PlayStation 5 vs Xbox Scarlett: the video game console war resumes in 2020
- Sony and Microsoft continue their competition with state of the art consoles, ultra hi-res and refresh rates and minimal loading times
- Both consoles are expected to go on sale in December 2020. Meanwhile, Nintendo seems to be keeping out of the race
The next console war has a start date – or at least a start period. Sony has announced that its next console, PlayStation 5 (PS5), will be launched next autumn/winter, putting it in direct competition with Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox Scarlett, also due in time for the 2020 Christmas holiday period.
In a post on the PlayStation site, Sony revealed that PS5 will have a new controller that replaces the current joy pad’s rumble feature with more sensitive and contextual haptic feedback.
“With haptics, you truly feel a broader range of feedback,” Sony said. “Crashing into a wall in a racing car feels much different to making a tackle on the football field. You can even get a sense for a variety of textures when running through fields of grass or plodding through mud.”
The console will also have “adaptive triggers” incorporated into the top L2 and R2 trigger buttons. Developers will be able to programme the resistance of the triggers so that players, “feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain”.
Microsoft is experimenting with a similar technology for its Scarlett controller. This is not the only apparent similarity between the competing consoles.
In April, Sony revealed that PS5 would feature an eight-core CPU based on the third generation of AMD’s Ryzen processors, as well as a custom graphics processor based on the AMD Navi family (a technology capable of real-time ray tracing effects), and a solid state drive (SSD), which will mean the faster loading of games and in-game content, and may also allow more granular loading processes, so players can choose to install only a game’s multiplayer component, or its campaign. The machine will support 8K resolution displays and 120Hz screen refresh rates.