Sony positions PS5 as ‘world’s fastest console’

Sony has positioned PS5 as the “world’s fastest console” in a new job advert.

The advert in question (via ResetEra) is likely referencing the console’s internal SSD, which PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny called “a true game changer” in April.

[UPDATE: A Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) patent has revealed images of what could be the PS5 controller.]

More than any other feature, Cerny believes the SSD is “the key to the next generation”.

Sony has used PS4 exclusive Spider-Man to demonstrate how PS5’s SSD will dramatically reduce loading times and improve gameplay experiences, with the in-game camera able to fast travel through the city without pausing for asset loading on next-gen hardware.

What takes eight seconds to load on PS4 Pro takes less than one second on PS5.

After demoing the technology at an investor relations event in May, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida told attendees: “The most important way in which consoles create value is by providing users with an immersive gaming experience.

“We plan to do that by further improving the computational power of the console, measured in TFLOPS (Tera Floating-point Operations Per Second), and by dramatically increasing the graphics rendering speed through the employment of a customized ultra-fast, broadband SSD.

“The extraordinary improvement in rendering speed I just showed will continue to immerse users in games in the future, and we believe this improvement clearly demonstrates why it makes sense to have a next generation console, since the experience will greatly exceed what is possible on the current generation PS4 hardware, including PS4 Pro.”

Sony recently announced a holiday 2020 launch date for PlayStation 5 and went into detail on the PS5 controller, which is set to feature haptic feedback, “adaptive” triggers and more.

Microsoft announced in June that it’s next generation Xbox, Project Scarlett, will launch holiday 2020 alongside Halo Infinite. Scarlett will also feature an SSD.

The company said at the time: “We’ve created a new generation of SSD. We’re actually using the SSD as virtual RAM, resulting in more than 40 times performance increases over the current generation. When you can move through worlds without waiting for screens to load, that speed, that performance is what the next generation’s about.”

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also said Microsoft is prioritising improved frame rates and playability over graphical enhancements for Xbox Scarlett.