Sony's PlayStation 5 specs teaser offers a glimpse at the power Xbox needs to beat

By Asher Madan
last updated

The PS5 is a powerful machine!

A few months ago, Sony announced that it wasn't holding an E3 2019 media briefing. Instead, the company will host its own event at the end of the year to discuss upcoming games and possibly the PlayStation 5 (PS5). However, if you can't wait that long, Mark Cerny recently revealed new details about the upcoming console. In an exclusive interview with Wired, the executive talked about what type of processor, graphics card, hard drive, and more would be in the machine.

The PS5 will have the following specifications.

  • 8-core AMD Ryzen CPU based on 7nm Zen 2
  • AMD Radeon Navi GPU
  • PS5 supports ray tracing
  • Supports 8K resolution for future displays
  • Backward compatible with PlayStation 4 (PS4) games
  • Contains a disc drive for physical copies
  • Features a solid state drive

It's great to see to see that the PS5 will be a powerful machine, however, only time will tell how that translates into game quality. It's definitely an exciting time to be a gamer. It's worth noting that Cerny stressed that this device wasn't coming in 2019, it may launch next year or even after that.

Eyes will be on Microsoft to either match, or exceed the PS5's specifications when it reveals the next-gen Xbox "Scarlett" consoles, probably at E3 2019. While Sony's strategy seems to indicate one device, Xbox Scarlett is rumored to be two consoles. Xbox "Lockhart" will be the entry-level model, while the Xbox "Anaconda" will be the more-powerful (more-expensive) successor to the Xbox One X, which is currently the most powerful console in the world.

In order to avoid the mistakes Microsoft made with the original Xbox One — namely its lack of power when compared to the PS4 — Xbox Anaconda has to be much more powerful than the PS5. It's unclear if that's the case at the moment.

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Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

40 Comments
  • All a sudden Sony fans will care about graphics and backwards compatibility again.
    I read somewhere that the launch price could be $100 more than the PS4 launch price.
    Also wonder how fans will react to having a camera on the controller(if true from what I read). Anyway hope all three consoles do well next gen.
  • I'm old enough to remember when the PS3 had backwards compatibility & the 360 didn't…And nobody on either side cared at all. So lets stop pretending that fans on BOTH sides haven't flip-flopped on backwards compatibility
  • Your comment makes NO sense. Are you suggesting 360 never had backwards compatibility? Also if Sony fans didn't care about backwards compatibility WHY would Sony invest time and resources into it for the PS5?
  • If by backwards compatability you mean glitchy AF filled with slowdown then yes it had BC
  • I was about to say the same thing. All is good when they have it and MSFT does not, when the table is turned, they say it does not matter or does not make any difference.
  • Since it's presentation they said that 360 will support backward-compatibility
  • Then they really fell short and only did a faction of the games. They are Way more committed now. It's great to see.
  • Yeap indeed. But once Phil Spencer said that if it was 100% up to him all games from all xbox consoles would be played to xbox one but it is copyright issue and some games are need some special updates to be playable on newer systems.
  • > They are Way more committed now. It's great to see.
    Makes sense to invest in BC, FC (and XPA, *.xvc, GamePass and xCloud) all thanks to Win10 + UWP and I think the next xbox will be a WCOS.
  • Can you show me old posts (in other forums or social media) where you hyped BC before E3 2015 or hyped power before Scorpio was announced?
    I'm curious, I would like to see MS/XB "fans" hyping power and resolution before Scorpio was announced/rumoured. At least I'm happy that my priority will not change. For me, I game more on console so power isn't really important. I didn't buy a pro nor a X. I'll only upgrade my PC if my current hardware can't run a game I can only play on PC. Same for console, I'll only buy a new console to play games I can't play on a system I already own.
    My priority is and will always be games. :)
  • > For me, I game more on console so power
    I though you are a proud PC gamer... "console is only for exclusives" no?
    So you have a not so beefy PC for PC exclusives, and mainly game on a ps4 vanilla?
  • When did I say I mostly game on PC? I never said console is only for exclusives. I said exclusives are the difference that makes many people buy a console. It's not a difficult concept to understand.
    I do play on PC that is mid range (decent CPU, and ram but old GPU) ofc I'll update it if there is a PC only game that I can't play with my current GPU.
    And I have a PS4 slim got rid of my first PS4 for this slim one. I tend to prefer playing a game on console because I prefer physical games. Even though I still buy and play digital games.
  • So, you are playing multiplats + a few worth-playing-exclusives on a weak console... and PC only for PC exclusives? Like Total War, WOW, CS, Mechwarrior 5?
  • May not even launch until even 2021? Microsoft could launch two iterations by then.
  • Right, just less than one and half year from the launch of the XB1x (that sold at 500 bucks), people are already hyping their next console. These are really small cycles imo.
  • Rumor is 16 GB. But he didn’t confirm.
  • 24GB DDR6 for games and 4GB DDR4 for OS
  • Great specs, but how great will they be in 2020? I also don't mind paying a premium for a more powerful or enhanced model like the One X. So Microsoft, be my guest to launch an even more powerful console at a higher price point! Take my money!
  • I agree. I want Microsoft create a powerhouse console that can be on par with high end pcs. I would pay 700-800 for a high end pc console.
  • Highly unlikely, you can't have a console pushing high end PC parts because the power requirements are far too high for an item that sits in a cavity under your TV. Plus the fan requirement to keep it cool in a compact enclosure
  • i think there were other mistakes besides being slightly less powerful that were the xbox one problems.
  • funny how they mentioned "Contains a disc drive for physical copies " ... hope to attract fans like "for the players" scaring people that xbox will not have one
  • I expect Microsoft to go beyond those specs now that Spencer is in charge. They learned to much this gen creating a weak spec console compared to the competition. Ps5 has great specs but Xbox Anaconda will set the benchmark. I trust Phil to create a monster like the 1X.
  • So you think console gamers mostly want a more powerful console? History show that it's the opposite, weaker consoles are actually more popular. Just like how PS4 slim + XB1s easily outsell the pro+ X.
  • Less about power and more about content. Plus if they are launching in 2020 by now they already have set parameters
  • Well, remember; "Everything runs great on a Powerpoint Presentation".
    The devil is in the details (especially in the manufacturing details and supply chains.) Lets hope Sony can actually pull it off as Microsoft needs the competition to drive up performance and drive down prices for "Anaconda".
  • hmm, I don't know what to think about this race for power.
    This is console gaming. The more successful consoles haven't been the most powerful consoles but usually the one with the larger library. People who really cared about high resolution and high frame-rate are mostly part of the PC community.
    Here, they talk about 8K but as we move forward the human eye will be able to see less and less difference between higher resolution. Maybe that power can be used for a high stable frame-rate but then again there is a limit above which it won't really make a difference to the human eye.
    More than the power I'm more looking forward to the new games MS and only will make for us.
  • I have a feeling the 8K is going to be for video, games won't be pushing 8K, not without sacrifices anyway. And TV's are getting bigger and bigger, working in a retail store the most common TV size being sold is 65 inch, that's only going to go up as TV's get cheaper. So 8K is going to be a noticable improvement on your 80 inch plus TV's. Because for most people, their TV will get bigger, but they're house is less likely to so people will upgrade but still be sitting the same distance from their television.
  • I also gradually increased the size of my TVs. 32" in 2007, 40" in 2012 and now 55" in 2018. So from personal experience I can believe that the average size increased over the years but it'll stop soon because like you said the size of houses don't increase. The size of the TV will be limited to the size of the living room or bedroom it is in.
  • This is a fair point. Depending on the age/size of your home, there is a limit. I gradually upgraded my sizing as well to the point now where I could fit the next size, but will it fit with everything else. Beyond the next size though, it wouldn't even fit. I think 8K has at least 8-10 years before it even attempts to become mainstream to fight over. Hell, some even argue over 1080 vs 4K. 😛
  • I think all this Sony Bruhaha came up because MSFT is unveiling something that Sony probably has inside information on, considering they opted to stay silent and not attend E3, they are bent on making sure they remove the thunder under MSFT and say Yup we already said we going to have those too.
    I am just curious what on earth does this mean?
    "Contains a disc drive for physical copies" are you insinuating that none of the BOX has a disc drive? or they know that next announced Xbox will not have one.?
  • "I am just curious what on earth does this mean?
    "Contains a disc drive for physical copies" are you insinuating that none of the BOX has a disc drive? or they know that next announced Xbox will not have one.?"
    I guess they are trying to imply that they are not going to push for all digital gaming.
    Maybe it is to show that they are still committed to traditional way of gaming. Meaning the priority is still the old physical/digital buying and selling games and not trying to do too many things at the same time...
  • I think it's a dig at the All Digital Xbox console just announced.
  • Considering the Navi is AMD's next generation of cards, it's likely that on paper that will put it at the equivalent of the Nvidia RTX 20xx series. And it's a well known fact that consoles can push more out of their hardware than PC's can so it's going to be pretty powerful. Although I'd say Anaconda will be moreso, but I also think the Anaconda isn't going to fly off shelves, Microsoft are probably going to sell a lot more Scarlett's. Pricing is also a major factor, Sony didn't sell more consoles because it was only more powerful, they sold more consoles because it was more powerful for the same price. People didn't think the Kinect was work the money because Microsoft didn't make it worth the money and so people bought the system that resonated with their needs.
  • https://www.pcgamer.com/au/how-the-playstation-5-will-compare-to-future-... This is a really interesting writeup from a PC centric website about what these specs might mean performance wise.
  • lol more sony BS u wont be playing any games at 8k ahha. With sum ray tracing features on ,not all u will be playing at 1080 p at maybe 60 fps . With sum ray tracing features on u might get to play sum games at 30 fps 4k . With all ray tracing features on your pretty much fuked haha. Full ray tracing at playable 4k is years away. The next round of ray tracing gpus might be able to handle it but consoles will miss out this generation on full ray tracing unless it at 1080p. The fastest pc already beats the PS5 and xbox 2 and by the time consoles come out next year the PC will have moved even further ahead. If u want the best u have to buy a PC ,consoles always use old pc technology to keep there costs down. its just the nature of the beast PC will always have higher frame rates and better graphics than a console.
  • I mean, you're not entirely wrong, the console definitely won't be pushing native 8K for games, but upscaling is a possibility, and 8K video is definitely feasible. Read the article I linked in the post above yours, it gives a good indication of where the PS5 could sit in relation to PC's (basically it won't be up to snuff with the top of the line PC builds but it will be on par with midrange but pushing slightly better quality due to the closed nature of development).
  • 8k 120fps. your eyeballs will melt
  • Well, interesting. Let see now what is the offering of Microsoft as i don't care about Stadia and will never care. This said up to now i am more interested by PS games than by Xbox games. So unless Microsoft come with some very appealing games, i should go for the PS5.
  • The big question is, if upcoming Microsoft games are playable on this generation anyway, why would I even bother upgrading my One X? Which does work out well for me because it means I'll only have to buy one console.