Sony PlayStation 5: Release Date, Price, News, and More

The ninth generation of game consoles is coming by the end of the year, headlined in part by Sony's PlayStation 5. Sony has finally revealed every major detail of the system, like what the console will look like, its internal specs, and (finally) the price and launch date. Here's everything we know about the PlayStation 5.

PlayStation 5 Release Date and Price

The PlayStation 5 will launch on November 12 in several regions, including North America. The system will be available for $499, the same price as the Xbox Series X. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, will retail for $399, $100 more than the Xbox Series S. Here's where you can pre-order the system right now:

Amazon

• PS5

• PS5 Digital Edition

• DualSense Wireless Controller

Best Buy

• PS5

• PS5 Digital Edition

• DualSense Wireless Controller

• Other Accessories

GameStop

• PS5

• PS5 Digital Edition

• DualSense Wireless Controller

• Advanced PlayStation 5 System Bundle (PS5, DualSense Wireless Controller, 1 Year PS Plus, Destruction All Stars, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Launch Edition)

• Advanced PlayStation 5 Digital System Bundle (PS5 Digital Edition, DualSense Wireless Controller, DualSense Charging Station, 1 Year PS Plus, $100 for PlayStation Store)

Target

• PS5

• PS5 Digital Edition

• DualSense Wireless Controller

Walmart

• PS5

• PS5 Digital Edition

• Peripherals

PlayStation 5 Controller and Design

We now know what the PS5 looks like. It's tall, narrow, and white with a black middle. The curved, slim shape is reminiscent of a router more than a game console, and it's a significant contrast to the Xbox Series X's stark, cubelike shape. Despite its odd shape, it apparently will be usable horizontally, and not have to stand vertically to work.

Before Sony revealed the PS5's design, it unveiled the DualSense controller that will go with it. It keeps the same general layout as the DualShock gamepads Sony has used since the original PlayStation, but it's rounded, white, and more friendly-looking than previous controllers. It kind of looks like the gamepad version of Baymax from Big Hero 6. Or a tiny pair of sunglasses with a huge white wig.

PlayStation 5 Specs

Sony has gone into detail on the PlayStation 5's internal specs, and they're impressive.

The PS5 features an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU paired with a custom Radeon GPU, giving it ray-tracing and 4K rendering capabilities. The CPU also features a 3D audio unit that will support directional audio similar to Dolby Atmos (or Sony's own 360 Reality Audio), letting games generate sound in front, behind, to the sides, and even above the player (assuming the right speakers/headphones are being used). This will all run through 16GB of GDDR6 memory.

Instead of a hard drive, the PS5 will feature an 825GB SSD. This means games will load much faster than on previous consoles, and support some new features like suspending multiple games at once and what Sony's lead designer Mark Cerny describes as "instant game startup."

The PS5 will have an optical drive, though a disc-less PS5 Digital Edition will also be available. The optical-drive-equipped PS5 will specifically have an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive that will be able to play UHD Blu-ray movies in 4K, a feature the PlayStation 4 and even PS4 Pro lack (but the Xbox One S and Xbox One X both have). The PS5 Digital Edition appears to have the same specs as the standard PS5, besides the lack of an optical drive. This is notable, since its Microsoft equivalent, the digital-only Xbox Series S has significantly less power than the Xbox Series X.

PlayStation 5 Features

Sony has confirmed that the SSD will enable the system to suspend multiple games, letting you jump immediately back into whatever you feel like playing without loading it from the start. This is on top of the faster loading speeds for games that the SSD will enable. 

The DualSense gamepad adds a few tricks as well, starting with a built-in microphone to let you use voice chat without a headset. It's handy for some gamers, but could be a privacy concern for others. The controller also features improved force feedback, with "adaptive triggers" that add tension to the pull of the L2 and R2 triggers.

PlayStation 5 Games

As the new console generation comes in, expect to see plenty of crossover between PS4 and PS5 games. However, Sony has unveiled a wide spread of games being designed specifically for the PS5, which will be out either with the PS5 or in 2021.

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They include sequels to very popular first- and second-party games, like Final Fantasy XVI, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Resident Evil VIII: Village will also be released on the PS5 (whether it will be cross-platform has not yet been confirmed), along with several other large and indie third-party games, as well. The PS5 will also support PS4 backwards compatibility, and PlayStation Plus subscribers will even get access to a library of classic PS4 games on the PS5 at launch.

PlayStation 5 Accessories

Sony showed off a few first-party accessories to go with the PS5, including a charging stand for the DualSense controllers, a media remote, a camera, and the Pulse 3D wireless headset for audio. The new camera will presumably be used for PlayStation VR, though curiously Sony has not announced a new PS VR headset yet, and the Move controllers that PS VR currently use come from the PlayStation 3.