The PlayStation 5 will be the gateway to more "realistic" worlds with next-gen hardware, and it seems the developers are quite excited about that.
In an interview with Gaming Bolt, Keisuke Kikuchi, producer of JRPG Fairy Tail, explained how the AMD Zen 2 processor and the PS5 SSD will create more "natural" and "realistic" gaming worlds.
"I am pleased that this greatly expands the range of renderings and operations. So I hope to get more natural renderings, especially ones that feel realistic, like you are there," Kikuchu said.
Kikuchi also said that he was excited about the reduction in SSD load times for PS5 games, which allowed developers to create more advanced scenes.
However, these hardware improvements also lead to potential problems. As Kikuchi points out, this increased realism will put a lot of pressure on processor clock speeds as the console will work to produce these enhanced visuals and effects. "I'm also preparing so things don't go according to plan," Kikuchi said.
Not a big surprise
(Image credit: Insomniac Games)
It's no surprise that developers are excited about the possibilities of the PS5. From what we've seen so far, the next-gen console has all the hardware specs to play with.
For starters, the PS5 comes with an AMD Zen 2 processor that takes full advantage of ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that can bring high-level immersion to in-game visuals. It's usually a feature we've seen on PC that automatically improves graphics quality. Outside of games, lightning stunts are generally reserved for big-budget CGI shows.
The other key element in creating these "realistic" renderings is the PS5's SSD (solid state drive), which will give the console more onboard storage and faster charging. Apparently this new SSD is 19 times faster than traditional SSD storage methods, which should result in almost seamless transitions.
Kikuchi spoke about it in the interview, stating that "it would eliminate unnecessary loading time and increase the range of renderings, such as cutscenes that go back and forth between scenes."
Sony itself has advanced the idea of these reduced load times and this power "improved dramatically in terms of graphical rendering."
In a statement issued after a corporate strategy presentation earlier this year, Sony said that "the two keywords of PlayStation's future direction are 'immersive' and 'transparent', with the 'immersive' experience created by the dramatic increase in graphics rendering speeds, achieved through the use of even more computing power and a custom-built high-speed broadband SSD. "
(Image credit: God of War / SIE Studio Santa Monica)
Obviously, to create a more natural game world, the lack of loading screens is the key. This seems to be something Sony is really focusing on on the PS5. A Sony patent describes a type of loading software designed essentially to finish loading screens.
Sony's patent, "Game Software Dynamic Loading System and Method for Smooth Gameplay," describes a technology that tracks the player's movement in their environment, loading relevant assets as they go. certain areas
This appears to be a version of the technology used in games like God of War, which performs continuous shooting throughout the game, without loading screens.
It will be interesting to see the worlds devised by the developers harnessing the power of the PS5. But it will be necessary to wait until the end of 2020 to see them.