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The PlayStation 5 vs. the Xbox Series X: Which is more powerful?
The next generation of consoles is coming, with plenty of emphasis on how much power these things have — the better to render modern graphics. Last week we got a look at what's inside Microsoft's Xbox Series X, and today we're finally seeing what's under the hood with the PlayStation 5. As usual, we've lined up their specs for a side-by-side comparison, though for a final verdict we'd wait to see what games each system has lined up and Engadget's full review when both systems launch later this year.
PlayStation 5 will feature a 10.2-teraflop GPU and a speedy custom SSD
It's been almost a year since Sony started talking about the PlayStation 5 in an uncharacteristically revealing Wired interview. We learned the next-generation console will be powered by AMD's third-generation Ryzen CPU and a custom Radeon Navi GPU. Additionally, it'll support hardware-accelerated ray-tracing and feature speedy SSD storage. But beyond confirming the name "PlayStation 5" and announcing a familiar-looking logo, Sony hasn't given us many specific details about the console -- certainly not as many as Microsoft has around the Xbox Series X, which on paper has similar hardware.
Watch Sony's PlayStation 5 'deep dive' right here at 12PM ET
At last, Sony is ready to divulge some more PlayStation 5 details. The company has been rather hush-hush since lead architect Mark Cerny revealed some basic specs and system features in a Wired interview last year. Sony has divulged the console's name, release window and logo, sure, but there's still so much that we don't know. Well, we should find out a little more in a video that kicks off today at 9AM PT/12PM ET. It will be hosted by Cerny and offer "a deep dive into PS5's system architecture, and how it will shape the future of games," Sony explained in a tweet. Excited? So are we. For all the juicy tidbits, be sure to watch the livestream below.
Sony will reveal more PlayStation 5 details in a livestream tomorrow
It's time. In a tweet, Sony announced that it will be hosting a livestream tomorrow about the PlayStation 5. The broadcast will start on the PlayStation blog at 9AM PT (12PM ET/4PM GMT) and be hosted by Mark Cerny, the console's lead system architect and director of both Knack games. According to Sony, the presentation will provide "a deep dive into PS5's system architecture, and how it will shape the future of games."
After Math: The rule of threes
While the Sonic movie was busy running rings around its box office competition last week, a mysterious triplicating pattern began to emerge across the internet among seemingly innocuous and unrelated events. Uber resumed operations in Columbia after a three-week ban, Westworld is returning to HBO for Season 3 in the third week of the third month, and Amazon listed the PS4 for -- you guessed it -- $300. Whether it's coincidence or conspiracy, only you can decide.
You can get a PS4 Pro on Amazon for less than $300
Yes, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series Whatever are coming your way by the end of the year. But if you can't wait until then for a 4K or VR gaming upgrade, then at least you can save a little money on the most powerful PlayStation console available. On Amazon the PS4 Pro is currently available for $299.98, $100 less than the usual price. We've occasionally seen it available for this amount before, and if you just bought a new TV and are tearing through your back catalog of games before the next gen upgrades hit, then it might be the right time to buy. It upgrades the WiFi support over older PS4s, and even though many games aren't running natively in 4K resolution, they'll still look better than ever with some extra GPU horsepower. Buy Sony PS4 Pro on Amazon - $299.98
Bloomberg: The PS5 could cost 'at least' $470
Sony is struggling to keep costs down on the PlayStation 5 as the console hurtles toward its big debut later this year. Bloomberg is reporting that the cost to build the machine has risen to $450 per unit, a big increase on the PS4's $380. The financial outlet's analysts are saying that the sticker price for the new console could be close to $470, which could be a hard sell for cash-strapped buyers.
Sony could have a new PSVR headset in the works
We already knew that the PS5 would support Sony's PlayStation VR headset. That makes sense: the new console will be backwards compatible with PS4 software, which presumably includes every VR-enabled title. What we didn't know, however, was the future of the PSVR platform and whether Sony would ever release a PSVR 2. Well, good news: according to Bloomberg, the company is planning a new version of its virtual reality headset, with a tentative release date sometime after the PS5's launch.
E3 2020 registration opens February 15 at 11AM ET
If you're determined to see games for next-gen consoles months in advance, your opportunity might be close at hand. The ESA is opening registration for E3 2020 through the E3 website on February 15th at 11AM Eastern. You'll have to pay $165 to visit the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 10th and 11th if you're part of the general public (only the industry and press get in on June 9th), but the ESA is promising perks that include a new "floor experience" where you'll see conversations with creators.
'Outriders' trailer reveals a superhuman co-op shooter
People Can Fly and Square Enix finally have something more substantial to show for Outriders than what you saw back at E3. They've released a "reveal" trailer that doesn't show much gameplay for the co-op shooter, but does say a whole lot more about the premise. You play one of many human colonists who settled on the planet Enoch to escape a decaying Earth, only to find that an "anomaly" is warping them with strange powers. Think of it as a much less benign equivalent to the Traveler in Destiny. Naturally, that means mixing up your gunplay with some space magic.
Sony's PlayStation business is slowing faster than expected
Back in 2018 Sony made it clear that its games department would be slowing down as it prepared for the next generation PlayStation. Now it's released its quarterly results which go beyond a "slowing down" to illustrate a much more significant drop in revenue for the business.
PlayStation's new Back Button accessory is a wasted opportunity
Sony's DualShock is a good controller. Its Emmy award-winning design has hardly changed over the last couple of decades. It had a run of minor refinements until the DualShock 4 added a touchpanel, some fancy lights and a grippier texture. But things have moved on. PlayStation's biggest rival, Xbox, has a high-end controller for top-level gamers, while expensive third-party options from SCUFF and Hori have proved there are better ways to play PS4. Enter the unimaginatively named Back Button Attachment, aimed at giving your six-year-old DualShock 4 a few new tricks. But just a few.
Why Sony is skipping E3 (again)
For the second year in a row, Sony is passing on E3, the video game industry's largest annual trade show. The reasons why are numerous. For one, many believe that E3's influence and cultural relevance is slowly evaporating. Roughly 66,000 people attended the show last June, down from 69,000 the year prior. For comparison, Gamescom -- Europe's largest fan festival and industry-focused gaming convention -- has stood firm with roughly 370,000 attendees the past two years.
Watch Sony's CES 2020 press conference in nine minutes
Sony made a leftfield announcement at CES today -- it's made a car. With help from Bosch, NVIDIA and Qualcomm the company has created its first prototype vehicle under its Vision-S initiative -- pipping the likes of Google and Apple, which have been talking about doing something similar, to the post. It is, predictably, loaded with sensors and other Sony tech.
The PS5 logo looks exactly as you would expect it to
Here it is. The PS5 logo. Enjoy.
We're live from Sony's CES 2020 press event!
Sony's CES mood in recent years is one of quiet confidence and, well, not many big hardware announcements. Instead, it uses CES press conferences as a showcase for what it did the year before. That's not great news if you were angling for details on the next-generation PlayStation, but expect updates to the company's TVs and audio hardware. Maybe we'll get some new cameras, as both Nikon and Canon have launched new systems in the last year. We'll be liveblogging whatever Sony has planned, so join us here at 5:00 PM PST (8:00 PM EST). Any questions or demands? You can ask me on Twitter (@thatmatsmith).
'Godfall' is a fantasy 'looter-slasher' RPG from Gearbox for PS5
At The Game Awards, Gearbox Publishing and developer Counterplay Games revealed one of the first few confirmed games for PlayStation 5. Following its own Borderlands 3, Gearbox is kinda staying in the looter-shooter arena, but Godfall will be somewhat different from the popular space western series.
Sony patent may show a familiar-looking controller for the PS5
While Sony is still about a year away from releasing its next-generation console, we may have just gotten an early look at the device's new controller. Newly published images by Japan's patent office that were first spotted by VGC may provide some clues as to what to expect from the peripheral.
The PlayStation 5 officially launches 'holiday 2020'
Sony is offering up more drip-feed details about its next-generation console, but the major points are that, yes, it will be called the PlayStation 5, and you'll have to wait till the end of 2020 to play it. We also got the first new details on new controllers for Sony's next games machine. Think haptics. A few of 'em.
Recommended Reading: The ICE surveillance playbook
How ICE picks its targets in the surveillance age McKenzie Funk, The New York Times Through the lens of officers operating in the Pacific Northwest, The New York Times explains how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) collects information on possible targets. That includes monitoring social media accounts and tapping into "the world's largest privately run database of license-plate scans."
