A gamer playing the PlayStation 4. Image: © domarevatanya/Stock.adobe.com
The tech giant confirmed the name of its next console and revealed it will feature an upgraded controller with adaptive trigger buttons.
On Tuesday (8 October), Sony confirmed its next games console will be named the PlayStation 5, and will launch at the end of next year.
The gaming giant said the new console will be released in time for Christmas 2020, complete with a new controller that uses enhanced vibration technology which would help games feel more realistic.
Jim Ryan, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said the firm wanted to “deepen the feeling of immersion when you play games” through the controller.
Sony also confirmed the next-generation console will feature hardware updates including a new solid-state drive, which it says will reduce loading times. The PS5 will also support ray tracing, a digital technology that enables more realistic recreation of lighting in the virtual 3D environments found in modern video games.
The updates appear similar to those promised by rivals Microsoft for its own next-generation Xbox console, currently known as Project Scarlett, which is also due to be released at the end of next year.
In a blogpost on the PlayStation website, Ryan said the new PlayStation 5 controller would help make gaming more realistic on the new console.
Haptic feedback
“There are two key innovations with the PlayStation 5’s new controller. First, we’re adopting haptic feedback to replace the ‘rumble’ technology found in controllers since the fifth generation of consoles,” he said.
“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.”
Sony has not yet released any images of the console or confirmed any launch games, but Ryan said the company would share more details about the console in the months to come.
– PA Media
