PS5 Potential Dev Kit Spotted!

Somehow, we are nearing the end of this current console generation, and in between wondering how we got so old and still wondering which generation the Switch falls into, we have some surfaced photos for the dev kit of Playstation 5.

First off, what is a dev kit? A dev kit is essentially a piece of hardware that contains the specs and software of the console without actually being in the physical shell that console will be in. These are often given to game developers and companies to create and build the games they need to for when the console launches.

So, naturally, this means that with the newest batch of consoles just under a year away, dev kits for the PS5, and probably the next Xbox, codenamed Scarlett, are out in the industry for developers to play with.

Just a few days ago, we got a look at a PS5 dev kit, when a photo of the machine appeared on Twitter. Of course, the internet took it and ran with it, not only because it’s a new console but also because, well, the thing is just kind of funky looking.

Bearing an odd V-shape to the console, it looks like something you would have seen out of a science fiction movie from the 80’s, with its grey-tone aesthetic.

Initially, people began to panic over the look of the system because that’s what the internet does, but it is incredibly important to remember that this is not what the final console will look like. This is always how dev kits look as the specs inside of it are what’s important. Just Google search the Nintendo Wii dev kit and look at the giant black box that looked like a piece of equipment from an audio recording studio, not the little, white slab we got when it was released. The actual Playstation 5 will look a lot different from the dev kit we have seen and it will probably look better. For anyone who is worried that their new console is going to look like a computer trapped in time, just take a breath. It will be fine.

There are a lot of unknowns still about the console, but we do have some confirmed specs: an 8-core AMD chip based on the RYzen architecture, 3D audio technology, a proper SSD for faster load times, backwards compatibility with PS4, and PS VR compatibility, and 8K video resolution.

This isn’t too far off from the specs of its competitor, the Xbox Scarlett, which is also releasing around the same time. The Scarlett will sport a custom AMD Zen 2 processor, GDDR6 RAM, 8K video resolution, a custom SSD as well, and a theoretic 120 frames per second.

These systems are certainly very powerful and are closing the gap between console and PC. While PC is still ahead in that game, and constantly improving its own specs as well, the difference is becoming smaller, which should do so much to heat up the eternal console vs. PC debate.

No price confirmation has been given for either console, but we would wager it they will both probably be in the 400 to 500 range, given what the current consoles launched at. We expect these prices to be revealed probably in the beginning of the summer, probably around E3.

Until then, we can keep speculation, keep debating which console will be better, and ignore our wallets screaming at us that we can’t afford it. We will see what happens when both consoles release in 2020.