delay would be a good idea at present. This would suggest that the PS5 will launch in all regions at roughly the same time.
“I cannot comment on the timing of release or launch markets,” he said.”However, the three-month delay for the release of PlayStation 4 in Japan was a decision that I was deeply involved in.
“There was reasonable ground for that decision, but these days I do not think that was a good idea. It was a decision made after much debate, but there may have been other options.”
Arguably even more exciting is the claim that the biggest differences are yet to be announced.
“Each time a new console is released, the processor and graphics improve,” Ryan continued. “Those are enticing of course, but we need to have special appeals as well. We have already confirmed the use of an solid-state drive. Having load times that are next to nothing is a major change.
“3D audio and the haptic feedback support of the controller are also things that, when you try them, you will be surprised at how big a change they are.
“Even just playing the racing game Gran Turismo Sport with a PlayStation 5 controller is a completely different experience. While it runs well with the previous controller, there is no going back after you experience the detailed road surface via haptic control and play using the adaptive triggers.”
“But you know. There are still more unique elements for PlayStation 5 to come that separate it from previous consoles. The ‘bigger differences’ have yet to be announced.”
What we do know is that the PS5 will support 8K resolution, ray-tracing technology and have much faster loading times.
The speedy (or non-existent) loading times are possible thanks to the specialised solid-state drive, which will make a huge difference to processing speeds.
Sony previously used Marvel’s Spider-Man as an example, showing how loading times have been reduced from 15 seconds on PS4 Pro, to less than a second.
Worlds can also be rendered at far greater speeds, which should inject more pace into games.
As Jim Ryan alluded to above, the next-gen PlayStation console will also ship with a brand new DualShock controller.
These controllers will feature “highly programmable voice-coil actuators located in the left and right grips of the controller”, which will provide all-new controller feedback sensations.
