PS5: Everything we know about new PlayStation, including release date, features, price and backwards compatibility

When is the PS5 out? What will it look like? Will it play PlayStation 4 games? And how much faster is it going to be? Everything that has been revealed about the new console – and what hasn’t

Sony is at work on the PlayStation 5, and slowly more is being revealed about the mysterious new console.

The new console is said to be a genuine leap forward, enabling new experiences of a kind never before seen in console gaming.

And it could be coming sooner than expected, with Sony indicating that it is relatively advanced in the development of the PS5.

The latest details come from a wide-ranging interview with Wired, in which PS5 architect Mark Cerny revealed information about the new console. It has been rumoured for years, however, and a variety of information has come to light about the new PlayStation – though it still remains largely mysterious.

Release date

Sony hasn't said anything publicly about a possible release date. It has made reference to the fact it could be coming soon – the very fact it has started to discuss and demonstrate it publicly indicates that it is on its way to coming out – but it has also indicated that it won't be arriving this year.

But the console does appear to be further along than expected. A 2020 release wouldn't be surprising, and it's almost certain that we'll get more details in the months to come.

Backwards compatibility

The PS5 is confirmed to be able to play games from the PS4, and shares some of its architecture with it. Comments made by PlayStation suggest that it will be truly backwards compatible – unlike the PlayStation 4 with PS3 games, which are streamed over the internet to the console, because it does not have the ability to play them itself.

Specs

Hardware is the one topic on which Sony has been relatively forthcoming.

It includes an AMD chip at its core, Wired reported. Its CPU has eight cores, is based on AMD's Ryzen line, and includes its new 7nm Zen 2 architecture. The GPU is based on Radeon's Navi family and allows for ray tracing, a previously incredibly expensive technology that allows for the simulation of light and hasn't been seen before in a console.

But reportedly more exciting than that is the SSD that will serve as storage in the device. While Sony revealed less about the specific specs of that, it is said to have vastly faster read and write speeds that will greatly improve the console's performance.

It all amounts to a console that is expected to be much faster than its predecessor. Loading screens that take 15 seconds could instead be done in less than one because of the new storage, and the ray tracing capabilities could allow for far more immersive environments.

Design

Sony has said much less about the outside of the box than the inside. Initial demonstrations have been done using a big metal tower that is being used to host the components for now, Wired said, and the box that has been provided to developers to get to work on is a similarly early version.

The basic design language of the PlayStation has changed very little going all the way back to the PlayStation 2, however. It's likely that Sony will opt for the same rounded edges and muted colours – but it's also possible that it could go for something else entirely, as a way of marking the PS5 out against the other recent updates to the PlayStation line such as the PS4 Pro.

Features

While Sony has said a lot about what will be powering the new consoles, it's said little about what software, services and experiences it will build on top of that hardware.

We do know that it will work with the PS VR, and that virtual reality will continue to be a major part of the new console.

Sony also said that it will not yet be embracing the idea of streaming all games, in a way that has been suggested by other companies. The console will live in your living room and play the games itself, though it's likely tehre will be a streaming component too.

Name

It would, of course, but entirely expected that the new PlayStation will be called the PS5. Sony has never gone in for the unusual naming schemes used by Xbox, instead just adding a number each time, and there's no reason to think they won't do the same this time around.

Price

Sony has revealed little on price. It's safe to say that it will be mostly in line with what previous consoles cost at launch, since there has been nothing in the rumours to suggest that it will include any expensive additional features.

When the PS4 first arrived in 2014, it was priced at $399, then steadily reduced. The PS4 Pro was also launched at $399, too.

As with the name, however, this is almost certainly not even conclusively decided within Sony, let alone revealed to the public. The price will depend on a whole variety of factors and could easy be changed right before the launch.

Games and exclusives

We know very little about what games could be coming to the new platform. Developers are said to be still working out what possibilities the PS5 hardware could allow, so we are still far from getting any details on what the launch titles and other big games might be.

But there is one exciting piece of information. In the interview with Wired in which the console was revealed, Sony would confirm only that Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding will be coming out for the PS4 – but not that it won't be coming out for the PS5, too. So it's safe to say it's being considered for the new console.

As with previous consoles, games will be released for both the PS4 and PS5 initially, until the new console has matured.