Sony's next-gen game console, likely to be called PlayStation 5, will support 4K at 120fps, in addition to 8K. Sony is also planning "cross-generation play" between PS4 and PS5, according to an interview with CNET.
More PS5 details emerge
Well, this is not a huge surprise. Sony had already revealed that PlayStation 5 will support 8K (presumably 8K60), which implies support for HDMI 2.1 and 4K120. It is nevertheless still interesting to see Sony highlight 4K120 as a key feature in its interview with CNET.
4K resolution at 120 frames per second can make games run much smoother than today. The game console hardware will probably struggle to hit 4K120 consistently in AAA games but going beyond 60fps will be a huge and important step for console gaming. This is where VRR - variable refresh rate - comes into play. Sony has yet to discuss VRR technology in PS5.
4K120 with HDR requires HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. Currently, only LG 2019 4K OLED, LG 2019 high-end 4K LCD and a few 8K TVs offer HDMI 2.1 ports. If you are planning to invest in PlayStation 5 you should be aware of these details.
In the interview it was also confirmed that the much faster SSD storage will be offered as part of the standard PS5 version.
In addition, Sony is planning to offer "cross-generational play, effectively offering players the ability to play a game on their PS4, switch to a new console and continue, and then switch back", according to CNET. The friend list will be cross-generational, too.
- "Whether it's backwards compatibility or the possibility of cross-generational play, we'll be able to transition that community to next-gen," Jim Ryan, Sony PlayStation CEO, told CNET. "It won't be a binary choice about whether you have to be either on PlayStation 4 or next-gen to continue your friendship."
Next-level PlayStation Now
The Sony PlayStation CEO also had an interesting comment about game streaming, saying that Sony's intent is to "take PlayStation Now to the next level later this year".
- "We have a cloud gaming service right now, and we've added on it for a number of years. I think maybe we've been a bit guilty of not talking about it enough. Now we're in 19 countries, we have 170 publishers on board, 780 games in the States. We've actually achieved a lot, and probably a lot more than people realize. And our intent is to build on those learnings and really look to try to take PlayStation Now to the next level later this year and then in the years to come," he told CNET.
It is not clear what that entails but if we had to speculate based on previous remarks, quality and distribution would be the first two subjects on our mind. Here, we are specifically thinking of 4K/HDR game streaming and apps on additional platforms such as Apple TV or Smart TVs. You may recall that Apple just the other day announced support for the PlayStation DualShock 4 controller, in addition to the Xbox One controller, in tvOS 13.
Whatever it may be there are lots of areas in which PlayStation Now could be improved. Later this year, Google will launch its competing Stadia game streaming service. Apple is also gearing up to enter the arena with its multi-platform Arcade game download service.
- Source: CNET
