This PlayStation 5 Feature Could Change Game Development Forever

The PlayStation 5's innovative SSD could reduce "crunch," revolutionizing game development and changing the industry forever.

[Destiny1080]

People don't realize it yet, but its a Game Changer being able to fill 16 gigs in two seconds

it reminds of sea of thieves, that creature with no body and lame attack pattern, Next gen can Truly bring it to life

[timotim]

Not when the competition can fill it in 5 seconds. Loading your game 3 seconds faster is just 3 seconds faster...neither are slow. Not a gamechanger.

[remixx116]

This article isn't about competition like your trying to force it to be with your fanboying.

The title literally states "This PlayStation 5 feature could change game development forever" which is true do to the SSD.

You took it as a jab at Microsoft and felt the need to put your cape on and come to the rescue for your favorite piece of plastic.

[timotim]

@Remixx

But we are talking game changing here. You can't have a game changer if everyone else is doing something similar. A true game changer set itself apart from what others are doing. loading a game 3 seconds faster is very much in the same ballpark.

[S2Killinit]

@timotim
Except they are saying it will effect all aspects of game development and performance, not just how fast something loads. It can retrieve properties more than 2X the speed of whats in the competition. Literally, it is the only hardware in any of the two consoles that is stronger than anything else available. The only truly ‘next gen’ hardware is inside the PS5.

[zeuanimals]

Being able to free the GPU of ever having to render anything outside of frame because it can all be loaded instantly when needed is a game changer. Being able to move across a game world at insane speeds while it all loads seamlessly and with little to no pop-in is a game changer. Or just teleporting around a giant world with no loading.

[timotim]

@S2

"The only truly ‘next gen’ hardware is inside the PS5. "

I don't know how you figure that when an SSD is also inside the SX that is faster than anything currently on the market as well. Its not that the PS5 has a next gen SSD and the SX doesn't...they both are next gen SSDs...its just that the one in the PS5 is faster. Furthermore, the technology, while different, is doing the same thing. The SSD in the SX can be used to retrieve. Streaming in assets as well.

Remember, we are talking about SECONDS here haha. Saying 2X faster is nothing when in reality it mean 2 vs 4.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

[GTgamer]

Congratulations you love the seriesX cool buy one we'll buy the ps5 and we'll be happy run along now 😂😂😂 your insecurities are showing

[SyntheticForm]

@S2

"The only truly ‘next gen’ hardware is inside the PS5."

What a load.

@GT

So is yours - not sure how you can act 'above it.'

[saoco]

It's about data streaming not game loading times. People continue to get these 2 confused.

[S2Killinit]

@timotim
Except that is not true at all. The SSD in xbox is available on PC, the one in PS5 is the one being touted as “the most exciting new hardware in 20 years”. It is more than 2X the speed of xbox SSD, and the dev have been saying that “it will change game development”. No one says that about the SSD in xbox. Its not a difference of 2 vs 4. Sony didnt just choose a faster SSD, they invented a new type of SSD. But dont take my word for it, im just restating what the devs are saying.

[timotim]

@S2

So its clear you have no idea what you're talking about then if you think the SX SSD is already on PC right now. It is not. Link us to another SSD on the market that does 4.2GBs/sec...you can't. All the other features can and will be done by its SSD. The devs you speak of are PS centric devs only and Microsoft still has devs under NDA preventing them to talk about its technology. Bottom line...PS5 is NOT the only hardware with next gen tech in it...for you to even say that means you are an extreme console warrior.

@Scoao
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

[IRetrouk]

There are ssds out that can both match the xbox series x uncompressed 2.4gbs transfer speed and also ones that exceed it....
https://9to5toys.com/2019/1...

The ps5s ssd on the other hand at 5.5gbs uncompressed wont have anything similar in speed on the market untill later this year.

[brrdat]

this was painful to read. it's not about load times.

[umair_s51]

I don't think it's a game changer...it's more of secret sauce. It just means it will load assets a few seconds faster than SX. I don't think it will greatly benefit fps or resolution...

[Pejjan]

It’s not the 3 Second that is the different, it the way games are gone stream direct from the ssd

[mrsolidsteel20]

I think it will do much more than loading games faster.

[StormSnooper]

Timotim
It looks to me that you are just jumping through hoops to prove your chosen console is more powerful (and on paper it is) but according to developers (and no they aren’t PS devs) the SSD in PS5 will be “forever changing game development”. That’s a pretty extreme statement if true, and it might mean that the PS5 may actually be the superior console when it comes to what these consoles can actually do with the power they have.

[Smclaren1985]

That’s because you don’t understand exactly what this means

[Unspoken]

Truth. Until they devs begin to show more than loading times then maybe we'll see some magic sauce.

[WelkinCole]

Except people that make games fore a living says it is. But I guess you timtim knows better than they do

[timotim]

@IR
Good look on that link. Those are next gen SSDs as well and they are similar in speed...the fact that the one in the PS5 is faster, doesn't mean its the only next gen one out of the bunch. I've been posting links that SX's SSD does the same exact thing as the PS5 when it comes to non loading speeds. Ill post it again from a verified dev. Understand that Team Xbox has devs on NDA preventing them from talking about its tech.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

@brrdat @Pejjan @Steel20 @1985
Fine...its not about loading times...ok, what is it about then exactly? Streaming in data fast? Be specific.

@Stormtrooper
"It looks to me that you are just jumping through hoops to prove your chosen console is more powerful"

Oh you got me wrong...there's no doubt on which one is more powerful, but this conversation isn't about power, its about some thinking that speed of the SSD in the PS5 will trump all...including the areas where PS5 is clearly not as good. I'm saying thats not the case.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

[IRetrouk]

I didnt say the ssd in the xbox wasnt a next gen ssd, or what it could or couldn't do, you asked to be shown SSDs that can match the series x ssd speed that's out today, i showed you ones that match and also ones that are faster, then mentioned it's the ps5s ssd speed that cant currently be matched untill a little later in the year, no more, no less🤷‍♂️

[nibblo]

You are correct the difference isn't enough between the 2 consoles and even if it was 3rd party devs are not going to make 2 different versions of a game where one has transitional areas in games and they others don't. A bit of common sense is needed here.

[TKCMuzzer]

Go on Youtube, unlike you there are people who know what their talking about. Apparently there is the high possibility of running the PS5's operating system from the SSD because its that quick and how fast it can be accessed. They won't need to use 3Gig of ram to store the OS, whilst gaming. When you press the PS button it just accesses the hard drive. This makes more memory available for the games, potentially 15.5 gig of ram available to fill at all times, so even more assets. This is just one advantage of instant access, instant access, not 2 or 3 seconds.

Someone who knows what they are talking about: https://www.youtube.com/wat...
It's not just loading games.

[WickedLester]

Why are you here? You are clearly an Xbox gamer. So why do you even concern yourself with articles that have nothing to do with your platform of choice? I'm a PlayStation gamer and I couldn't give two craps about the XSX specs, games, services, etc. Therefore I don't go into those threads and try to troll Xbox gamers. I ONLY concern myself with what MY platform of choice is doing. Your constant "buh buh buh but Xbox does it better" routine is frankly very childish and wreaks of insecurity. If you are happy with supporting Xbox, great! You go do that! Meanwhile, don't try to "yuck" on everyone else's "yum" here.

[amazinglover]

Still need to see what MS Velocity Architecture is all about the claim of 100gigs being able to be accessed in an instance also sounds intriguing. It may not have the I/O of PS5 but it sounds like its just as fast but until 3rd party devs start developing for both consoles we won't really know which is the superior solution.

[rainslacker]

Unfortunately, a game designed across multiple platforms is going to go with the lowest common denominator. In the case of SSD, that's going to be PC for a while until things change on PC...which may happen sooner now that consoles are doing this.

Multi-plat games are not going to take advantage of these features as much, because the real benefits of SSD can really only be realized when the core game design is focused on implementing it. There may be some things which can be optimized through cross platform ports using these features however, which could make them run better, or look better. I wouldn't call that game changing, but certainly not a bad thing for the player.

[S2Killinit]

Xbox SX SSD has less than half the speed of PS5 SSD.

[gamer7804]

Only really beneficial for first party games. It’s really not a feature for the masses. Cool Ssd implementation for sure though.

[isarai]

Issue is people's only example of an SSD benefit has been faster loading screens. So this is all they think it'll be, when in reality thats just a side affect as PC games design around common specs and SSDs haven't took the majority yet. If devs can count on everyone having and SSD like on a console where all owners of that console have the same specs, they can design with that in mind, and that's when things get interesting.

No more random elevators, slow shimmying through gaps, areas conveniently surrounded and seperated by cliffs, and also faster modes of navigation, more lanscape variety and biomes and so much more.

Both consoles are going to have this change, but im really curious what that double speed will equate to fom Sony's first party. Next few months are going to be exciting for everyone that's for sure.

[Prince-Ali]

NO it's not! Cerny literally mentions fast loading times in passing multiple times but literally spent over 5 dedicated minutes talking about a shift in games design and its stagnation over the course of 20 years! and yet... people ignore it to maintain the 'loading screens' narrative lol

[SyntheticForm]

"No more random elevators, slow shimmying through gaps, areas conveniently surrounded and seperated by cliffs, and also faster modes of navigation, more lanscape variety and biomes and so much more."

Exactly.

The SSD has the potential to totally change current game design for the better if developers utilize it in such a way.

This is truly exciting to mull over and I do think developers both first and third party are going to take advantage of this.

[OB1Biker]

I think it's not just 1st party that will take advantage. Multiplat will use the SSD to stream a lot more instead of memory and ps5 is just way faster doing it.

[zeuanimals]

Or or or or or... Kratos getting thrown between different realms and all across the game worlds crashing threw trees, mountains, etc. all in real time during a boss fight with full visual fidelity. That's next-gen right there son. Things we have never seen before.

[SyntheticForm]

Y-yo-you... you mean you could be playing Spider-Man and see Kratos shoot across the skyline while shouting "Huaaaaaaa!" and then be playing The Division and see him come through a portal in the sky and land in the middle of a shootout?

I could see that...

[zeuanimals]

@SyntheticForm:

Well, I meant in regards to the realms and game worlds of God of War 2 (the new God of War 2), but I guess that can work too lol. The streaming speeds also means Spiderman can swing faster in the second game too since the PS5 won't have to wait for all of the assets to stream in while you're swinging at insane speeds. They'll just be there by the time you're there. I cannot wait!

[AuraAbjure]

On sum DBZ shit

[rainslacker]

I think the true benefits aren't going to be realized by many people until they really see what developers come up with to utilize the tech. Your example is a great one though, kudos for thinking it up, because that throwing around that was in the last game was done through streaming and occlusion culling on a smaller scale.;)

[zeuanimals]

@Rainslacker:

I actually saw someone else on another forum talk about it and it blew my mind. I know SSM were squeezing every little bit out of the PS4 to have GOW be seamless and to have the epic moments it has, but I know they wanted to do more. Who doesn't wanna do more? The PS5 is gonna let them do so much more. There's a moment in the original God of War where one character throws something across the world and it hits Kratos. This was all in a cutscene and I'm sure SSM would love to do something similar but in real time.

[timotim]

The problem there is that 3rd party devs and studios will have to keep traditional HDDs and "average" SSDs in mind when designing their games. PC revenue is just as big as PS revenue when they are concerned. PS5's SSD (and SX for that matter) will be relegated to faster loads times and streaming in assets for the most part.

[isarai]

Which is why im most excited for 1st party games made specifically for that hardware. Interesting times ahead bro

[rainslacker]

It can also be used to overcome lower memory hurdles, or improve the graphics compared to PC. It will have to be optimized for that, but it's not completely useless. However, yeah, the lowest common denominator will always be an issue, which is why I'm not that keen on cross gen ports, or keeping PC in the mix for day one releases, because PC API's are not as efficient as console ones, and anything on PC is mostly going to use older paradigms for the design of their game.

[timotim]

@Rain

PC is and will always be the "options" platform. You game according to how you want. Inputs, accessories, internals, store fronts...its the consumer choice platform and it is what it is. I personally love that about PC. In terms of 3rd parties, they will rather go PC first and PS5 after if it means having to choose day one. Cross gen ports is going to be the vast majority of games...from both PC to console or console to console...nothing really surprising there. You'll even have exclusive games that say their only for one platform, but the design will tell you it could be for every platform. You either say you only want to play next gen exclusives only that take full advantage of said platform...or you simply game regardless of its design or cross-genness for the quality of the experience...thats what ill be doing.

@isarai
First party will def be where the innovation lies...but the vast majority of games available for your platform of choice will be 3rd party.

[codycoop2132]

Everyone always says that they have to develop to the lowest common denominator if that was the case then there would be no advantage to having any better specs. Or does that only apply to the SSD and noT the almighty T-Flop

[S2Killinit]

Loading times isnt the only thing being affected by this new technology. From whats being said, the SSD will revolutionize game design. It is ahead of anything out there currently. I think Sony’s patents on this alone will make Sony some major profits as the rest of the SSD makers will want to implement what has been gained for game development.

[darthv72]

But... i like levels that are built around real world locations. We need mountains and cliffs and hallways leading from one area to another. And elevators that go between upper and lower sections.

[isarai]

I just played and beat Shadow of the Tomb Raider last week. The amount of times you have to VERY slowly shimmy through gaps was maddening. I could do without

[MasterCornholio]

To be fair the XSX does something similar but at a slower speed.

Still the SSDs in both systems will change game development alot.

[SyntheticForm]

"To be fair the XSX does something similar but at a slower speed."

Nothing but truth there. Not sure wh-- nevermind.

The SSDs are definitely game changers and those CPUs as well.

Truly a new gen.

[MasterCornholio]

The SXS still has great IO and it's definitely not crap when compared to the competition. If they went with a traditional HDD then I could see it being a disaster. But since they didnt there's nothing to worry about.

I'm really curious to see real world left performance of the two drives.

[SyntheticForm]

@Master

Agreed.

Some would have you believe that since the PS5's SSD is so good, the SXS's is total crap or something along those lines. Not the case - the SXS's SSD is nothing but a boon, slower or not.

Yeah, I'm curious to see how developers play to the individual strengths of both machines. As I get older I get more interested in 'how the sausage is made' so to speak.

[pwnmaster3000]

Same can say about specs that is better on XSX. It’s better but PS5 is also good.

[S2Killinit]

Dont forget there was more to the SSD in PS5, than just being a fast SSD. They created something that did not exist in SSDs up to this point. Which seems to be the reason the devs are going crazy over it. Its not just over twice the speed of xbox SX SSD, it has two supporting ‘structures’ that no SSD has had up to now. Im no dev but we cant act like its just a beefier SSD.

[ElementX]

Don't most 3rd partiy devs support PC? Not every PC has an SSD, so I wonder if there will be versions for HDDs. According to what I read about Series X, an SSD is required for Velocity Architecture. If there's a version of a game for HDDs, then technically devs could allow those games to be installed to an external drive connected to the Series X (and maybe PS5). Obviously it'll have longer load times, but if it works, you could buy a huge external. On the Xbox platform, it would automatically download the correct version.

Lets face it, just because a game is next-gen doesn't mean it'll require extremely fast loading. You could store those games on an external also and save internal space.

[MasterCornholio]

“You can continue to use your existing USB 3.1+ external hard drives on Xbox Series X and you can run Xbox One, 360 and OG Xbox games directly from the external USB HDD,” explains a Microsoft spokesperson. “Games optimized for Xbox Series X and the Velocity Architecture need to be run from the internal SSD or the Expandable Storage Drive.”

https://www.theverge.com/20...

"According to what I read about Series X, an SSD is required for Velocity Architecture."

True but it appears that not any SSD can support the velocity architecture. From my understanding it has to be the expandable drives from Microsoft.

I don't see it as an issue as long as the price is reasonable and they are readily available. But people wanting to buy off the shelf SSDs might have a problem with this.

[ElementX]

My point was using existing externals for "next-gen" games that don't require fast loading to conserve internal space. There may be games that don't require Velocity, games that have a long initial load but then may be perfectly fine with a slower drive in-game. A lot of PC gamers don't have SSDs and the way MS talks about automatically downloading the right version had me thinking. I was just bringing up an idea that maybe people haven't considered. If you want to play a smaller indie game for instance, I'm sure it would run fine with a standard external drive. The quote you provided mentions "optimized for Series X and Velocity", that doesn't say every game will require it. It would be nice to save space for those games that'll really benefit from the speed

[isarai]

We might end up with games that load like Jedi Fallen Order or half life 2 when not using an SSD where it just freezes to load for a few seconds at certain points, though that becomes a lot more complicated when you have large open environments. Guess we'll find out what solutions they use when we get there

[MasterCornholio]

Now I understand what your saying. It's true that games don't need SSDs to be played. Which is why it makes sense if you can run them off an external HDD.

I personally would never do that because I like all the perks that SSDs have to offer. But I understand that some people may not care about load times and an external mechanical drive is dirt cheap compared to an SSD or Microsoft's external drives.

[rainslacker]

Yeah, but I've seen so many people going on about 100fps, and they're definately not going to get that with the slower speeds on XSX. I think even with PS5, 30fps may be more common to use this type of streaming to its fullest. The more likely scenario though is that we'll see larger sections streamed in, and not quite the extreme of only what you can see at any given time. More like you may have a full room, then you'll have the next room load as you approach it. Things like that. No corridors, but still larger sections which don't need to be loaded as quick.

[Firebird360]

Wrong.

[rainslacker]

How so? Streaming textures and objects as fast as you can move the camera at 100fps+ isn't going to happen with either console. They may be able to load larger sections and still make it work, and that is the more likely scenario for all games compared to what Cerny highlighted.

[sampsonon]

Sony devs are going to have a field day with this tech.
God i can't wait to experience the magic.

[Kiwi66]

The majority of devs will do better
with the new tech regardless

[sampsonon]

sure, that too.

[Melankolis]

I hope less crunch and more games. This gen we have Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy, TLOU2 from Naughty Dog.
With less bugs, less crunch, i hope we'll have at least 1 more title from Naughty Dog on PS5, that makes it 4 titles per generation (i assume 5-6 years).
And i really expect at least 4-5 more exclusive titles on PS5's lifespan from 14 SIE studios.

[teo72]

Filling up the RAM in 2 seconds, means more than faster loading times. Sense of speed in a game is one thing. The faster the game can access assets, the more incredible sense of perceived speed is possible. Like in driving games or in flight sims.

More detailed worlds is another. Because RAM is no longer such a limiting factor when the console have virtually instantanious access to the game assets.

[apostolis81]

Direct x 12 ultimate will be a game changer, PC and XBSX development will be identical. SSD can not produce better A.I can not produce better shading and can not produce high frame rate. CPU and GPU does that.

[Deathdeliverer]

Goes to show how ridiculously misinformed people can be and argue anyway. If you are one of the people that think the PS5s only advantages are load speeds and installs you should pack it up. This tech thing isn’t for you. There’s no secret sauce. This isn’t some cloud processing that people fell for hook, line, and sinker. When looking at the specs, stop looking at the single straight forward operation of any one part, like we did in the past with Tflops. Look at how everything works TOGETHER. The PlayStation will be the smoothest, well optimized gaming experience you can get. The amount of data it can process ALONE is amazing but nobody sees it because they are looking at individuals instead of the sum of its parts. The Xbox has an excellent GPU but it can’t get that juicy goodness processed at nearly the speed the PS5 can. Then you talk about installs. I’m not going to waste my time explaining everything, but I’m calling it right now, the Xbox will frame tear, slowdown, and lose detail before the PS5 will. Sony is making flops as a end all be all metric obsolete.

[jib]

"The Xbox has an excellent GPU but it can’t get that juicy goodness processed at nearly the speed the PS5 can"

That actually doesn't make sense. SSD holds the data to be processed. It's not the SSD's job to process. Process = calculations done by the GPU for all the graphical 'juicy goodness'(god rays, bloom, aliasing, shadows, lighting, depth of field, etc. etc.). It's why owning a weaker(slower) PC GPU means you have to lower certain graphical settings or disable them to achieve stable frame rates because it calculates these at a 'slower' rate

[Deathdeliverer]

Again, you’re looking at one thing, not the sum of the parts. Everything I’m saying is as a total, cohesive unit. By your logic you can have an incredible GPU and everything else can suck and it’ll all be alright. The SDD holds the data, but do you know how many working parts there are to make things look good, run good, sound good, stay stable, run the calculations of the various parts, put all of that in order, assign jobs to the other parts and how much it can handle and so on? Again, look at the PlayStation specs, then look at the Xbox specs from a starting a game to the time you’re playing perspective and every part that plays a part. The PlayStation is going for an excellent experience.

[jib]

@death I have a feeling it wouldn't matter having to go into a technical discussion about the working parts as you'd probably just keep pushing the same basic argument. "Everything else can suck" isn't the scenario here. The XS has a great CPU, better GPU, and a pretty fast SSD as well. It's not rocket science. Better GPU = higher potential for better graphics. Not saying there aren't scenarios where the PS5 couldn't excel(huge open worlds with a lot of assets to pull in for ex.) but for the most part, given all the info, I would guess the XS would generally perform better in the graphics department

[Software_Lover]

So what you're saying is that if I have a regular HDD and a 1080ti, I will get worse graphical performance than owning an SSD and a 1060 because the HDD can't process all of that juiciness? Thanks for letting me know.

[mrsolidsteel20]

Well said.

[CaptainOmega]

Also with this crazy awesome SSD it can drastically reduce duplicate data, which means less GB size for game downloads. Thus is why they weren’t too concered with the SSD size to intall/reinstall games.

[shiva1]

CCN is the next gaming bolt

[_LarZen_]

In the future yeah most likely and especially when PC comes with their new faster disks. But games thing upcoming console generation wont. Exception being exclusives on PS5.

[nibblo]

I think you will only see the difference in Sony's first party games. 3rd party devs will not create different versions of the games for different consoles. Dialing down graphical features is a lot different to structural differences in games which is what Cerny talked about in his lecture.

[chiefJohn117]

This is cringe worthy

[Mr_cheese]

Hate these kind of titles.

[navi87]

NVMe's have been around on PCs for a while now, so why is it just NOW when the consoles have this tech...its suddenly a game changer?? Yes they have great read speeds...but what else does a data storage medium do? Just read and write data, end of.

And to be perfectly honest, regarding all this "game changing" bla bla, its all down to the Developers. Just because the console is great, doesn't mean the software will be. Its up to them to decrease/better hide loading screens in games, its not just purely down to the hardware.
Crash Bandicoot on the original PSX was made possible by using smart programming, they extracted every compute unit possible. https://www.youtube.com/wat... interesting watch.

Also, why is the PS5 more a balanced console if it in fact is slower then the XSX CPU and GPU wise but faster with its storage? Worst case scenario, the processor cant keep up with the data being pumped out by the NVMe. Or am I missing something??

[Imortus_san]

SSD have been on the market for years and years.

[anubusgold]

You can get 4950 speed pcie 4.0 drives when x570 motherboards came out they are 200 dollars on newegg now