PlayStation 5



The Playstation 5 is the successor to the Playstation 4. This includes a brand new controller, the DualSense. PS4 backwards compatibility is in the cards. The system at launch will only support the Top 100 PS4 games though. The specs, when compared to the Xbox Series X, are almost identical, with just variants in clock-speeds and compute units. Sony seems to be banking off of games running off of a custom SSD pipeline so load times would be nearly eliminated.

Specs

 * CPU: A SoC with 8 Cores based on AMD's Zen 2 architecture, running at 3.5GHz
 * GPU: 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz, based on RDNA 2
 * both the GPU and CPU support AMD's SmartShift, which allows adjusting clocks speeds on the fly depending on what's taking place in game.
 * The GPU will support real-time hardware powered ray-tracing. It also supports the Tempest Engine for advance 3D audio capabilities.
 * Memory: 16GB GDDR6
 * Storage: Custom on-board 825GB SSD
 * IO Throuput: 5.5GB/s (raw), typical 8-9GB/s (compressed)
 * Storage can be expanded via internal NVMe SSDs. PS4 titles will support runnong off USB Storage.
 * Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray


 * DualSense: An evolution of the DualShock 4 controller. Includes adaptive Haptic Feedback on the L2 and R2 buttons. Also includes a built-in Microphone for communication.

History
The lead architect of the PlayStation console line, Mark Cerny, implemented a two-year feedback cycle after the launch of the PlayStation 4. That is, he regularly visited Sony's first-party developers at two-year intervals to find out what concerns they had with shortcomings in Sony's current hardware and how such hardware could be improved in console refreshes or for the next generation. This feedback was fed into the priorities for the console development team. In the cycle leading into the development of the PlayStation 5, a key issue was the length of loading times for games, a factor that was related to how much data was stored for the game level that was being loaded into the game, where that data was physically located on the hard disk drive platters, and how much repetition there was in data in order to reduce load times (which also increased storage requirements). An essential feature for the PlayStation 5 was to find ways to reduce loading times, particularly in games that stream (i.e., dynamically load) new game areas as the player moves through the game world.

Cerny first publicly described the new console in an interview with Wired magazine in April 2019. In early 2019, Sony's financial report for the quarter ending March 31, 2019, affirmed that new next-generation hardware was in development but would ship no earlier than April 2020. In a second Wired magazine interview in October 2019, Sony said it intends to ship its next-generation console worldwide by the end of 2020. The current hardware specifications were released in October 2019. At CES 2020, Sony unveiled the official logo for the platform, which follows the similar minimalist styling of the previous PlayStation consoles and brand. Full specifications were given in an online presentation by Cerny and published by Sony and Digital Foundry on March 18, 2020. Digital Foundry spoke with Cerny in detail and published a "deep dive" on April 2.

A major game library showcase had been planned for June 4, 2020, but was postponed until June 11 due to the George Floyd protests. This presentation was also the premiere of the console's external hardware design.

Hardware
The console's form factor was revealed during the June 11, 2020 presentation. Sony President Jim Ryan stated that the aesthetics are intended to be "transformational in how they look, sound, and feel". The launch unit is a two-tone design matching the design of the DualSense controller, with a black internal block flanked by two white wings along its sides, each lit by blue LEDs. Ryan stated that more colors than white and black may be available after launch. The unit can operate vertically or horizontally. Two long air intake vents run along the front, and heat exhaust vents dominate the rear. The wings are removable to access certain internal components such as the PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage expansion slot, the power supply, and the optional Blu-ray disc drive. Beneath the side panels are two "dust catchers" – holes allowing the user to vacuum out dust collected by the cooling system. Senior Art Director Yujin Morisawa led the console's case design, inspired by the term "five dimensions" and crafting the skeleton of its design around circles and squares that would make players comfortable when looking at it. Morisawa also had to manage the case shape to provide enough internal volume within the unit for all the technical hardware while reducing its size without restricting the air flow too much.

The Blu-ray version has dimensions of 390 by 260 by 104 millimetres (15.4 in × 10.2 in × 4.1 in) and 4.5 kilograms (9.9 lb), and the download-only version is slightly slimmer, at 390 by 260 by 92 millimetres (15.4 in × 10.2 in × 3.6 in) and 3.9 kilograms (8.6 lb). The front includes a USB-C port with USB 3.1 and a USB-A port with USB 2.0. The back has two USB-A ports with USB 3.1, an HDMI 2.1 port, Gigabit Ethernet, and power.

The PlayStation 5 is powered by a custom 7nm AMD Zen 2 CPU with eight cores running at a variable frequency capped at 3.5 GHz. The GPU is also a custom unit based on AMD's RDNA 2 graphics architecture. It has 36 compute units running at a variable frequency capped at 2.23 GHz and is capable of 10.28 teraflops. The GPU supports hardware accelerated real-time ray tracing. Both processing units are monitored by a special boost system incorporating AMD's SmartShift technology that adjusts the frequency of these systems based on the current activities of both chips, to target ideal constant power drawn and a model SoC performance profile. For example, if the CPU is running at lower activity, the boost system may reduce its frequency and increase the frequency of the GPU for higher performance without otherwise affecting power use or cooling. The cooling system includes a large double-sided cooling fan for air intake that is 120mm in diameter and 45mm thick, and a large heat sink with a standard heat pipe design that Sony says has a "shape and airflow [which] make it possible to achieve the same performance as a vapor chamber". SoC cooling includes a liquid metal thermal conductor which sits between the SoC and heat sink. The system contains a 350-watt power supply. Sony developed the PlayStation 5 to consume less energy than the PlayStation 4 for suspended gameplay states.

The console has a new audio technology called Tempest Engine, allowing hundreds of simultaneous sound sources compared to 50 for the PlayStation 4. It has 16 GB of GDDR6 SDRAM with a bandwidth of 448 GB/s, Bluetooth 5.1, and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).

Ryan stated that their feasibility research into a "low priced, reduced spec" version concluded that such consoles do not fare well, becoming obsolete too fast.

Storage architecture
The internal storage of the PlayStation 5 is a custom-built 825 GB SSD (667 GB available) with a 12-channel interface, achieving a raw throughput of 5.5 GB/s. This atypical drive size was found to be optimal for the 12-channel pathway rather than a more common 512 GB or 1 TB unit. With a dedicated decompression unit supporting zlib and the new Oodle Kraken protocol from RAD Game Tools, the unit has a typical throughput of 8–9 GB/s. Mark Cerny stated that a fast SSD was the top request from game developers so the goal not only was to have a theoretical raw read speed 100 times faster than PS4, but to eliminate input/output (I/O) bottleneck points so the performance target could be made effective. To this end, Sony designed a custom chip with multiple coprocessors to work in unison with the flash memory controller to reduce latency and channel data more efficiently around the system. At peak, the custom unit is capable of processing up to 22 GB/s of compressible data. The internal SSD is not user-serviceable, since its flash memory chips and controller are built into the PlayStation 5's motherboard.

Storage for games is expandable through an NVM Express (NVMe) M.2 port for solid-state storage (though this was not enabled at the console's launch) and USB hard drives. Though game installation is mandatory, the user has some fine-grained control of which components to install, such as only multiplayer. While PlayStation 4 games can be moved between the internal SSD drive and these external drives to free space on the SSD, PlayStation 5 games can only be stored to the internal SSD to be played, and when not in use cannot be moved to external storage options. The base console version includes a 4K-compatible Ultra HD Blu-ray optical drive. Also of note, PlayStation 5 physical game discs can hold up to 100GB of data compared to the 50GB that PlayStation 4 games currently can hold.

DualSense controller
The new DualSense wireless controller for the PlayStation 5 was revealed on April 7, 2020. It is based on the prior DualShock controller but with modifications influenced by discussions with game designers and players. The DualSense controller has adaptive triggers with haptic feedback through voice coil actuators that can change the resistance to the player as necessary, supporting experiences such as virtually drawing an arrow from a bow. The DualSense maintains most of the same buttons as the DualShock 4, and the "Share" button was renamed to "Create" with additional means for players to create and share content. A new built-in microphone array was added so players can speak to others using only the controller, and the included controller speaker has been improved. It has two-tone coloring, primarily white with black facing, with the black piece being easily detachable. The light bar has been moved to the sides of the touchpad. It has USB-C connectivity, a higher-rated battery, and an audio jack. As an Easter Egg, the texture of the controller unit is covered in miniature versions of the four PlayStation button symbols (cross, circle, square, and triangle).

Additional accessories
Accessories include a charging station for the DualSense, a new HD camera, and a media remote control. The Pulse 3D wireless headset is integrated with the PS5's Tempest Engine 3D audio technology.

PS5 is backward compatible with most existing PS4 controllers and accessories for PS4 games only—some with limited functionality. Rock Band peripherals are supported since Rock Band 2. PS5 games can use the existing PlayStation Move, the PlayStation Camera, the PlayStation VR Aim Controller, officially licensed headsets, and specialty controllers with official licenses like flight sticks and racing wheel.