Sony PlayStation 5 Will Feature 8k Graphics, Ray Tracing, and PS4 Compatibility

Even though Sony won’t be attending E3 this year, the company is not holding back on announcements this spring. The company has revealed today the specs for the next generation PlayStation and they are packing it with AMD’s latest technology.

The hardware is built around AMD’s Ryzen and Navi architectures with the CPU featuring 8 cores built at the 7nm level and the Navi GPU supporting ray tracing as well as 8k graphics. For storage, it will be an SSD that Sony says, in an interview with Wired, that it will support higher bandwidth than the current generation drives.

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There will also be a new 3D audio chip built into the device that is expected to deliver more immersive audio. While Sony was not talking about VR in the interview, it’s not hard to see how improved 3D audio would translate to more robust experiences while using PSVR.

And Sony is going to bring backwards compatibility to the platform. The company says that PS4 games will work with the next generation hardware which will make the transition between platforms easier for gamers who play titles for both the PS4 and PS5.

Sony did not announce any performance specs or talk about their next generation services like online play or game streaming offerings but with the baseline hardware announced, the next thing on the agenda should be how the company plans to differentiate its offering with unique IP and services.

Considering that Sony has now announced its specs, it opens the door for Microsoft to do the same. We know that the company will be talking about its next-gen hardware at E3 this year and it would make sense for them to announce what’s under the hood of Anaconda and Lockhart at that conference.

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Conversation 32 comments

  • JimP

    16 April, 2019 - 10:01 am

    <p>"Compatibility" is misspelled. There should only one 'a'.</p>

  • martinusv2

    Premium Member
    16 April, 2019 - 10:13 am

    <p>Wow, Ray tracing and 8k? I want that chip in my PC lol ;)</p><p><br></p>

  • webdev511

    Premium Member
    16 April, 2019 - 10:19 am

    <p>I think I'd rather have the power for a solid 4k 60+fps over 8k, but release specs are more about future proofing that leveraging them right away. I guess we'll see where this goes, but really the spec sheet looks like a very focused PC build. I will be VERY happy if Xbox One (next) has NVMe support and I can just slot in a couple 1TB modules to augment the 4TB Hybrid USB3 drive I'm currently using. IMHO storage bus is the only current weak point on Xbox One and could be very easy to fix.</p>

  • StoneJack

    16 April, 2019 - 10:32 am

    <p>Wow, 8K? Sony is really focusing on next 10 years</p>

    • dontbe evil

      16 April, 2019 - 10:56 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421140">In reply to StoneJack:</a></em></blockquote><p>yeah I see how they focused on 4K for ps4 and ps4 pro … LOL</p>

    • remc86007

      16 April, 2019 - 11:01 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421140">In reply to StoneJack:</a></em></blockquote><p>That probably just means it has HDMI 2.1.</p><p><br></p><p>I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even if Navi is twice as powerful as expected, we aren't going to see 8K run natively with demanding games. Even 4k 60 native is going to be a real stretch for AAA games that have traditionally targeted 30 since even modern games require 2080ti levels of performance to achieve that.</p>

  • yoshi

    Premium Member
    16 April, 2019 - 10:42 am

    <p>I'm wondering if this will be their "high end" build. Seems like this would be pretty darn expensive. Or maybe this will be the only offering?</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • dontbe evil

    16 April, 2019 - 10:56 am

    <p>suddenly all sony fans care again about backward compatibility and graphics</p>

    • yoshi

      Premium Member
      16 April, 2019 - 11:00 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421149">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>They have always 'cared' about graphics for this generation at least. That was their go-to when games were 900p on Xbox One vs 1080p on PS4. </p>

    • My Hell baby speaking

      16 April, 2019 - 11:04 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421149">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>The reason why is obvious to everyone with two brain cells; over the last six years so many excellent games were released on Playstation, a lot of gamers still won't have made it through their huge PS4 back catalogue with the arrival of PS5.</p><p>Meanwhile, lamentable XBox gamers are sucking at controllers.</p>

      • Bill Strong

        16 April, 2019 - 12:31 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#421168">In reply to My Hell baby speaking:</a></em></blockquote><p>Lets not forget, this makes already made PS4 games marketable for longer, which doesn't cost Sony anything, and allows their partners to reap profits long after the typical console life-cycle.</p><p><br></p><p>Also, Sony is not competing with Xbox as its main competitor, they are now competing with PC and Xbox as its main competitor, which requires the backwards compatibility. </p><p><br></p><p>The 8K may be more for streaming video than for games at first, as you need devices in the market to sell 8K TVs and Sony is mostly and entertainment company, and they want to sell you on their 8K content they have/will produce over the next half decade.</p>

        • Stooks

          16 April, 2019 - 1:08 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#421191">In reply to Bill_Strong:</a></em></blockquote><p>You are rapidly losing people that actually care about higher and higher resolution content. In fact I bet less and less video content is even consumed on TV's in 2019. I watch more content on my iPad Pro than a TV these days. </p><p><br></p><p>My family seriously does not even care about 4K. We watch stuff together and most of the time we could go down in the basement and watch in on the bigger 4K TV with a better sound system and we dont. We stay up-stairs and watch it on a smaller 1080P with just TV speakers. It has to be a block buster of a movies with lots of specia effects to move us to the 4K tv.</p><p><br></p><p>I find that some 4K content is so detail that is almost looks weird. There is no 8K in my future that I can see. If it there is, it is because when I go to buy a new TV in 10 years I wont be able to find a HD/4K set at that time.</p>

          • skane2600

            16 April, 2019 - 1:24 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#421200">In reply to Stooks:</a></em></blockquote><p>The way I look at it, if you're still thinking about the resolution after 5 min of watching a movie, it's not a very good one. I think we are entering the realm of high resolution as primarily an enabler of bragging rights (if we aren't there already).</p>

          • bluvg

            16 April, 2019 - 2:29 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#421200">In reply to Stooks:</a></em></blockquote><p>"I find that some 4K content is so detail that is almost looks weird."</p><p><br></p><p>Even in 1080p, they crank up the detail to unrealistic levels. I think they–both streaming services and content creators–are catering to an audience that associates more detail = better. They're looking for that "wow factor" that justifies the cost of the new TV, the HD service, and the time to watch a show.</p>

          • Greg Green

            18 April, 2019 - 8:54 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#421200">In reply to Stooks:</a></em></blockquote><p>I agree. I think more and more people are getting so much video from their smartphones theyve have lost the ability or concern for better visuals.</p>

    • Stooks

      16 April, 2019 - 1:02 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421149">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>IMHO it would be nice if all games were at least 1080p/60fps with no dynamic resolution on both the PS/Xbox consoles. I think only the Xbox One X can do that now and some games maybe could only handle 1080p/30fps with no dynamic on that platform.</p><p><br></p><p>8K is simply a BS marketing term.</p>

    • BoItmanLives

      16 April, 2019 - 3:53 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421149">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>You don't sound bitter at all, lol</p>

  • glenn8878

    16 April, 2019 - 11:21 am

    <p>8K won't be standard equipment until another 10 years. By then, you're talk about another 2 generations for PlayStation. They still need to perfect 4K for television and games, which we're barely getting 1080P HD. Seems more like PR than anything real.</p>

    • Bob2000

      16 April, 2019 - 12:22 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421171">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote><p>It's just 4K reconstruction into 8k, the same way 1440p is reconstructed into 2160p/4K on PS4 Pro.</p><p><br></p><p>HDMI 2.1 interface supports 8k resolution at 60Hz.</p>

  • Daekar

    16 April, 2019 - 11:31 am

    <p>Ummmm… 8K? Really? What, is part of gameplay going to be using a real magnifiying glass on your screen to measure the diameter of a pimple on somebody's ass 20 yards away?</p><p><br></p><p>That is a complete waste of processing power. High-framerate 4K (solid 60+ FPS) will be far more useful, or enabling far more complexity in the world. Spend that resource budget on physics or hair/grass rendering or something, more destructible objects. Practically anything would be better than a higher pixel count that nobody can see.</p><p><br></p><p>Unless they're going to use that crunching for super hi-res VR. Then it makes sense.</p>

    • kshsystems

      Premium Member
      16 April, 2019 - 11:44 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421175">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>I couldn't agree more. power where it will have the biggest impact. 8k just for 8k's sake is marketing hype.</p>

    • rtodd_us

      Premium Member
      16 April, 2019 - 2:35 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421175">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Could it be for VR? I have heard that will be their differentiator and that requires higher resolution to look better because it is directly in front of your eyes.</p>

    • Rycott

      Premium Member
      16 April, 2019 - 9:40 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421175">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>It's marketing buzz because 8k TV's are now being sold. It won't run games natively at 8k but it will support it.</p>

    • Skolvikings

      17 April, 2019 - 9:27 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421175">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Keep in mind these consoles have a 7 year lifecycle. It makes total sense for Sony to try and future proof their console.</p>

  • dcdevito

    16 April, 2019 - 11:43 am

    <p>8K and Ray Tracing. Good grief, lol. </p>

  • Stooks

    16 April, 2019 - 12:45 pm

    <p>And my iPhone X on ATT has 5G…..or at least is says so.</p><p><br></p><p>The PS4 Pro is 4K……..ish. It is really a good 1080p gaming console with some 1080p+ checkerboard graphics on some games. </p><p><br></p><p>My whole point is that saying its "8K" means nothing or at least has meant nothing in the past. The PS3/Xbox 360 were "HD" gaming consoles that really meant 720p sometimes. The Xbox One and PS3 were true HD/1080p which meant sometimes they ran at 1080p 30fps.</p><p><br></p><p>Ray Tracing is another gimic word and considering the performance hit that PC games take when ray tracing is enabled on $1200 video cards like the 2080ti, I doubt we will see many, if any games on a console using it.</p><p><br></p><p>At this point the PS5 needs to be a huge hit because in 2019….Sony = PlayStation as it has sold off pretty much everything else to stay afloat.</p><p><br></p><p>Notice how they did not use the Teraflops rating? That would have been way more telling than 8K/Ray Tracing.</p>

  • SRLRacing

    16 April, 2019 - 12:55 pm

    <p>8k will almost certainly be achieved by 4k rendering + checkerboard upscaling.</p>

  • bluvg

    16 April, 2019 - 1:36 pm

    <p>8k graphics and ray tracing. But not at the same time :P</p><p><br></p><p>Probably 8k for movies. RT at 1080p.</p>

  • Patrick3D

    16 April, 2019 - 4:37 pm

    <p>I just hope they don't mess up the analog sticks like Microsoft did with the Xbox One controller.</p>

  • Ron Diaz

    16 April, 2019 - 7:03 pm

    <p>Honestly who cares? Sony has all the best games and Xbox has garbage.</p><p>And this is coming from a day one original Xbox and Xbox 360 buyer and fanboy.</p><p>Oh yeah, bought the lousy Xbox One day one also.</p><p><br></p><p>xbox one has completely sucked a$$</p>

    • codymesh

      17 April, 2019 - 7:22 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#421342">In reply to Hypnotoad:</a></em></blockquote><p>this article is about Playstation….</p><p><br></p><p>…but it's nice to know that the 9-year old fans have moved away from the xbox.</p>

  • hassan_timite

    18 April, 2019 - 12:42 pm

    <p>Interesting. Assuming that Sony won't have the equivalent of Stadia or of XCloud, they have no choice than to produce an extremly powered console. Ideally more powerful than Xbox Scarlett Anaconda.</p><p> Moreover seing how successful the PS4 is and that that more people are way more interested by the PS5 than any other upcoming platform, i guess that they can afford to offer a console at a higher price than the PS4.</p><p>This said it remain to be seen if all Xbox Scarlett models can't be boosted by Xcloud.</p><p>If so, the PS5 will have a hardtime to compete with scarlett in the computing power department.</p><p><br></p><p>This said, and assuming that i am allergic to cloud gaming and i have been more interested by PS4 games than by Xbox One games, PS5 is on top of my shopping list for next gen platform !</p>

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