PS5 release date, specs, price, games

Sony’s next entry in its critically acclaimed PlayStation line of gaming consoles is nearly here! Called the PlayStation 5 — or just PS5 for short — this next console will arrive before the end of 2020 and it has some pretty big shoes to fill.

Its predecessor — the PlayStation 4 — is one of the most popular gaming consoles of all time. Sony sold over 110 million units as of May 2020. The PlayStation 2 is the only home gaming console to surpass those numbers, selling over 150 million units in its lifetime.

Surely Sony is looking for a home run with its next-generation console. But will it pack enough punch to woo gamers around the world as the PS4 did? Here’s everything we know about the PS5 so far. Be sure to bookmark this page as we’ll update it as additional information comes to light.

At a glance: What is the Sony PS5?

The PS5 is an upcoming next-gen gaming console from Sony. The system will formally be called the Sony PlayStation 5, or PS5 for short. Every prior iteration has adopted that naming scheme, so it’s not a real surprise.

The Sony PlayStation 5 is a massive jump forward from its predecessor, offering more powerful specs and a space-age design. Its main competitors will be the upcoming Xbox Series X and the Nintendo Switch. The latter of these consoles released in 2017 and while a great system, isn’t necessarily a direct competitor.

See also: PS5 vs Xbox Series X – on paper comparison | PS5 vs PS4 – should you make the jump?

What our readers think

The Sony PlayStation 5 isn’t out yet, so it’s really not fair to truly compare it to other consoles for now. Still, it seems fans are very eager for it.

In a recent Android Authority poll, we asked if folks were more interested in the PS5, Xbox Series X, or happy with another platform such as Switch or PC. An overwhelming 61.9% voted for the PS5, out of nearly 15,000 votes.

Sony PlayStation 5 design

Sony revealed the PS5 design in full at a June 11 event. The console — as seen in the video above — stands vertically (but can be laid horizontally) and sports a black and white design that matches the DualSense controller. The design event revealed that Sony plans to launch two versions of the PS5 — the standard console and a slimmer Digital Edition that removes the optical drive.

As far as the PlayStation 5 controller is concerned, we got an official look at it even before we saw the console. Sony is calling it DualSense, and it’s the largest design departure from any PlayStation controller to date. Check it out:

Sony

As you can see, it features a new futuristic black and white design. Sony also revealed that the controller touts haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and a built-in microphone array. It also comes with a USB-C charging port, and Sony is replacing the Share button with a brand new Create button, though it has not revealed what it does yet.

There is no word on standalone pricing yet, but we can expect to see it launch alongside the PS5 this holiday season.

More: Everything you want to know about the PS5 controller

PS5 vs PS5 Digital Edition

What’s the difference between the PS5 and the PS5 Digital Edition? It comes down to the missing optical drive and the price tag. The latter of these points hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s obvious we can expect the digital-only version to be at least $50-$100 cheaper than the standard model. The designs are also a little different, due to the missing optical drive. If we’re being honest, the PS5 Digital Version looks a little better, as the bulge added by the drive throws off the device’s symmetry.

Should you get the PS5 Digital Edition over the standard model? If you honestly agree with the following statements, then yes:

• I plan to buy my games digitally anyhow.
• I don’t see myself borrowing games from a friend, Redbox, or a service such as GameFly.

If you will never use the drive, might as well save some cash!

Further reading: PS5 vs PS5 digital

PS5 specs

In Sony’s recent system architecture deep-dive, the company revealed some details about its new technology and other hardware details about the upcoming console. According to the PlayStation 5 Lead System Architect Mark Cerny, the PS5 will tout some serious improvements over the PS4.

Here’s a complete overview of the PS5’s specs list compared to the PS4’s:

The deep-dive revealed a lot more about the PS5’s future capabilities too. We can expect an upgraded CPU in the form of the AMD Zen 2, which touts eight cores clocked at 3.5GHz. This should provide significant performance gains over the PS4’s eight-core Jaguar 1.6GHz CPU. The PS5’s custom AMD RDNA 2 GPU is also a solid upgrade over last gen’s custom GCN GPU.

This CPU and GPU combination will allow the PS5 to utilize ray tracing acceleration. Ray tracing is advanced lighting tech that can take in-game graphics to a whole new level by more realistically mimicking the way light behaves in an environment.

We also learned the PlayStation 5 will sport a proprietary 825GB SSD, and it will support off-the-shelf NVMe SSD expandability. Not only does that mean users will be able to easily expand their PS5’s storage, but it should also offer faster load speeds, allowing for bigger maps, as well as better system memory management.

Read also:How impressive are the PS5 specs?

The last major thing Sony revealed during the PS5 deep-dive is the console’s new custom AMD compute unit-based Tempest Engine. Using custom Head-related Transfer Function (HRTF) maps, this new tech should allow gamers to experience high-quality 3D in-game audio with even the most basic headphones or speakers. Cerny admitted the Tempest Engine is still in the early stages, and it may take years for it to fully develop.

At launch, customers will be able to select from one of five custom HRTF maps that best fit their sound profile. Cerny hinted at how Sony could expand on this tech in the future.

“Maybe you’ll be sending us a photo of your ear, and we’ll choose a neural network to pick the closest HRTF in our library,” said Cerny. “Maybe you’ll be sending us a video of your ears and your head, and we’ll make a 3D model of them and synthesize the HRTF [or] you’ll play an audio game to tune your HRTF. We’ll be subtly changing it as you play and home in on the HRTF [that] matches you the best.”

PS5 games

What makes any console better than the next? It’s the games, baby.

Don’t miss: The full list of confirmed and rumored Sony PlayStation 5 games

At launch, the PS5 will be backward compatible with nearly every single game in the PS4’s library. At first, the company claimed that it would work with nearly all top 100 titles from the previous generation console. But in a recent blog post, the company announced it will be compatible with “the overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 titles.”

Not only that, Sony believes most PS4 titles will likely benefit from higher, more stable frame rates and higher resolutions on the PS5. It can’t guarantee every game will work, but it has already tested hundreds of titles with thousands more to come.

The PlayStation 5 will be backward compatible with nearly every PlayStation 4 title at launch.

Unfortunately, those of you who want backward compatibility to go even further back will likely be disappointed. According to a Ubisoft support page, you won’t be able to play PS3, PS2, or PS1 games on the PS5 unless those games were previously ported to the PS4.

For the full list of confirmed PlayStation 5 titles, head to this link here. We’ll list a handful of the most popular titles below, just to give you a taste of what to expect:

We also expect titles like Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 4, and Uncharted 5 to launch on the PS5, but that’s just speculation at this point.

It goes without saying that plenty of new titles should be available for the console at or soon after launch. If the console lives up to its promises, we expect many of them will be some of the biggest, most beautiful video games we have ever seen.

PS5 price and release date

Last Fall, Sony said we could expect to see the PlayStation 5 officially launch during the 2020 holiday season. However, the company has yet to announce a specific PS5 release date. Though Sony fully revealed the console during the June 11 event, the company has not provided a more accurate release date quite yet, but it did reaffirm that the console would launch before the end of the year.

The PlayStation 4 landed in November 2013, so we expect Sony’s next-gen console to land during a similar time-frame this year. Of course, that all depends on if the launch plans are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, it seems the system is on schedule, and recent rumors even peg the release date for November 20, 2020.

Related:Everything we know about the PS5’s price tag

The PlayStation 5 has also been listed on e-commerce platforms Flipkart and Amazon in India. The teaser pages for the console on both websites mention late 2020 availability. This would be great news for Indian gamers as Sony usually launches new PlayStations in India a couple of months after the US launch. The PS4 bridged that gap to a great extent, though, and launched just two months after its original release date in the US. With a late 2020 timeline, it looks like the PS5 will carry on that approach and release in India around the same time as the US and Europe.

As far as the PS5 price is concerned, the PS4 and PS4 Pro retailed for $399, so we expect the PS5 to surpass that price point. During an earnings call in February 2020, Spiel Times reported that Sony has yet to decide on a pricing model. As of the June 11 reveal event, we still do not have an update on pricing.

But, if we are to believe some of the leaks surrounding the topic, we can expect the console will come in at $499. Tipster @PSErebus tweeted several pieces of information about the PS5, including this rumored price point, as well as a supposed November 20 launch date.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) will launch PlayStation®5 (PS5™) in several countries in the holiday season of 2020 and will make PlayStation®5 (PS5™) available in North America on November 20, 2020 at a recommended retail price (RRP) of $499 pic.twitter.com/fe4jKlHmrH

— PlayStation (@PSErebus) November 19, 2019

Bloomberg later reported that Sony was struggling with the PlayStation 5’s price due to expensive components. So far, it looks like Sony’s PS5 will cost about $450 to manufacture. The original PS4 reportedly cost about $381 to build, so if Sony wants to maintain razor-thin profit margins on hardware, the PS5 will need to cost at least $470, which roughly lines up with the previously rumored price point.

Though it’s just speculation at this point, we think it is safe to assume the PS5 will most likely retail for around $500. A recent post on Reddit claims that the standard version of the console would sell for €499 (~$591), while the unconfirmed version with the larger hard drive would cost €599 (~$709).

Latest PS5 news

Looking for more PS5 news and features? Here are some of the most recent highlights:

FAQ

Q: When is the PS5 release date?
A: We don’t know just yet, but rumors suggest November 20, 2020. The PS4 launched in November, so the timeframe seems very plausible.

Q: What can I play on the PS5?
A: In addition to plenty of new PS5 games, you can play PS4 games as well!

Q: How much will PS5 games cost?
A: While Sony hasn’t confirmed it, we anticipate games will cost similarly to new PS4 games — so around $59.99.

Q: How much will the PS5 cost?
A: We don’t know for sure, but analysts predict the system will cost around $499 at launch.

Q: Will the PlayStation 5 support VR?
A: Yes! Several new PS5 games will be able to utilize the PSVR hardware. There are even rumors suggesting a newer PSVR model is in the works.