PS5’s 3D Audio, DualSense Controller, and SSD Are a “Paradigm Shift” – PlayStation CEO

The coming console generation seems very different from the PS4 and Xbox One generation, because while Microsoft and Sony’s eighth generation consoles were both quite similar to each other from a tech perspective – and petty outdated tech, even when they launched, at that – the PS5 and Xbox Series X are both taking different approaches. They’re both cutting edge, but each has unique advantages over the other.

When it comes to the PS5, the things that Sony have been pushing the most are its allegedly blindingly fast SSD, its innovative new 3D audio engine, and its new DualSense controller, which has haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and more. And according to PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, all of these things are going to ensure that the PS5 brings about a “paradigm shift” in console gaming.

“We think 3D audio is a paradigm shift,” Ryan said in an interview with BBC when asked about what players can expect from the PS5 beyond better-looking games. “We think the functionality of the new controller, which again has to be experienced to be fully appreciated, is a paradigm shift. We think the the SSD [solid state drive] storage mechanism, and the way that it can actually help you move between worlds in games and eliminate loading times is a paradigm shift.”

Ryan then specifically brought up the recent showing of the newly announced Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, the demo of which gave a glimpse of how players could travel through inter-dimensional rifts to instantaneously enter new levels and environments- something that, according to Ryan, is only made possible by the PS5’s SSD.

“We went to great lengths to show that off with considerable length in the Ratchet and Clank demo,” he said. “You saw the way that Ratchet was moving from world to world. On previous generations, the character would have needed to walk down a corridor while loading was going on in the background. Now it just happens instantaneously.”

“I know previous generations have tended to be about better graphics, you know, greater grunt in the CPU,” he continued. “But we think that we’ve got a number of features here that are going to enhance the sensory experience of the game and allow developers to do really cool and different things.”

The PS5 is due out this holiday, and will be releasing with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales as a launch title. Sony showed off the console’s form factor yesterday, while also detailing its digital-only SKU. Read more on that through here.