PS5 specs, new PS5 controller details, possible PS5 games and all confirmed PlayStation 5 details so far

The PS5 - or PlayStation 5, which has finally been confirmed by Sony as the name of the next-gen PlayStation - is coming in 2020.

Everything we know so far comes from several Wired pieces - one announcing the system in a Mark Cerny interview in Wired, giving us the basics of the PS5 specs and tech details, and the other confirmed other smaller details, such as how the PS5 Controller differs, and one biggie - a PS5 release date of Christmas 2020 .

Here's what we know - and don't know yet - about the PS5 so far. If you're looking for more next gen details, our new Xbox specs and confirmed Project Scarlett games page might be of interest.

On this page:

PS5 specs, including SSD, ray tracing and more on how powerful the PS5 will be

Let's dive straight into the hard numbers - here's what we know about PS5's tech after this initial PS5 reveal:

PS5 specs

• CPU - the PS5 CPU will be an AMD chip based on Ryzen. 8x cores; 7nm Zen 2.

• GPU and ray tracing - the PS5 GPU will be a custom AMD Navi GPU, that supports ray tracing at a hardware level (here's Digital Foundry on the current state of ray tracing tech if you're looking for more on that).
• Audio - the PS5 will have 3D Audio that Mark Cerny believes will be "dramatically different" to PS4 audio.
• Storage - as with the new Xbox, the PS5 will have an SSD (solid state drive). Sony says its version uses the new PCIe 4.0 connection. Cerny gave the example of a 0.8 second loading time, compared to 15 seconds, when tested on Marvel's Spider-Man.
• Resolution support - the PS5 will have up to 8K support, presumably including full 4k.
• 4K Bluray player will be available, with the PS5 reading 100GB optical discs.

Want to know the Digital Foundry verdict on the PS5 specs and confirmed PS5 features? This video can help:

All confirmed PS5 details, including PS5 backwards compatibility

Let's look at some of the 'softer' features of the PS5, that we know of so far - again, thanks to Wired.

PS5 features: backwards compatibility and physical vs. digital

• The PS5 will support backwards compatibility - with seemingly all PS4 games, as it's "based in part on the PS4's architecture".
• The PS5 won't be digital-only - physical media, such as the current form of discs, will still be supported.
• Some games will likely release on both PS4 and PS5 at first - Wired speculated on Death Stranding being one example, based on Cerny's notably "pregnant pause" when asked, though with that launching in 2019 ahead of the PS5, this isn't the case. That's of course, not to say some games would not be cross-gen.
• The PS5 will have some form of cloud functionality - "we are cloud-gaming pioneers," Cerny told Wired, "our vision should become clear as we head toward launch."
• PS5 PSVR support has been confirmed, with the current headset at least, while leaks point to a new headset, with two front and one rear camera, an additional camera is included on a Move-style controller, and the mention it could be operated wirelessly.

• The PlayStation 5 name isn't a placeholder or speculation - it's the official name of the next-gen PlayStation. "It's nice to be able to say it," CEO Jim Ryan told Wired. "Like a giant burden has been lifted from my shoulders."
• Game installations will be more configurable due to the way the SSD works (more on that below), allowing players to delete just a single-player campaign while keeping multiplayer, for example, if developers support it.
• Game sizes should be smaller or at least, better optimised. That's one of the benefits of going to an SSD-only solution with PS5 - with developers no longer needing to duplicate data makes a standard 5400 RPM be read faster. "How developers will take advantage of that space will likely differ; some may opt to build a larger or more detailed game world, others may be content to shrink the size of the games or patches," said Wired.
• The PlayStation 5 home screen will be more dynamic, better showing off live elements - such as currently available missions - or allow players to select their activity in real time. "As a player you just jump right into whatever you like," Cerny explained.

Want to hear what we want from the PS5 and next Xbox? Give our dedicated next-gen consoles podcast episode a listen through iTunes, Spotify, RSS, and SoundCloud:

PS5 controller specs, including haptic feedback details - what the 'DualShock 5' be like?

The PS5's controller - which doesn't have a name yet, but we'll dub the DualShock 5 (we'd place a strong bet on being the final name) - joins the console itself in having some key details explained.

• Adaptive triggers offer levels of resistance when playing a game. Two examples were the tension when pulling the string of a bow before firing an arrow, or having a machine gun feel different to a shotgun.

• Improved haptic feedback - or better rumble - will offer "astonishing effects" according to Wired, allowing you to feel the effects of different surfaces, whether it's resistance or a "bouncy sensation".
• USB Type-C is supported, which is more commonly used on modern (Android) smartphones and also the Nintendo Switch - so expect some of your existing cables to charge the DualShock 5.
• It will be heavier than DualShock 4 with the inclusion of haptics and a higher capacity battery (our read on this is it doesn't necessarily mean longer battery life - it could be to balance out the more intensive new features). But, it should be lighter than a current Xbox controller "with batteries in it", according to product manager Toshi Aoki.
• Though the DualShock 5 appearance has yet to be seen, the prototype seen by Wired is "an unlabeled matte-black doohickey that looks an awful lot like the PS4's DualShock 4". Expect most changes to be under the hood rather than cosmetic, then.

What we don't know about the PS5 so far, despite what PS5 leaks and PS5 rumours tell us

The above is all what's need confirmed about the PS5. Of course, there's been years of speculation, PS5 leaks and rumours, all of which you should take with a pinch of salt.

• The final console won't necessarily look like the dev kit, which has the unusual form factor of a 'V'. Though Wired confirmed that's how the LetsGoDigital leak looked "a lot" like the dev kit leaks, Sony refused to comment on whether it'll keep that appearance for the final console. Based on how dev kits in the past versus the final product, expect it to look rather different.

• Voice control is unconfirmed, even if as Wired says during a hands-on with the controller "there's a little hole on it" suggesting it could be. Sony's response? "We'll talk more about it another time", says system architect Cerny, and "We file patents on a regular basis, and like many companies, some of those patents end up in our products, and some don't" a Sony spokesperson added.
• It's unlikely the DualShock 5 will have a touch screen - as shown in the embedded tweet below - which the Wired report doesn't rule out, but since it goes into great depth of what is in the controller, the fact a touch screen wasn't mentioned suggests it won't be a feature.

? pic.twitter.com/r4Hbpx7mul

— Ray - ??? (@YakuzaNinja4k) March 27, 2019

• PS5 price can be estimated given the PS5 specs we know about, but the final figure will ultimately depend on what else is in the box, the competition and the price of components at the time. In 2018 Digital Foundry ran a PS5 in theory piece which discussed pricing, and said any true next gen leap would have to wait until 2020 in order to keep costs down. The PS4 launch price was $399 / Ł349 - perhaps the PS5 price will be similar?
• PS5 Backwards compatibility with PS1, PS2 or PS3 is unlikely - since the PS4 doesn't have these, chances are the PS5 won't either. But a patent in 2018 suggested "remastered by emulation" was revealed, which replaced the textures from old games with new ones on the fly. Whether this is a method for remastering older games or a way to upscale the PlayStation back catalogue is, again, unknown.

If you're generally confused by PS5 leaks and what to believe, this video by Digital Foundry gives you a good grounding of what you should know:

What PS5 games have been confirmed so far?

There have not been any PS5 games confirmed yet - it's very early days - but as you can imagine, there's been some guesswork out there online. These include:

• A new project by Bluepoint Games, the developer of the PS4 Shadow of the Colossus remake. "We're working on a big one right now," president Marco Thrush teased to Wired, "I'll let you figure out the rest." For some extra context, the studio told Digital Foundry interview in 2018 the studio's next project is a another remake - and we have to assume these are one and the same. Any guesses?
• Starfield, Bethesda's space-based role-playing adventure, is still a few years off and is a next gen game - putting it in-line as a PS5 game. It could, of course, be cross-gen with PS4, too.
• Elder Scrolls 6 is even further away from that - this is almost certainly bound for PS5 than PS4. Here are our educated-but-very-over-excited Elder Scrolls 6 location predictions, if you want more on that.

• Countless yearly franchises, live service games and popular apps. Will FIFA, Call of Duty and Madden be coming to PS5? Almost certainly. Fortnite on PS5? It's possible. Netflix? We reckon so. Of course we won't hear anything for a while yet about confirmed PS5 games, so this is all our guesswork on what is possible.

With the PS5 not due until late 2020, then there's still a lot to learn before it finally arrives. If you're looking for more next gen details, our new Xbox specs and confirmed Project Scarlett games page might be of interest.