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PlayStation 5

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The PlayStation 5, or PS5, is a home video game console.

PlayStation 5 Home Screen
PlayStation 5 Home Screen

It was made by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the ninth generation of consoles. This machine is a successor to the PlayStation 4. It was first announced in April 2019. The console launched on November 12, 2020, in several places like North America and Japan. It arrived in most other parts of the world a week later.

PlayStation 5 logo and wordmark
PlayStation 5 logo and wordmark

One main goal was to fix slow loading times in games. Mark Cerny, the lead architect, heard from developers that old hard disk drives were too slow. These old drives limited how much data could be loaded quickly. To solve this, the PS5 uses a custom solid-state drive, or SSD. This storage works at very high speeds. It allows the system to stream data to the game world. This means players can move through large areas without long waits.

Sony PlayStation 5 motherboard
Sony PlayStation 5 motherboard

Building the console took a lot of careful planning. Mark Cerny used a two-year feedback cycle to talk to developers. He visited them to learn how to improve the hardware. This helped the team decide what features were most important. Sony also looked at whether to make a cheaper, lower-power version. They decided against it because they thought such models become obsolete too fast.

Mark Cerny, Gamelab 2018 (cropped)
Mark Cerny, Gamelab 2018 (cropped)

The hardware inside is very powerful. It uses a custom chip from AMD that holds the CPU and GPU. The GPU can show clear 4K images at up to 120 frames per second. It also uses ray tracing to make light and reflections look real. For sound, the Tempest Engine handles hundreds of 3D audio effects. There is also a DualSense controller that uses haptic feedback.

SIE headquarters with event lighting
SIE headquarters with event lighting

There are different versions of the PlayStation 5 to choose from. The base model has an optical disc drive for Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. The Digital Edition is a lower-cost model with no disc drive. You can only buy games for it through downloads. In November 2023, Sony released slimmer versions of these models. A more powerful PS5 Pro also arrived on November 7, 2024. It features a faster GPU and new AI-driven upscaling technology.

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🖼️ Images & Media (7)
File:PlayStation 5 logo and wordmark.svg
PlayStation 5 logo and wordmark.svg
File:Mark Cerny, Gamelab 2018 (cropped).jpg
Mark Cerny, Gamelab 2018 (cropped).jpg
File:SIE headquarters with event lighting.jpg
SIE headquarters with event lighting.jpg
File:Countries sales of PlayStation 5.svg
Countries sales of PlayStation 5.svg
File:Sony PlayStation 5 motherboard.png
Sony PlayStation 5 motherboard.png
File:Video über die PS5 Pro (BeatEmUps) (2160p 60fps VP9-128kbit AAC)-00.02.23.200.png
Video über die PS5 Pro (BeatEmUps) (2160p...
File:PlayStation_5_Home_Screen.jpg
PlayStation_5_Home_Screen.jpg
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