The future is here…again.
If you were one of the fortunate few who got in early enough, you’ll be enjoying the release of the latest and greatest from PlayStation and Microsoft this week with the launches of the PS5 (November 12th) and Xbox Series X (November 10th).
I jest with the title, as I recall when the PS3/Xbox 360 originally launched it was the first time the now widely used phrase “Next Gen” was applied to gaming consoles, so doing the math it sounds about right for the current releases.
The great thing about video gaming is that it is perfect come rain, hail or shine (or global pandemic). While the tongue-in-cheek superiority of “PC master race” still reigns supreme, the overwhelming popularity and increasing technological capabilities of console gaming are on full display with the latest offerings from Sony and Microsoft.
Both units have similar specifications in terms of processing power (8 core 3.5 – 3.8 GHz “Zen 2” CPU), memory/RAM (16GB GDDR6) and storage (825GB – 1TB SSD) with the ability to run in true 4K up to 120fps (frames per second). For a complete list of the tech specs, I refer to you these links for PS5 and Xbox. There will also be digital and disc-drive variants of both. Still, it will be interesting to see how the PS5’s famed “ray tracing” ability holds up in the real world – see demonstration video by Unreal Engine below (In 3D computer graphics, ray tracing is a rendering technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light as pixels in an image plane and simulating the effects of its encounters with virtual objects).
A lot of places have already claimed to be sold out of pre-orders for the PS5, such is the demand for the product, so Xbox may pick up a few extra sales for those who have missed out on the PlayStation. Despite being such a PlayStation fan having bought every console since the original launched some 25 years ago, I have not got myself a PS5…yet. I knew the demand around launch was going to be crazy for these so I decided not to take part, plus I still have a handy amount of PS4 games I’m yet to play. Also, and I think quite crucially so, the general rule of “don’t buy the first iteration of anything” does come into play, as there will inevitably be faults that will need to be ironed out. So, if you can wait (although it seems many won’t have a choice), you may be better off picking up one in 12 months or so.
For any further information or questions you have, may I refer you to PlayStation’s extensive blog here or the Xbox Series X home page here.
Enjoy if you do have one of these new consoles and for those who are waiting feel free to read my article on delayed gratification *winks*.