It's finally here! It feels like I've been waiting forever to hear this news. The haptic feedback and adaptive trigger technology sounds pretty amazing. How cool will it be to feel like you're doing more than pushing some buttons on a controller? I'm officially psyched.
The current generation of consoles, especially the pro versions, pushed the envelope for the gaming industry. They've been doing it all from gaming in 4k to virtual reality. But that was last year. We have new kids arriving on the block and we’re excited to get to know them.
Did you notice how I avoided using PlayStation 5 in the title?
That’s on purpose because executives are playing coy about the name of the new console they’re developing. On interviews, they just refer to it as next-gen; never as PlayStation 5.
This may just be for suspense. And if they're wondering if it's working then they should wonder no more. It works. We're all still waiting on what the new console is going to be called.
Before they officially release the name, however, let me call it the PlayStation 5 – PS5 for short.
Photographic leaks are already all over the place so the announcement of the next-gen PS5 should just be around the corner. As of now, however, we’re left to speculate as to what it would have to offer in terms of software and hardware.
Beefy Hardware
When it comes to console gaming, it wouldn’t be an upgrade if it doesn’t have at least some hardware improvements. On this end, we got the gaming-centric Ryzen chips - rumour has it that it's going to be the engine that runs the entire system. It's going to come in tandem with a custom AMD Radeon Navi based GPU.
This multi-threaded monster of a GPU and CPU combo is needed to power the new software features. 8K support and 3D audio are both rumoured features in the next-generation console that are taxing to the processor.
SSD Storage, Finally!
One of the biggest upgrades to the PS5 is that they’re finally going to use SSD storage. For a lot of console gamers, it’s about time that gaming consoles did this. They’re slowly getting left in the dust of PC gamers in terms of speed.
Not only will this decrease load time, but it’ll also help with stability. For fast-paced games like Spiderman on PS4, the beautiful New York City landscape takes a while to render. For eagle-eyed gamers, the frames loading can be noticeable. Having an SSD would make it a lot faster if you’re swinging across New York City no matter how fast you're going.
This extra speed was evident in the visionaries that swapped their HDDs for SSDs for their PS4. Playing Spiderman on their consoles showed improvement. But, with SSDs coming in as a standard instead of a clever upgrade, developers can rest assured that they can craft fast games that are both stable and beautiful.
Cross-Generational Compatibility
The PS4 disappointed some fans by not being backwards compatible. Coming from the PS3 that was backward compatible with PS2 games, this was an unexpected feature drop.
Backwards compatibility is reportedly going to be brought back as a feature on the PlayStation 5 much to the elation of avid fans. This means you’ll still be able to put your PS4 into optical disk bay on the new console and play it like normal.
This means you can upgrade your console upon the release of the next-generation console. You're not going to need to keep your current-gen consoles just because there are games there that you still haven't finished.
There are even some whispers that this feature could go as far back as the OG PlayStation. So, if you’ve been itching to play the original Final Fantasy VII again, this may be the console to buy. If this one is true, then you’d better be prepared for a real nostalgia-inducing gaming session.
There’s an additional benefit to playing PS4 games on next gen’s hardware. The discrepancy in raw processing power can help PS4 games run with better stability. The addition of an SSD should also cut load times. These improvements should bring the overall experience up a tiny notch.
Optical Discs Taking a Back Seat
The age of optical discs may be close to an end. We’re getting reports that the giant SSD looks to be the main game software location instead of an optical disk.
There are two main reasons for this. First one is because of the popularity of digital downloads. The second reason is the looming mainstreaming of game streaming services.
Part of the reason Sony decided to go for the pricier SSD is that they believe that digital downloads are the wave of the future. Optical disks, therefore, are taking a back seat. While there’s still going to be a dedicated optical disk bay, Sony looks to focus its efforts on the onboard storage going forward.
This could also be chalked up to the fact that Sony is also looking to get onto the game streaming trend. The Netflix effect is in full swing in various industries and it’s slowly eating its way into the gaming community too.
Google and Nvidia have already hopped on to this with their Stadia and GeForce Now. Microsoft is also looking to join in at a later date.
This sudden influx of on-demand Game streaming services can give these gaming consoles a huge hit in market share. Luckily, Sony has already gotten in on the trend with PlayStation Now. However, they're focused only on PlayStation exclusives as of the time of writing. Maybe with the launch of the PS5, they're also going to introduce enhancements to their streaming service.
120Hz? Yes, Please
Another rumoured ambitious new feature is 120Hz display support albeit limited to 4K gaming. This is something that PC gamers have always enjoyed as console-gamers looked on longingly with jealousy.
If the PlayStation 5 does indeed come with support for this kind of technology, then you better expect an influx of more players of first-person shooters and other fast-paced competitive games.
This might also help players who tend to play games for longer stretches as the quick refresh rate makes staring at screens much easier on the eyes.
I've read some rumors about the PlayStation 5 coming soon. I am really curious to hear more about what it will be. As with the PS4 it is rumored to be released in 3 different versions: normal, slim and pro. Some are saying it will still play discs, but I've also heard rumors that maybe one of the versions will no longer play discs. Online gaming has become big!
Nintendo has been a dominant force in the portable gaming scene for as long as most of us can remember. From the Gameboy, Nintendo 3DS, to the Switch, its incredible run as one of the top brands in handheld gaming is as phenomenal as it can get for a gaming brand. Their latest hardware drop, the Nintendo Switch Lite, could cement its place even more in the handheld territory.
Even Sony, a company that’s orders of magnitude richer than Nintendo, tried and failed at the handheld segment. Just recently, it announced that it is bowing out of this gaming segment to focus on their console offering. In a way, Nintendo has carved out this handheld gaming niche in the gaming landscape.
It's no secret that they also tried to compete in the console wars with their Game Cube and Wii. However, the duopoly between Sony and Microsoft proved more difficult to penetrate. The fans of the PlayStation and the Xbox are just too entrenched. Nintendo, therefore, was forced to retreat into a tiny corner of the market where they focused on niche games with the Wii's motion-sensing controls.
It was, therefore, seen largely as a good move when they chose to abandon the console market and focus on their portable devices. From this new focus, they developed the Nintendo Switch. A console/handheld hybrid that lets you enjoy console-quality games on the TV or on-the-go.
With their latest hardware release of the Nintendo Switch Lite, it seems that they’ve finally settled with occupying their niche as the handheld console king.
Traditional Portable Gaming Build
The Nintendo Switch occupies a space all to its own. It’s a hybrid gaming console/handheld. The Nintendo Switch Lite, on the other hand, is a solely handheld device but with the same engine as the bigger device.
It's smaller than the old Switch hence the ‘Lite' in its name. It has something similar to the Switch's Joy-Con permanently attached to it. When put side-by-side with a Switch+Joy-Con combo, the Switch Lite quite astonishingly looks like a smaller version of the last-gen device. You're not going to have to adjust too much to the 5.5-inch screen because it doesn't veer too much away from the 6.2-inches of the original Nintendo Switch.
Furthermore, you might also notice that the images on the Switch Lite can be a bit better than they are on the bigger and more expensive Switch. This is because it basically has the same IPS panel with the resolution staying exactly the same at 720p. The smaller size of the overall screen of the Lite, however, make the pixels more compressed thus making the images crisper.
The soft-touch plastic material feels sturdy in the hand, much like the quality you get from a modern polycarbonate smartphone. The button layout is also extremely similar to its older brother with the only exception being the additional directional pad. The Switch had individual directional buttons that users found limiting.
Being a strictly handheld device, the Switch Lite ditches the kickstand at the back. Instead, Nintendo chose to put a micro SD card slot at the bottom right next to the USB-C charging port.
Nintendo Software
Software-wise, the Switch Lite is basically the same as the bigger Switch. It runs on the same software and has basically the same interface. The Nintendo Switch Lite, therefore, carries almost all of the Nintendo exclusives such as Mario and Zelda games.
However, there are some games, especially those that make use of the Switch’s “table-top” mode and the JoyCon’s motion sensors, that are not compatible with the Switch Lite out of the box. Whether these will be made available to the handheld later through updates is still a mystery. So, if you’re planning to play Super Mario Party on the Switch Lite then you’re out of luck.
Graphical demands of a particular title shouldn't be a problem though. When it comes to the processor, the Switch Lite should be just as powerful as its predecessor.the bigger model. Which isn't difficult to fathom because the Switch isn't exactly a powerhouse. It's an underpowered device as a gaming console, especially when compared to its peers, the PlayStation and the Xbox. As a handheld portable, but a pretty powerful mobile gaming device, however, it's quite a powerful machine especially compared to other portable handheld gaming gear. compared to smartphones and tablets. This helps give the Switch Lite one of the most powerful processors for mobile-only gaming.
Is Portability Worth Sacrificing Versatility for?
With the global free market in place, I'm pretty sure that it's not going to stay as the sole dominant player in the handheld gaming market for very long. Smartphones, for example, are starting to take a life of its own as a gaming-oriented device with the advantage of having a low barrier to entry and ever-increasing processing power from both Snapdragon and Apple processors. These days, everyone has a smartphone. It just so happens that it also excels as a gaming machine. Nintendo devices, on the other hand, are strictly gaming devices that you must buy specifically as a gaming-only device.
The larger Switch knew this, therefore, it steered clear from being just a portable device. You can essentially take with you console-quality games with you and hook it up instantly to a big screen TV anywhere you go. Or, you could also take it with you and play console-quality games on the go.
The Switch Lite, however, is strictly a handheld device with a console’s processing power. It has great ergonomics and excellent gaming performance for a handheld. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends entirely on the user’s preference.
Connectedness that Only a Handheld Gaming Device Can Provide
As far as market share is concerned, Nintendo occupies a small niche. However, it’s not a niche that another brand can easily take over. The company has cemented itself as one of the best portable gaming hardware maker and games developers.
There's just something about handhelds that easy to connect with. It's easy to develop a sort of connection with our portable devices. Just look at how most of us feel about our smartphones. Looking back, this phenomenon might even be applicable to the Gameboy. However, will the Nintendo Switch Lite be able to replicate the same sense of connectedness with its users?
With a little help from great games like Zelda and Mario that pushes the hardware and storytelling to its limits, it just might.
I'm not a huge fan of streaming games under a subscription model instead of buying them outright to play with or without an internet connection. That might be where we're heading though. What's your preference? #PlayStationNow #GoogleStadia #Stadia #EAaccess #XboxGamePass #digitalgames #gamestreaming #streaming #gaming
I would rather wait for the release of this gaming device because we cannot really predict the quality of electronic products these days. I do hope the PS5 will be much more powerful than its predecessors, with the price tag that it has.
If it were me, I'd just announce that current Switch owners can get their battery switched to the new versions. This offer is not very friendly to those who have purchased a Switch before.
Have you checked out the latest #Nintendo #Switch? It's a #Lite version that is more affordable, but doesn't do as much as the previous version. #NintendoSwitch #NintendoSwitchLite #videogames #portablegaming #gamers #gamer #digitalgames #videogame #gaming
This looks like a really advanced Gameboy if you ask me - which is a good thing! It's a bit pricey for the top model, but the price will inevitably go down. I think this device will be a big hit with the youth gaming market.
It's the Verge's roundup of the best gifts to help graduates on the way to their next life adventure. Along with the usual choices, The Verge included some helpful gifts that I wouldn't have thought about on my own. Which gift idea do you like best?
I didn't find any specific details confirmed despite the provocative title of the article. At least the rumors we've had don't seem to be impossible anymore since it seems like Sony is really going all out for their new machine.
If you have a Nintendo Switch, your system just received an upgrade. Updates include faster loading times, the ability to transfer saved games from one device to another and the option to change the display order of your software on the Home screen.