Sony has presented this Thursday the design and the first video games of its next generation of consoles, PlayStation 5, a device that before its launch in Christmas 2020 already has as its main rival the also new Xbox Series X from Microsoft.
These are two consoles with similarities in terms of their internal technologies but also differences, which have different designs and will arrive on the market with different video game catalogs.
DESIGN: PS5 RISKS
At the design level, Sony and Microsoft have opted for two completely different aesthetics for their new consoles, in the case of the riskier PS5 and in the more continuous Xbox.
Xbox Series X will have a design with rectangular industrial shapes in black and green colors (the Xbox classic) that can be used both vertically and horizontally, according to Microsoft. The controller, also black, is practically identical to that of the previous Xbox One.
However, PlayStation has a design in white, black and blue (using LEDs) and with curved shapes on the sides, as well as a black base that also serves as a charging base for the controls. It has two versions with identical design, but one without a slot for physical games.
Sony has explained that its objective was “to offer a groundbreaking, striking and different console to the previous generations of PlayStation”.
Sony’s design also risks in the new DualSense controller, which completely changes the design compared to the previous DualShock. This control has the colors black, white and blue, like the console, and with a more ergonomic and curved shape, similar to that of the Xbox. Also add haptic controls to the triggers.
SPECIFICATIONS: GPU VS SSD
On a technical level, both consoles share many of their internal characteristics. Both feature new RDNA2 graphics architecture, developed by AMD, as well as ray tracing support for more realistic lighting, GDRR6 RAM, SSD solid-state storage, and features to quickly resume play.
On a technical level, PS5 makes use of SSD storage 100 times faster than that of PS4, which allows a bandwidth of 5GB per second and a load time of 2GB in 0.27 seconds. This technology will eliminate updates as they have been up to now.
The Sony console will make use of a graphics unit with 10.3 teraflops of power. It will also have 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, a Tempest 3D custom three-dimensional sound system.
For its part, Xbox Series X will have an eight-core Zen2 processor (four times more powerful than Xbox One) and a graphics unit with 12 teraflops of power, thus surpassing the Sony console in this regard.
The new generation from Microsoft features imaging technologies such as variable shading rate, maximum 4K resolution and 60 frames per second (fps), and support for rates up to 120 fps.
VIDEO GAMES: XBOX RETROCOMPATIBILITY
Finally, at the video game level, Xbox has already announced 15 new video games from its own studios that will come with the launch of its new X Series console, including Halo Infinite, the Forza saga and Senua Hellblade II.
To these titles are added other videogames from external studios such as the new Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Dirt 5 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
In addition, Xbox Series X will allow to unify the games for both platforms through ‘smart delivery’, so that those who buy an Xbox One game with this function will be able to use it in its improved version for Xbox Series X without having to pay more.
However, the biggest new addition to the Microsoft console is the backward compatibility with video games of all the previous four generations of Xbox, which will allow “thousands of games” to play from the moment of launch.
NEW VIDEO GAMES FOR PS5
As for the PlayStation 5, Sony has made a commitment to have large new video game launches for its next console, especially from its own developers, PlayStation Studios.
Thus, over 20 new games have been announced for the new PS5, from new indies like Oddworld: Soulstorm, Stray and Little Devil Inside to improved adaptations of previous generation games like GTA V.
At the level of backward compatibility with previous generations, Sony has confirmed that its new console will only have support for video games from its predecessor, PlayStation 4, but not so for previous generations.
However, the true protagonists of the initial PS5 catalog will be new installments of established franchises such as Horizon Zero Dawn II: Forbidden West, Resident Evil VII: Village, Gran Turismo 7, Spider-Man Miles Morales, Hitman III and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
