PlayStation 5: Might Be VR Compatible, Rumored to Be Developed as A Streaming Device, Unlikely to Make an Appearance Before 2019, And More!

The PlayStation line of gaming consoles have been household names for millions of gamers across the globe since its debut back in 1994. Though it has been not confirmed by Sony yet, various rumors are suggesting the company has already started the development process of the next-gen gaming console- the PlayStation 5.

A popular website reported that the upcoming iteration of PlayStation will not only be better than the existing consoles, it might even look completely different from them. Devinder Kumar of AMD recently stated that both the next-gen consoles of Microsoft’s Xbox Two and Sony’s PlayStation 5 are actually in development. His claim cannot be completely blown away given the fact that it is AMD who supplies processors for both the gaming consoles.

The latest reports suggest that AMD has already started developing a chipset for the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Two. A custom chipset based on micro architecture from Jaguar is currently being used in the PlayStation 4. This particular chipset has incorporated the x86 feature into the PlayStation 4 which makes it backward compatible.

It is being rumored that the PlayStation 5 will also be backward compatible, which means that users will be able to run PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 games on it. The backward compatibility feature allows users to enjoy older games in the latest consoles with better graphics and performance.

Experts are speculating that with the rise of VR technology, the developers might decide to make the upcoming console VR compatible. Apparently Sony is hard at work in building their own VR technology and rumors are doing rounds on the internet that the company might build PlayStation 5 by incorporating Project Morpheus into it.

It is likely that Sony would release their VR tech into the market to get a firsthand knowledge of reactions from consumers regarding the device, before deciding to incorporate the same into the PlayStation 5.

Some experts are of the opinion that the advancement of mobile phones and introduction of VR technology might put the existence of the next-gen consoles in danger. A number of modern day smartphones have the capability to be used as gaming consoles, which is definitely not a good news for the next-gen consoles.

It has been seen that the average life span of the existing consoles has been around the five years’ mark. Emmett Shear, Executive at Twitch-a streaming media is of the opinion that the advancement of mobile phones combined with the new VR technology will reduce the life span of the upcoming consoles unless the developers decide to make these devices usable for a number of different purposes apart from gaming.

A renowned website reported that the PlayStation 5 might not be a gaming console, rather it might be created as a streaming device. If indeed, Sony decides to create the PlayStation 5 as a streaming device, users will be able to plug it into their TV and stream games from the PC to it.

The site further points out that Sony’s PlayStation Now which is essentially a cloud-based gaming program will come in aid if PlayStation 5 is developed as a streaming device.

Users will be able to stream any game from this online service into their TV and enjoy it without having to worry about storing it in disk drives.

However, the site also mentions that a powerful internet connection will be the number one necessity for the purpose of streaming games directly from PlayStation Now to TVs.

The PlayStation 5 might also come with the support for 4K resolution which will enable it to run games at much higher frames per second compared to the 30 frames per second that the current-gen consoles run. However, there has been no official backing behind this rumor and thus readers should take it with a pinch of salt.