PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced in 2019 as the successor to the PlayStation 4, the PS5 was released on November 12, 2020 in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, Singapore, and South Korea, and November 19, 2020 onwards in other major markets except China and India.
The platform was launched in two variants: a base model with an Ultra HD Blu-ray-compatible optical disc drive, and a Digital Edition lacking this drive, serving as a lower-cost model for those who prefer to buy games through digital download.
The PlayStation 5’s main features include a solid-state drive customized for high-speed data streaming to enable significant improvements in storage performance, an AMD GPU capable of 4K resolution display at up to 120 frames per second, hardware-accelerated ray tracing for realistic lighting and reflections, the Tempest Engine allowing for 3D audio effects, and backward compatibility with most PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games.
Marketing and Release
Cerny first publicly described the new console in an interview with Wired magazine in April 2019. In early 2019, Sony’s financial report for the quarter ending March 31, 2019, affirmed that new next-generation hardware was in development but would ship no earlier than April 2020. In a second Wired magazine interview in October 2019, Sony said it intended to ship its next-generation console worldwide by the end of 2020. The current hardware specifications were revealed in October 2019. At CES 2020, Sony unveiled the official logo for the platform, which follows the similar minimalist styling of the previous PlayStation consoles and brand. Full specifications were given in an online presentation by Cerny and published by Sony and Digital Foundry on March 18, 2020. Digital Foundry spoke with Cerny in detail and published a “deep dive” on April 2.
A major game library showcase had been planned for June 4, 2020, but was postponed until June 11 due to the George Floyd protests. This presentation was also the premiere of the console’s external hardware design.
Event lighting being set up at SIE headquarters on the evening of November 8, four days before the November 12, 2020 launch
Sony planned to launch the PlayStation 5 by 2020’s end-of-year holiday period. The date and pricing was confirmed as part of a game showcase presentation on September 16, 2020; the release date in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, Singapore, and South Korea was confirmed for November 12, 2020, and for most of the rest of the world on November 19, 2020. A release date for China will be announced later. PlayStation 5’s release in India was delayed, leading to speculation that a trademark dispute was the reason; the name “PS5” was briefly trademarked by a different person. The dispute was eventually resolved, but Sony did not announce a release date for India, citing import regulations, among other factors. The launch in Indonesia is planned for January 22, 2021.
The console launched with two models: a base version with an Ultra HD Blu-ray compatible optical disc drive for retail game support alongside online distribution via the PlayStation Store, and a lower-cost variant lacking the disc drive and retaining digital download support.
Following the September 16, 2020 presentation, Sony stated that pre-orders for the console were to open at various retailers on the following day. However, several retailers in the United States and United Kingdom launched pre-orders that evening, causing a rush on pre-orders, including scalping as many stores’ inventories were quickly sold out, and creating confusion. Sony apologized for the incident on September 19, 2020 and promised to increase more pre-order deliveries over the coming days and stock through the end of the year.
PS5 Info
| Also known as | PS5 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Manufacturer | Sony Corporation |
| Product family | PlayStation |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Release date |
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| Introductory price |
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| Media | UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, digital distribution |
| CPU | Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2, variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM |
| Storage | Custom 825 GB SSD |
| Removable storage | Internal (user upgradeable) NVMe M.2 SSD, or external USB-based HDD |
| Display |
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| Graphics | Custom AMD RDNA 2, 36 CUs @ variable frequency up to 2.23 GHz |
| Sound | Custom Tempest Engine 3D Audio |
| Controller input | DualSense, DualShock 4, PlayStation Move |
| Connectivity |
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| Online services | PlayStation Network PlayStation Now |
| Dimensions |
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| Mass |
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| Backward compatibility |
Almost all PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games |
| Predecessor | PlayStation 4 |
| Website | playstation.com/ps5 |