PS5 release date predicted...

[KBG29]

EricHiggin said:

I think the times of visually "wowing" people are mostly over. Sure some of the new lighting effects we're seeing now and HDR are making the visual experience better but every gen the visual wow has become less and less. That fact is, the reason why those TFLOPS keep getting thrown in everybody's faces is because people need to be shown now in numbers how much better the graphics are, because its harder to see with your own two eyes. Especially for everyday casuals.

Another thing you have to try and anticipate, is will PS try and incorporate more "new" hardware into the console? PS likes to have a one piece clean console, and right now with the push for VR, they don't have that with the break out box and wires etc. Will they try and cram as much of that into the PS5 as possible so they only have to sell you a wireless/wired headset that plugs directly into the console? It would help to "subsidize" VR and get more people into it, but would also mean that PS would have to purposely hold back on the regular internal hardware to a certain degree to meet their $399 target.

A few other things like loading times are long enough already, so will faster, more expensive SSD storage tech be used? If so, how much, at what cost and is that enough? Do you also include a larger SATA SSD or do you go with an even larger SATA HDD to get enough storage and save on cost? Do you completely leave out extra storage altogether and let the gamer buy their own ext SSD/HDD so they don't have to waste more time and money changing the stock drive anyway since its to small?

A 12Tflop APU with 16GB HBM RAM sounds just about right for that time period, give or take, depending on what else the PS5 has inside it. If you look at it from an overall stand point, with a much newer/faster CPU and GPU, more higher bandwidth RAM, very fast loading times, built in VR capabilities, full BC, ext storage, PS5 could hit right around the $399 mark once again. It would actually be a lot like what NIN said they did with the Switch. They took many different past console ideas, and put them together and just made them better with new tech. Thats a possibility with PS5. Taking past PS console ideas, and bringing them all together in one box, just better with the newest tech.

Its also possible they worry too much about the TFLOP marketing and decide to keep VR its own separate package. Just beef up the specs of the normal console parts as much as they can within budget, which could mean higher than 12 Tflops and even more RAM. Scorpio and its "the most powerful console ever" at 6Tflops may have a slight impact on their decision based on how sales go.

It does make sense to use the PS5 branding to clean everything back up. We are getting out of controll with add ons. I currently have a 4 port USB 3.1 expander, the PSVR Break out Box, and a USB 3.1 5TB HDD connected to my PS4 Pro. 

Even if PS5 was under powered, a $400 box that simplifies everything, while bringing a new baseline, and making VR much more accessable could do really well. I think VR is the key to this though. A box that sets a new standard for VR would be fine, but a box that does not focus on VR, and is less than half the leap we have come to expect would not sell to casuals or enthusiasts. 

I can get on board with this 2019;

PlayStation 5

Price - $399.99 or $499.99

Processing - AMD APU  ~12TFLOP

Memory - 16GB HBM RAM + 4GB DDR4 (As Intrinsic said)

Storage - 256GB m.2 + 1TB HDD SATA 3 + (Optional USB 3.2 Storage) *All User Upgradeable

I/O - 6x USB 3.2 (2 front, 2 side, 2 back), Dedicated PSVR Ports in Front, Dedicated PSVR Camera Port Back, 1x HDMI 2.1

Media - 2 Skus, UHD Blu-ray or Digital Only (I don't want to have to buy a console with a disc drive anymore)

 

Dual Shock 5

-Nearly identical to DS4

-USB-C 

-Built in Mic for Voice Controls

- 10 hour Battery Life

 

PlayStation VR 2

Price $399.99

Screen - 8" 1440p + HDR Curved OLED with 140deg Field of View

New Feature - 2x 5MP cameras for 3D AR and improved motion tracking

 

PlayStation VR Remotes

Price - $199.99

- Gesture Tracking, Analogue sticks, and some more to stay competitive with Vive and OR.

 

I could get behind all of this in 2019 as the PS5. All peices sharing a matching design language so it all looks like it belongs together. No more switching USB cables to get HDR or VR. USB-C for charging all peripherals. These products together would make a 2019 or 2020 PS5 an awesome machine. 

To me, if PS5 is not going to be a 30TFLOP, 128GB HBM RAM, and 8TB m.2 Solid State Storage device in ~2025 that can blow people away with 4K TVs and capture the core audeince. Then it has to be a device that simplifies VR, and establishes a new base line for VR tracking and controls.