PS5 reveal: 5 big questions Sony needs to answer today

With the most significant PlayStation 5 reveal yet planned for later today, the time for speculation is almost over.

Sony will offer a “deep dive into PS5’s system architecture” on Wednesday at 9am PT / 4pm GMT. The in-depth PS5 reveal will be provided by lead system architect Mark Cerny and be viewable on the PlayStation Blog.

Sony has yet to reveal exact PS5 specifications, but it has confirmed several of the console’s features including an ultra-high speed SSD, 3D audio, Ultra HD Blu-Ray and a new controller with haptics and adaptive trigger buttons.

However, many questions remain around Sony’s plans for PlayStation 5, including how much it will cost, how powerful its specs will be and even when it could release.

Below VGC summarises the five questions Sony needs to answer in today’s PS5 reveal. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Can PS5 match Xbox Series X specs?

In the next-gen marketing race, Microsoft has certainly dashed furthest from the start line. For more than three months now Xbox has been trickling out next-gen console news, and this week the platform holder revealed the full technical specs for Xbox Series X.

The comparative silence from the other side of the fence, coupled with some quite impressive technical figures from the Microsoft camp, have led some to speculate that PlayStation could have the less technically able console this time around.

And on the final day of 2019 a PlayStation 5 spec leak suggested that Sony’s next-gen console might not match Xbox Series X in terms of raw hardware power.

Digital Foundry editor Richard Leadbetter wrote at the time: “The PlayStation 5 spec outlined in the leak points toward a device with more of a balance between price and performance.”

And why would Sony worry about being top of the specs sheet? PlayStation has been far ahead of its competitor this console generation and as has been proved many times before – and by Sony’s own PlayStation 3 – raw power does not guarantee success. Unique features such as the PS5 controller’s haptic feedback could more greatly benefit next-gen games, even if it’s at the cost of a few teraflops of compute power.

Hopefully today we’ll get some clear answers on where PlayStation stands in terms of its hardware strategy. Will it opt for raw power or a balance of features?

Will PS5 still release in 2020?

Like many entertainment industries, video games have been heavily disrupted in the opening months of 2020 by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Virtually every major event planned for the first half of the year has now been cancelled, including GDC and E3 2020. There have also been stock shortages on hardware items such as Nintendo Switch, due to factories temporarily shutting down in China.

However, some market analysts have speculated that the coronavirus outbreak could yet have an even more substantial impact on video games in 2020.

Last week a report from market research firm DFC Intelligence claimed there was a “strong likelihood” that the PlayStation 5 and/or Xbox Series X launch dates could be delayed to 2021 due to the impact of the coronavirus.

The firm predicted that even if the next-gen consoles launch during the 2020 holiday season as planned, supply is likely to be constrained and prices could be elevated.

The report followed a similar prediction from a leading investment bank, which claimed in February that COVID-19 could see next-gen console launches constrained or even delayed.

China’s manufacturing sector, which produces the vast majority of the world’s consumer electronics, has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with manufacturing giant Foxconn said to have quarantined workers, according to Business Insider by Pulse.

Nearly all video game hardware is produced in China, while it’s estimated that as much as half of art creation in Western games is also outsourced to the country.

According to investment bank Jefferies Group, if the outbreak continues it could affect Microsoft’s and Sony’s plans for the launch of their next-gen consoles later this year.

“The video game sector is currently manufacturing, or beginning to, a once-in-several-years’ product generation change for the 2020 holiday season,” the group said.

“If [company] shutdowns exceed a month or so, game schedules will be delayed. New consoles may likewise suffer supply issues from a prolonged disruption, ahead of their Fall 2020 planned launches.”

Microsoft’s latest marketing has reiterated a Holiday 2020 release for Xbox Series X. Will Sony be able to make the same commitment?

What’s the ‘secret’ feature?

In January Sony Interactive Entertainment teased that it had yet to reveal the “bigger differences” that will separate PlayStation 5 from the previous console generation.

While Sony is yet to publicly showcase its next-gen console, it’s confirmed a number of flagship features including an ultra-high speed SSD and haptic feedback in its controller.

Discussing the PS5’s controller, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan told Business Insider Japan that playing games such as Gran Turismo Sport using the pad is a “completely different experience.”

“But there are still more unique elements to PS5 compared to previous game consoles,” he said. “We haven’t announced the bigger differences yet.”

In February a key developer at Metro studio 4A Games also referenced unannounced PlayStation 5 features and suggested that there were significant reveals to come.

Asked about the various confirmed features for the new consoles, such as solid state storage and increased graphics power, the CTO said: “I am more excited for not yet publicly revealed things.”

So what could these ‘bigger’ unrevealed features be? One potential candidate is a biofeedback controller.

According to a recent patent, Sony has been working on a controller feature which would gather biofeedback from the user’s hands during normal use. The sensor on one or both sides of the controller grips would track the sweat secretion and heart rate of the player.

This information could then be used by the PlayStation 5 to make adjustments to a user’s game experience, such as increasing or lowering difficulty.

It’s at least the third time the feature has been mentioned in Sony patents.

Will PS5’s design have dev kit influence?

Dev kits don’t usually influence the final product design of game consoles, but then most dev kits look like generic PC towers and not the sci-fi blockade runner currently powering PlayStation 5’s game projects.

The PS5 dev kit has been leaked a number of times already in the past six months and matches designs which first appeared in a Sony patent in 2019.

The dev kit features a ‘V-shaped’ design and a front-mounted LCD panel used to display information on the software currently operating on the machine.

As stated earlier, the designs of development kit consoles typically have no resemblance to their final retail box. However, prototype controllers generally do offer an indication of what the final gamepad will look like, so that shouldn’t come as much surprise when Sony officially show it.

The controller seen in the images matches a recent PS5 controller patent and a description of the PS5’s prototype pad in a Wired article.

The prototype PS5 controller currently being sent to developers is described as “an unlabelled matte-black doohickey” that looks very similar to PS4‘s DualShock 4, but Sony has confirmed some significant additions.

One major improvement to PS5’s controller is “adaptive triggers,” which Sony says can offer varying levels of resistance to make game mechanics such as shooting a bow and arrow—the tension increasing as you pull the arrow back—feel more realistic.

The PS5 controller also includes haptic feedback, with highly programmable voice-coil actuators located in the left and right grips of the pad.

Should we expect a higher PS5 price?

Price predictions for next-gen consoles are somewhat in the air thanks to the better than expected specs of Xbox Series X, combined with the effect of the COVID-19 crisis on manufacturing industries.

One report in February claimed that Sony was struggling to determine the PlayStation 5 price due to a shortage of components resulting in increased manufacturing costs.

According to Bloomberg’s sources, the company is facing stiff competition from smartphone makers to ensure a reliable supply of DRAM and NAND flash memory, with parts shortages driving the manufacturing costs for the next-gen console up to around $450 per unit.

While the platform holder declined to comment on the claims, some PlayStation executives reportedly feel the company should sell PS5 at a loss if required to match the Xbox Series X price, while other Sony leaders would prefer to profit on each unit sold, as was the case with PS4.

During Sony’s third quarter earnings call this month, chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki suggested the company had yet to finalise the PlayStation 5 price as it attempts to balance its position based on several known and unknown factors.

Chief among the latter will be Microsoft’s Xbox Series X pricing plans, with both consoles due to launch during the 2020 holiday season.

While we don’t expect Sony to confirm PS5 price details in Wednesday’s reveal, the console’s technical specs could go some way in indicating a ballpark region.