Yesterday Sony posted online a lengthy presentation delving into the technology behind thePlayStation 5.The presentation was given by console lead designer Mark Cerny and it was admittedly a little dry, intended for an audience of developers at GDC 2020 before the event was ultimately canceled. The audience of game players was hoping for something hands-on or visual to showcase the power of thePS5. Where Sony opted not to do that, developers and fans have taken the opportunity to present the information in a more consumable way.
Case in point a post on Twitter from formerNaughty Dogtechnical art director Andrew Maximov. Maximov posted a series of tweets alongside a single graphic, intending to “explain to people why I’m excited for an SSD for rendering.” He’s talking about why the PS5’s SSD and the console design around it are so important.
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Maximov’s graphic is surprisingly simple. It shows two screenshots, one ofUncharted: Drake’s Fortuneand one ofThe Last of Us. Both games were originally released on the PlayStation 3 and both were limited by the same graphical constraints. Yet, as those who have played can attest,The Last of Us' visuals are significantly stronger. There’s no trick to this, Maximiv’s graphic shows.The Last of Ussimply prioritizes the fidelity of objects that are close to the player and de-prioritizes those further away, compared toUncharted.
This ties into thePS5 and its SSDin a very specific way. The reasonThe Last of Uscould prioritize close-up visuals in a wayUnchartedcouldn’t, despite using the same hardware, is due to data management. “Tons of work went into improving the look by graphics engineers and the artists, but all of this has to be facilitated by managing a lot more data fast,” is how describes it. In simpler terms, it took a generation for developers to learn how to harness the hardware of the PS3 to create such a massive jump in visual quality.
What the PS5 is offering, comparatively, is going to be a huge leap forward. That ability to create extremely high-quality objects at short range, like inThe Last of Us, could be extended to further ranges. “The ability to load in the highest resolution version of any asset just in front of you and drop it immediately as you turn around means that every tree can have 3d bark and moss and ants marching on it just when needed without blowing up the budget. It’s going to be great.”
Mark Cerny described the PS5’s SSD loading throughput as 100x that of the base PS4’s. He didn’t provide a visual example of what that means, but hopefullyPlayStation fansnow have an idea. If Naughty Dog can go fromUnchartedtoThe Last of Uson the same hardware, imagine what getting incredibly more powerful hardware can add to the equation. Next-generation consoles are going to be very exciting to experience.
ThePS5is planned for release in holiday 2020.
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