Finally! Some actual confirmed facts!
Despite the fact that the era of the PS4 is still a long way from ending – there is still Death Stranding and The Last Of Us Part II to come, after all – when Microsoft announced that their next generation console, Project Scarlett, was due for release in 2020, all eyes turned to Sony to see if they would confirm the arrival of their new product.
For the longest time, rumours and leaks were dripping out, but nothing was set in stone, not even the name of the new console… until today.
In an entry on the official PlayStation Blog, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan confirmed so key details:
“Since we originally unveiled our next-generation console in April, we know that there’s been a lot of excitement and interest in hearing more about what the future of games will bring. Today I’m proud to share that our next-generation console will be called PlayStation 5, and we’ll be launching in time for Holiday 2020.”
So, we’ll all be getting one for Christmas next year. And it is definitely called the PS5. So far, so good.
Ryan continued with more details, specifically focusing on the new controller (likely to be called the DualShock 5), and how it will lend itself to a more realistic gaming experience:
“First, we’re adopting haptic feedback to replace the “rumble” technology found in controllers since the 5th generation of consoles. With haptics, you truly feel a broader range of feedback, so crashing into a wall in a race car feels much different than making a tackle on the football field. You can even get a sense for a variety of textures when running through fields of grass or plodding through mud.
“The second innovation is something we call adaptive triggers, which have been incorporated into the trigger buttons (L2/R2). Developers can program the resistance of the triggers so that you feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain.
“In combination with the haptics, this can produce a powerful experience that better simulates various actions. Game creators have started to receive early versions of the new controller, and we can’t wait to see where their imagination goes with these new features at their disposal.”
Well, that sounds pretty nifty.
Bring on Christmas 2020!
