STACK #193 Nov 2020

GAMING FEATURE

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Months don’t come much bigger than this one if you’re a gamer, with rivals Sony and Microsoft each releasing hot new consoles. Some know exactly which one they want, while others are yet to make a decision. If you’re in the latter camp, read on for our guide to the incredible next-gen power that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are packing. Words Anthony Horan

Just one glance at the PlayStation 5 and you’ll know immediately that you’re looking at next-generation hardware. PLAYSTATION 5

T he official product photos and videos of the new console say it all – long, lingering camera pans over gently rounded curves, glowing LEDs and cooling vents that suggest raw power beneath an almost soothing, sculpted exterior. Sony seems to have had one mission with the design of their new console – make it look like the future. If that actually was the brief, they’ve outdone themselves. And yes, those curved white side panels are user-replaceable, which means we’re likely to see a thriving market for customised PS5 skins and game-themed console releases. While most are interested in what’s under the hood, rather than the eye- catching piece of living-room furniture the PS5 undeniably is, you may want to start thinking about where you’re going to put yours when you get it home. Because the PlayStation 5 is a very big console. Sitting vertically on its supplied stand, it’s 39cm tall – more than half the height of a 55-inch TV screen. Of course, that also means it could be a challenge to fit it in the space beneath your TV where the old console lived, but you’ll be using the stand regardless, as the PS5’s gentle curves mean it “floats” off the shelf in horizontal mode. The reason for the hefty size is a

seriously big cooling system that takes up the bulk of the space inside the console. It’s designed to keep the PS5 running cool and quiet no matter what – something that’ll be appreciated by anyone who’s endured the fan noise on a PS4 Pro pushed to its limits! Under the hood it’s next-level gaming power, with a Ryzen Zen 8-core processor and Radeon RDNA 2 graphics doing the heavy lifting, including support for ray tracing. The PS5 is designed to manage its power intelligently, keeping the console cool while delivering raw power to games when it’s needed. Storage-wise, PlayStation make the move to using a Solid State Drive (SSD) – and an extremely fast SSD it is, thanks to Sony’s onboard custom chip cleverness, allowing the entirety of the console’s 16GB memory to be loaded up with game data in as little as two seconds. The launch console’s SSD has an 825GB capacity, but you can expand the storage using an off-the-shelf NVMe SSD of any size, as long as it meets the console’s speed requirements. You can’t store your PS5 games on an external USB drive – they’re simply not fast enough to run PS5 games directly. However, you can put your PS4 library on a USB HDD and run them on the PS5 using the console’s backwards

compatibility support – you’ll be able to save that speedy SSD space for the new games that are ready to take full advantage of it! Your trophies carry over to your new console, too, making the upgrade feel even more like home. The PlayStation 5 comes in two versions, one with no optical disc drive (you’ll need to buy all your games via Sony’s online store) and the other with a Blu-ray drive that, as well as loading games, can also play 4K Ultra HD Blu- rays (and there’s even a futuristic-looking new media remote available for the occasion!). With its audacious design and next- level tech, the PlayStation 5 is already looking like a winner – and with a batch of great-looking PS5-exclusive games at launch, it’s getting this next generation off to a stellar start.

14 NOVEMBER 2020

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