PlayStation CEO reveals PS5 support for 4K @120 Hz, SSD storage and cross-generation play

Sony will not be present at E3 this year, but the company is expected to hold a separate event this summer where it will most likely reveal all the details about the upcoming PlayStation 5 console. Microsoft could get a significant hype edge, as it is supposed to present details about the next gen Xbox console at E3, so in order to mitigate this, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has recently come forth with a few more PS5 details that should keep fans hyped until the official reveal.

We already know that Sony’s fifth iteration will be powered by a custom 7 nm CPU based on AMD’s Zen 2 microarchitecture and the graphics will be handled by a custom Navi GPU. Sony boldly claims that this configuration will run games at 8K resolutions, but 8K is not yet mainstream, so it’s probably just a feature-proof claim. Now, gamers would really appreciate 4K games running at 60 fps, and CEO Jim Ryan unveiled in a CNET interview that the PS5 will offer support for 4K @120 Hz. Again, a pretty bold claim, yet this could mean that the PS5 can actually handle 4K @60 Hz much better than the current generation.

Ryan also mentioned the existence of an SSD “default” option, practically confirming the rumored custom SSD read unit that includes a secondary CPU, a Direct Memory Access Controller and a hardware accelerator, most likely capable of reading speeds comparable to NVMe SSDs.

In addition to the backwards compatibility feature, Ryan mentioned support for “cross-generational play,” which would allow users play compatible games on a PS4 console, switch over to the PS5 to continue the saved progress, then switch back to the PS4 and so on. This is supposed to help current PS4 owners make a more seamless transition to the upcoming console.

The next gen Xbox is rumored to feature AMD hardware specs, as well, and it will be interesting to see what features Microsoft can come up with in order to provide the necessary "fierce" competition for the PS5.