The next generation of PlayStation is nearly here. After more than a year of drip-feeding information about the PlayStation 5, Sony has finally laid out the price, release date, and some of the games we can expect to play at launch.
With the PS5, it seems like Sony is sticking with the approach that made the PlayStation 4 so successful: sell consoles that can play first-party games from Sony’s storied franchises, and supplement that lineup with great third-party titles, too. You should expect to see better graphics in your games, and the PS5 will also support high refresh rates, which should make games feel smoother (if you have a display that supports those refresh rates). Plus, the PS5’s custom SSD promises to offer such a leap forward in loading speeds that it could change the way games are designed.
Microsoft also has a powerful console in the Xbox Series X, which promises better graphics and faster loading times, but it’s also selling the somewhat lower-powered Xbox Series S. The company continues to make Xbox Game Pass, its Netflix-like game subscription service, one of the best deals in gaming, and it doesn’t mind whether you play its games on an Xbox or a PC. And while the PS5 will play most PS4 titles, the new Xbox consoles boast backwards compatibility with not only Xbox One but also many Xbox 360 titles and some OG Xbox games as well.
We’ll have to wait and see which console proves to be the better buy. But here’s everything we know right now about what Sony has to offer.