PlayStation 5 Specs: Sony Adds 'Dramatically Different' Audio To PS5, Almost Like VR

Ain’t nothin’ like the thunderous roar of a video game explosion so realistic it makes you check-out where you’ve been hit. That’s hyperbole, of course, but the upcoming Sony PlayStation 5 console (still officially called "next-gen") wants to knock your socks off with the never-before-heard realism of true 3D sound.

Before anything else, we have to emphasize next-gen PlayStation isn't a PS4 upgrade. No.

Mark Cerny, lead system architect on the next-gen, confirms the upcoming console in the works for four arduous years will be well, next-gen, or a totally new machine. As such, next-gen will break ground with its totally immersive 3D graphics and stunning 3D audio.

The huge horsepower boost to both graphics and audio that will make this happen will be supplied by the console's new AMD chip, with which all these good things are possible. The CPU is a third generation AMD Ryzen line with eight cores of AMD’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture.

The GPU is a custom variant of Radeon’s Navi family specific to next-gen. It supports that fantastic feature called ray tracing, which is a Hollywood movie technique that models the travel of light to simulate complex interactions in 3D environments.

With great 3D graphics must come great 3D audio, right?

The AMD chip also includes a custom unit for 3D audio. Cerny asserts this hardware will redefine what the effect great sound has on any videogame.

"As a gamer, it's been a little bit of a frustration that audio did not change too much between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4," Cerny told Wired.

"With the next console the dream is to show how dramatically different the audio experience can be when we apply significant amounts of hardware horsepower to it."

Cerny is convinced next-gen will make gamers feel more immersed in the game because sounds will assault the ears from above, from behind, and from the side. That's what 3D sound is. It's everywhere. All the time.

The good news is that experiencing the never-before-heard realism of true 3D sound won't mean you have to part with your cash to buy special speakers. Next-gen's 3D sound will work using TV speakers and virtual surround sound. Sadly, earphones still don't support the ultra-realism of 3D sound.