PS4 vs PS5: what are the differences between consoles

O PlayStation 4 is close to being replaced by Sony's new video game machine, the PlayStation 5, which will be released in Brazil on November 19, 2020 and is already in pre-sale period.

As is common during this period, many players are in doubt about the differences between the new platform and the one that will be replaced, and that's why we bring the main differences between the PS4 and PS5, from design, through hardware specifications, to services and games, also considering backward compatibility.

The design

O PlayStation 4, originally released in November 2013, was assembled as two overlapping rectangles, so it gained considerable depth in depth (if the console is lying flat, as Sony made a point of showing it in marketing campaigns). Considered large when it was launched, the original model of the PS4 has dimensions of 27,5 (width) x 30,5 (depth) x 5,3 (height) cm.

As is customary with all Sony video game platforms, the PlayStation 4 received a smaller and cheaper (in 2016) hardware revision called the PS4 Slim. Still looking like two overlapping rectangles, the PS4 Slim is thinner, makes less noise and heats up less compared to the original model. Its dimensions are 26,5 x 28,8 x 3,9 cm.

In the same year (2016), a more robust model was launched to join the family. PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro. Capable of playing videos and games in 4K, the new model still stands as Sony's definitive experience for the 8th generation of video games. Unlike other devices, the PS4 Pro has three overlapping rectangles, in order to contain enough space to store the most robust hardware. It has dimensions of 29,5 x 32,7 x 5,5 cm.

O PlayStation 5, like its predecessor, is no small feat. On the contrary, Sony insisted on enhancing its size with a very flashy design (which was compared to a router), and highlighted that under the carcass of the PS5 there is powerful hardware.

The new video game, which is scheduled for release next day 19 November, was announced only in white and in a “standing” position (features that also contrast with the previous devices of the Japanese brand). Sony promises a silent console with enough ventilation to get rid of overheating problems. Its dimensions are 39,0 x 26,0 x 10,4 cm in the disc version.

It is also worth mentioning the changes that Sony has prepared for the control of the PlayStation 5, this time called Dualense (as opposed to the DualShock nomenclature, used since the first PlayStation). The new controller has a format that, according to the Japanese company, fits different hand sizes, so that long gaming sessions are comfortable.

Compared to DualShock 4, controller PS4, the DualSense's shoulder buttons got bigger, and the action buttons (cross, circle, square and triangle) are no longer colored. The touch-sensitive area and the light emitted by the controller remain.

The DualSense will feature improved battery, haptic vibration system (in the style of Nintendo Switch controllers) and the R2 and L2 triggers will be tensionable at the developers' choice, who will be able to define how much these buttons can be pressed to perform a specific task in the game — shoot with a bow and arrow or a firearm, for example.

Finally, on the PS5 controller there will be a welcome built-in microphone, which can be muted on the DualSense itself.

hardware power

O PS4 has always been considered a very powerful video game, capable of making the most beautiful visuals of the 8th generation — however the PS4 Pro, despite being more powerful than the common PS4, is not as technologically advanced as the Xbox One X. Of course, we are speaking of a 2013 device, consequently its graphic power is nothing to match the PS5Of 2020.

The numbers of the PlayStation 4 were (in 2013) expressive: the processor contains eight cores with x86-64 architecture, at a frequency of 1,6 GHz which, according to Sony, makes it ten times faster than that of the PlayStation 3. The GPU, or of graphics processing, it has a maximum performance of 1,8 Teraflops per second. Meanwhile, the game's RAM memory is 8 GB with GDDR5 technology. Later, the console gained a software update that made it compatible with HDR.

In 2016, Sony released the PS4 Pro, which upgrades the GPU to support up to 4,2 Teraflops per second of processing and a 2,13 GHz CPU. This allowed to run games with better performance, as well as in resolution up to 4K.

Now, in 2020, the PlayStation 5 will come with specifications to do the PS4 a totally obsolete device. The processor will also have eight cores, but it will reach a frequency of 3,5 GHz. The GPU, clocked at 2,23 GHz, will give the PS5 a performance of an incredible 10,28 Teraflops. A 16 GB GDDR6 RAM memory completes the package.

As a novelty, The PlayStation 5 will also have technology support Ray Tracing via hardware, in addition to an innovative technology Tempest 3D Audio Tech, which, according to Sony, "will make you believe that sounds are coming from all directions", whether the player is using headphones or the TV's own speakers.

The result is a machine that will be able to run games at a rate of 120 frames per second, with HDR. Despite Sony claiming that the PS5 will have output in 8K, the company hasn't detailed which games will support that resolution, but it's safe to say the games will run just fine on 4K resolution displays.

The icing on the cake is yet another technology…

The Magic of SSD

Sony's biggest advertisement for the PlayStation 5 is the SSD storage that will come in the console. At the PS4 it was already possible to put an SSD compatible with notebooks, but Sony promises that the technology developed exclusively for its new video game will be fast enough to make all the difference in the gaming experience.

According to the company, games that run on PS5 will have virtually no loading screens. In 2019, Sony demonstrated the game Marvel's Spider-Man running on a PS4 Pro and compared it to the performance of PlayStation 5: While the old video game took 8,1 seconds to load, the new machine — still under development at the time — took just 0,8 seconds.

Technology can also benefit new game development. For example, the already announced Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will allow the player to teleport through various scenarios or points of the scenario, during the action, while the loading of information on the screen takes place immediately.

The games

A good video game is not without games, obviously. It's the PS4 has an extensive library of quality and highly successful works. We can quote, as available exclusively on PlayStation 4, names like Uncharted 4, The Last Of Us Part II, God of War, InFamous: Second Son, Days Gone, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man, among others, as well as a good range of remastered titles from previous generations.

While most of these brands will certainly gain new iterations in the PlayStation 5, three have already been confirmed for sequels: Horizon: Forbidden West, which continues Aloy's adventure in a post-apocalyptic world where humans must learn to live with dangerous machines that behave like animals, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which puts a new character under the Spider-Man costume. Without giving any details, Sony also confirmed the development of a new God of War.

Of the games already announced, it has been confirmed that the sequels to Horizon and Spider-Man will be released for both the PS4 as for the PS5, with improvements for the new video game, obviously. While it is unlikely that PlayStation 4 new games run with better visuals than previous titles, Sony guarantees that the PlayStation 5 will run them at 60 frames per second, in addition to the aforementioned lighting effects Ray Tracing and suppression of loading screens.

If the player wants to migrate to the new generation of video games but doesn't want to lose his already acquired games, or wants to access games he hasn't played yet, the PlayStation 5 will be backward compatible with the PlayStation 4. Compatibility will be through discs or in digital format only, and it is possible to download games from the player's account on PSN. O PS5, including, will be released in two versions: one with a disc player and another without, for digital games.

Sony hasn't yet detailed whether PS4 games will run with PS5 upgrades, but they're expected to work, at the very least, with PS4 Pro visuals and performance.

PlayStation Plus

To be able to play online, players must subscribe to the service. PlayStation Plus. As a bonus, Sony even offers subscribers exclusive discounts and two free games each month.

As it is a new video game, it is not to be expected that games from PlayStation 5 have already started to be distributed to subscribers since launch, but still Sony has prepared a benefit for subscribers looking for the new console.

The service will be called Playstation Plus Collection and will feature 18 games that “defined the generation of PlayStation 4”. So far, it has not been confirmed whether more titles will be added to the list, which for now includes the following games: God of War; The Last of Us: Remastered; Uncharted 4: A Thief's End; Battlefield 1; Monster Hunter World; Fallout 4; Final Fantasy XV; The Last Guardian; Ratchet & Clank.; InFamous: Second Son; Days Gone; Bloodborne; Detroit: Become Human; Batman Arkham Knight; Mortal Kombat X; 5 person; Until Dawn; is Resident Evil 7.

Undoubtedly a good way to access the legacy of PS4.

PS4 built a legacy for the PS5

Without a doubt the PS4 is a great video game, which no wonder managed to surpass the mark of 100 million units sold - a number that should continue to grow for a while. And the PS5 arrives with high expectations from Sony, which expects to sell more units in the first year than its predecessor.

Now, the device gives way to another that also has everything to be a success. O PlayStation 5 it's already available on pre-order, at a price of R$ 4.499,00 in the version that does not have a disc player and R$ 4.999,00 in the full version.