Sony Finally Unveils the PlayStation 5, Which Will Arrive in 2 Versions

Sony today finally provided a glimpse of its next-generation PS5 game console.

The PlayStation 5 will actually be sold in two forms: a standard version; and a "digital edition" that nixes the 4K Blu-ray disc player. 

Like the PS5 controller, the console also has a two-color scheme, making the hardware look a bit like a Star Wars stormtrooper. (Others are joking it looks like a Wi-Fi router.)

Sony also plans on selling some dedicated peripherals for the device, including gaming headphones, a charging stand for the controllers, and a web camera. Unfortunately, no pricing details were given. But the digital edition of the console indicates consumers will be able to buy a PS5 at a cheaper price, as long as they don’t need the Blu-ray player. 

Sony debuted the console during a Thursday livestream, which introduced more than a dozen games that'll be available on the new system. The biggest titles include a sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn, a new Resident Evil game called Village, a remake of Demon’s Souls, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. 

The livestream consisted entirely of short one- to two-minute game trailers. Nevertheless, the footage provide give a glimpse of what the console can achieve for real-time gameplay. That said, not every game took advantage of the PS5’s enhanced graphics; some titles shown will be available for the PS4, too.

Here’s a list of the notable trailers featured in today’s livestream. The PlayStation 5 is slated to go on sale this holiday season.  

Horizon: Forbidden West

The sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn was perhaps the most beautiful game Sony showed during the livestream. You’re poised to return as the character Alloy as you venture west into the remnants of the United States to save the world. 

Gran Turismo 7

One enhancement arriving to the PS5 is ray-tracing graphics, which will enable developers to add realistic lighting and shadow effects in their games. This trailer for the racing title Gran Turismo puts those ray-tracing capabilities to good use to make the cars, and environments, look completely real.

NBA 2K21

We’ve never seen so much sweat on an NBA basketball player, but the effect looked pretty cool. This clip gave us another impressive look at how the PS5 can render life-like graphics. 

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

The other enhancement to the PS5 is the addition of fast SSD storage, which is capable of loading 2GB of memory in only 0.27 seconds. The game trailer for this new Rachet & Clank game shows off what the SSD can do by generating one detailed game world after another with no apparent lag. 

Resident Evil Village

This trailer caught us off guard. At first, it gave us a Silent Hills vibe with your character roaming through a creepy, foggy town. However, the end of the trailer reveals the game is connected to Resident Evil. Chris Redfield, is that you?  

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Marvel’s Spider-Man was a huge hit for the PS4 in 2018. So it’s only natural that developer Insomniac Games would create a sequel to it. Now you’ll be able to play as Miles Morales, battling supervillains in New York City. The developer has confirmed the game will be a standalone title, not an expansion.

Demon's Souls 

The original Demon’s Souls came out for the PS3 in 2009. Now the game is going to get a modern remake, which will also be a PlayStation exclusive.

Deathloop

The studio behind the Dishonored series is returning with Deathloop, a first-person action, shooting game. Your assassin character needs to kill off several targets, but he’s also stuck in some strange time loop. To us, the game felt a lot like the Dishonored game series with some Bioshock mixed in. Deathloop will also be released on PC. 

Hitman 3

IO Interactive is working on another entry to the Hitman series. Unfortunately, the footage appeared to be pre-rendered cutscenes, which didn’t give us a good sense of the actual gameplay. Hitman 3 is scheduled to arrive in January 2021. 

Little Devil Inside

This action-adventure game felt a bit like Zelda. It promises to be a survival game set in a semi-open world where you fight creatures with a sword, rifle, and get to ride a horse. The game will also be available on the PS4. 

Solar Ash

You’ll get to dive into a giant black hole in this mysterious adventure game. Expect to travel to some bizarre worlds in Solar Ash, which is coming to both the PS5 and the PS4 some time next year.

Bugsnax

This game definitely feels a bit like Nintendo’s Animal Crossing, with all the cute cartoon characters hanging out on an island. However, those animals appear to be weird hybrid creatures made up of fruits, which your character can then eat. The game will arrive this holiday season on both the PS5 and PS4.  

Astro's Playroom

The PS5 will come pre-loaded with this adventure title, which is designed to act as both an introduction to the console, and 3D platform game you can enjoy for free.

Oddworld Soulstorm

This is another game that showed off the PS5’s world-generation capabilities. “We plan to use the PS5’s stunning graphic fidelity, mind-blowing 3D audio, and the DualSense controller to enhance our storytelling and artistic abilities,” the game’s developer said. The title will also be available on PS4 when it launches.

Pragmata

Pragmata won’t arrive until 2022, but the trailer showed off some impressive textures and scenery, along with some world-bending physics effects. Get ready to be launched into space.

Returnal

You play an astronaut who crash lands on an alien planet. Then you die. But your story doesn’t end there. Expect to be revived again and again in this game that blends sci-fi horror with the premise to the film Groundhogs Day