According to the latest reports, Sony is now working on the next version of its PlayStation (PS) console. The company has net yet confirmed that a PS4 Pro follow-up is coming up soon, especially since the current console was launched only a year ago. Nevertheless, there are many ways for the PS5 to improve, including a full capability to support video games running in Native 4K.
As reported by SegmentNext, the PlayStation 5 could pack with enhanced features where the PlayStation 4 Pro have fell short. For one, players are hoping to see their favorite titles running at native 4K resolution, instead of just supporting the game in HD format. With this, it is speculated that the PlayStation 5 will receive a discrete graphics processing unit (GPU), an upgrade from the PS4's usual APU unit. A discrete GPU hardware is enough to support current game titles in Native 4K format, especially when the console has a computational power of 6 teraflops (TFLOPS).
To note, Microsoft's current Xbox One X console has the same 6 TFLOPS computational power, making it capable of 4K native resolution support. This is what makes the PlayStation 4 Pro lag behind with only 4.2 TFLOPS. The only way for the PlayStation 5 to surpass Microsoft's offering is by switching to discrete GPU, along with a random access memory (RAM) upgrade to 12 gigabytes (GB). Aside from Native 4K, the console will also be capable of handling 60 frames per second (fps) game settings.
The PlayStation 5 is a promising console based on the rumors, but according to Gaming Bolt, the PS5 is not yet expected to see the light of day very soon. This is because of the company enjoying high sales of the PS4 consoles. IDC's resident analyst, Lewis Ward, says the long wait could take another three or four years for the PlayStation 5, and that could already be generous.
"Right now I think PS5 and the next-gen Xbox will arrive in 2021, but that's really just a tentative placeholder in my forecast," Ward said. The analyst, who also serves as the research director for gaming and VR/AR at the IDC, thinks that the PlayStation 4 will remain as Sony's premiere home console for many years to come.
