PlayStation may go old skool for its new generation
The first videogame was created in 1958 by a Physicist named William Higinbotham. Over the next few decades, the world of videogames and culture surrounding it would evolve to new heights, cementing itself into modern day society. Whether you’re a kid or an adult in the present, there is a very high chance that you’ve dabbled in a videogame or two. Once an avid gamer, it’s always exciting to know about the latest and hottest developments in the videogame industry. I’ve touched on Virtual Reality (VR) but the next generation of console gaming is fast approaching and many are paying close attention to what might be next in store. In the spotlight today is Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5). It’s been around 25 years since the release of the PS1 but the PS5 is set to be the company’s latest and greatest yet.
Speculation, leaks and rumour are all the rage when it comes to finding out the latest juicy info for upcoming flagship console. It seems like just yesterday that Microsoft and Sony were placing bets on different media formats, namely the HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. Fast forward a few years and Sony has stuck with the new industry standard that is ‘Blu’ and round. The format itself is still evolving with single layers offering 25GB of capacity, with 4 layer discs becoming a reality, the storage medium can offer up to 128GB in capacity. Sony’s patent unveiled a potential cartridge redesign that is intended to house solid state drives (SSDs). This might be a propriety technology that allows easy removal and installation of memory expansion.
New designs are not set in stone and the company may just be exploring new memory formats as part of their R&D exercise but it will be interesting to see if a cartridge based storage solutions makes its way to the console. Memory cards have been a thing of the past since the PS2 and the company have been known to use disc based media on their home consoles. Even the PSP used a unique media format, Universal Media Disc (UMD). Sony are no stranger to developing their own memory solutions with the Stick/Pro Duo and specific Vita memory cards but they’ve generally been expensive and a nuisance to users. If Sony are set to release games using this propriety SSD based solution it will be intriguing as to what DRM they will incorporate. The waiting games continue for now until the giant is ready to announce a little more about the console.
Lockhart Tech Blogs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_history_of_video_games
https://www.techradar.com/news/ps5-price-wont-as-bad-as-we-thought-if-this-leak-is-to-be-believed