During Sony’s virtual PlayStation 5 showcase event, the company revealed more details regarding the highly-anticipated gaming console – specifically its price and release date.
Sony announced the system with a disc drive costs $499 (R12000 in RSA) and the digital edition $399 (R10000), both will be ship on November 12, 2020 in North America, along with Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
The rest of the world can mark their calendars for November 19 when they are set to receive their shipments, but pre-orders worldwide start September 22.
The event started by giving viewers a first look at the upcoming Spider-Man: Miles Morales, showing the game’s stunning graphics, detailed sound effects and plays out the story that takes place in Harlem, New York that will be released during the holiday season this year.
Sony also announced the PlayStation Plus Collection, which will include a large number of PlayStation 4 titles, including ‘God of War,’ ‘Persona 5 and ‘Final Fantasy 15,’ among others, that can be downloaded and played when the PS5 launches.
Another addition came with Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War, which will allow PlayStation 4 gamers to play an open alpha of the game’s multiplayer from September 18 to September 20.
Although more than a million people tuned into to hear about pricing and release dates, the broadcasts main focus was on the new video games set to launch this year and in 2021.
Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, shared: ‘This is truly an exciting time for all of us at PlayStation.
‘Over the past few months, we’ve been able to show you a glimpse of the stunning new games being created for PlayStation 5, taking advantage of the console’s unique capabilities to deliver lightning-fast loading, heightened immersion, and a whole new generation of experiences.’
‘And we’re excited that the time for you to experience these brave new adventures is almost here.’
A new game is set to release next year that is based on the world of Harry Potter, called Hogwarts Legacy, where users ‘shape the future of the wizard world.’
Along with brewing potions, taming beasts and mastering spells, you will travel outside the walls of the school to battle furious monsters.
Sony shared trailers and first looks at a number of games during the event that included new entries in familiar franchises such as Resident Evil Village, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the digitally downloaded Devil May Cry.
The Marvel superhero game is a brand new game set in the same world — the Multiverse – as the well-received and hugely popular animated movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
New footage of ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops- Cold War’ was showcased, describing a mission on a Turkish airfield.
Users are given a mark named Arash who they must find and kill – the game is set to be released this holiday season.
The first trailers for Devil May Cry 5, Final Fantasy XVI, Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach and New God of War were also shown during the event.
The world saw the PlayStation 5 on June 11, which Sony said is ‘The Future of Gaming.’
The sleek, white system stands upright and comes with black trimming, but some have said a black model will make its way to market as well.
One model will include a standard a disc drive, while a second option, called ‘PlayStation 5 Digital Edition,’ will lack a disc drive and likely only play games downloaded over the internet but not physical discs bought in stores.
‘We’re pleased to provide choice to gamers with two PS5 console options at launch, depending on if you want a digital-only experience or prefer disc-based gaming. Whichever PS5 you choose, you’ll enjoy the same breathtaking, next-gen gaming experiences, Sony shared in a blog post.
‘Both PS5 models use the same custom processor with integrated CPU and GPU for high-fidelity visuals, including 4K graphics and ray-tracing support, as well as the same ultra-high-speed SSD with integrated I/O for lightning-fast loading. PS5’s 3D audio and the DualSense Wireless Controller will also provide the same heightened sense of immersion on all PS5s.’
A selection of accessories will also be available for PS5, including a wireless charging station for its DualSense controllers, a media remote control for those who want to use it to stream video, and PlayStation-branded over-the-ear headphones with 3D audio support.
The console will feature an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU, a powerful AMD RNDA 2 graphics processor, 3D audio output, and a speedy solid-state drive that will help games load faster.
