Playing games on the PlayStation 4 is not as immediate as it should be, and Sony has made a point of stressing that the PlayStation 5 will function faster than its predecessor. We’ve already seen elements of this: Marvel’s Spider-Man, for example, loads in under one second on the next-gen console, compared to over 15 seconds on the PS4.
It’s something that trusted Kotaku scribe Jason Schreier claims is going to be a hallmark of the new system. “Not coincidentally, ‘play right away, download just what you need, no load times’ will be some of Sony's top selling points for the PS5,” he said in response to a Tweet about Google Stadia’s perks.
Obviously the platform holder has its own streaming solution in PlayStation Now, but it sounds like the organisation is eager to speed up the process of playing games through traditional methods, such as digital download and even off Blu-ray discs. As impatient players, this is music to our ears – after all, who wants to see patches copying for hours on end?
[source twitter.com]
Comments 40
I found it funny yesterday that Sony put out a Remote Play trailer on the same day that Stadia released.
This is kind of what I am lookin for from next gen home consoles to be honest. Was saying it on another comment thread but botting up a PS5 and getting into a game really quickly is a massive boost to me when I sometimes can only squeeze 30-40 mins gaming in.
The thing with new consoles is that they always seem lightning fast the day you get them, and then years of firmware updates and patches just seem to slow them right down.
I remember being shocked at how fast the PS4 was at launch, and now it seems kinda slow.
@get2sammyb I completely agree. This will be something Sony has to figure out. The PS4 UI crawls at times. I’ve tried rebuilding the database and clearing the cache and they are only a temporary bandaid that lasts a few days. I suppose in the end as long as games still load stupid fast on PS5 then that’s all that will matter.
"play right away, download just what you need, no load times"
take out the download bit and that's what games did years ago when they came on cartridges, pop a game in the N64 for example and switch it on and you playing the game
@get2sammyb Yes but the stability is second to none
SPEED I AM SPEED LIGHTNING MCQUEEN WHERE YOU AT PS5 I’M READY
@Neolit Ha ha - As Sekiro proved, I am already there when it comes to needing help! But yes, makes a massive difference waiting up to 60 seconds (or more) to load after you die!
I just want ps5 to be as snappy as my iphone/ipad, and considering ps4 is a huge upgrade compared to ps3 in os speed, I'm sure ps5 will be a huge upgrade in speed too.
This is why I absolutely love the Switch. You can sit here and say it's a weak system and that AAA games are significant downgrades, but it's the only system that boots up instantly from Sleep Mode either into the OS or in the game you are currently playing.
No save point nearby and need to stop playing? Are you in the middle of a boss battle but need to stop playing? On the way to reaching a high score, but need to stop playing? No problem, press the power button and put the system to sleep.
Want to resume exactly where you left off? No problem, press the power button and your back where you were.
I have found the resume features of the PS4 and X1 to be a little less reliable, and certainly not quite as fast.
Load times aren't nearly as bothersome for me. I would much rather have these faster access speeds get used to allow developers to compress their games at the cost of a little bit of loading.
Games are so freaking bloated, it's ridiculous. 1TB can float away rather quickly. I do like the idea of only downloading the single-player experience, though. I don't play multi-player, so if I can save on assets I don't use, it makes me happy.
whats the price going to be?????
@GamingFan4Lyf Hear hear! The pause game function on the Switch is one of the reasons I prefer it to my ps4 nowadays. I'm currently playing Metro Exodus on my ps4, but due to its excruciating loading times I often find myself booting up my Switch instead so I can jump right into the action (well, action, I'm playing Captain Toad at the moment;)).
Can't wait for my SSD ps5!
@GamingFan4Lyf The SSD is going to do just that. In order to reduce loading times, HDDs copy the same portions of files in order for the hard drive to spend less time looking for said files. SSDs do that instantaneously, ergo games would need less space.
Better textures will increase the file size back up though.
As an older gamer who once waited 25 minutes for Arcadia to load on his C64, seeing people whine about 15 second load times makes me cry a little. 😥
@Neolit - I can compare a base PS4 running firmware 2.01 from 2014 to my current Pro with the latest FW and the difference in UI speed is huge. Sure there's more going on with my Pro loading web data from What's New, game tile data etc but my offline PS4 is blazing fast by comparison. Putting my Pro offline doesn't make a bit of difference to the general sluggishness of the updated OS. The bloat is real.
This is proper first world problems. I hope everyone just aknowledge how fortunate they are.
But more on topic: I do sort of fear the next gen, even though it should be called co-current gen as the Switch officially kicked off the next gen.
@DarthAmmii Switch is part of the 8th generation. 9th generation will be marked by the arrival of PS5/Project Scarlett.
@SnowTiesAreCool Wii was 7th, Wii U was 8th so the Switch is 9th? I've never known two totally different consoles by the same company to share the same "gen"(although I suppose there aren't any rules to this theoretical grouping)
@get2sammyb especially when I have a game or something open. Trying to navigate the home screen while playing Modern Warfare is damn near impossible for me.
@Neolit Exclusive game do get better optimised games. Not to mention a engine that is finished and help from Guerrilla.
@DarthAmmii It truly is, I remember having to wait 10 Minutes for a ZX Spectrum to load!
I hope they get the UI working well, PS4’s menu is unbelievably slow at times even offline.
@FullbringIchigo The games were really expensive on cartridges both to produce and to buy though.
@JohnnyShoulder why can't they use USB then? surely that's a viable option?, you can buy a 250gb USB stick for £20 so it shouldn't be too expensive either
unless i'm completely misunderstanding but as you can run digital games off an external USB HDD then surely just selling the games pre-installed on a USB stick you just plug into your console would work wouldn't it?
@DarthAmmii So true!!!!
I like the xtra time to eat my popcorn and drink my mountain dew!!😎
@FullbringIchigo From what we know already, off the shelf usb external drives may not work that great, as usb may not be quick enough for the tech in the fancy new internal drive in a ps5. Which could prove problematic if games need the quicker processing to run silky smooth.
@DarthAmmii It’s worth remembering that the switch is a handheld. Whilst it certainly represents a generational shift from the 3DS and Vita. The next generation of home only consoles should drive forward what is possible in a way that the switch didn’t.
This is actually more attractive to me than better graphics, which is suffering a bit from diminishing returns IMHO. Time is of the essence.
@TheIronChimp @Paranoimia
It’s weird how things ebb and flow though. I went from Amstrad CPC and epic load times (not even guaranteed to work), then one of the big selling points of SNES and MD was instant loading cartridges. Then it was all about the massive storage of CD and who cares about loading times and now Console gamers are downloading, installing and updating like PC Gamers. Be funny to see it switch back to ‘instant loading! The future is here!’
The real problem is our ever shorter attention spans. We could afford to wait as young gamers without distractions from our mobile phones, for example. These days, think about what you can do sitting and waiting on a 15-second loading screen? Tell me that you've never checked your phone then? Sony knows this. Getting distracted breaks immersion and that in turn reduces engagement. I think my attention span is more than ok in life in general, but when it comes to gaming if that doesn't hold my attention for long enough at a time I am a lost customer. For this reason open world games are generally not for me, add long loading times to them and bloated inventory management and I'm gone!
@Ryall If that's the case than the Switch is my first handheld that's never left its place underneath my telly.
Could as well have a daily article called 'What did Jason say today?'
😀
@get2sammyb Have you booted up a PS3 lately? That a big reminder of how slow that it was. Going from a PS Pro its torture painful. I think I may miss stretch your fingers moments in some games as a older player.
@ShaiHulud If you ever chose to lift it from its cradle. You would find this switch could continue to play the same game on its own screen powered by it’s battery.
That you’re making the sensible decision to play your games on your nice big TV doesn’t change the fact that the low energy design that makes hand held play possible means that the switches power is on a par with the current generation home consoles and won’t be with the next generation of home consoles.
For those of us here who've been gaming since the beginning I Salute You. Loading times don't make me laugh!
TBH, I've only found the PS4 Pro to be sluggish is after I've been on the PS Store - methinks that app has some serious memory leak problems!
Even when it's downloading apps/patches, it still runs OK.
And yes, I too have been gaming since the days of the Speccy and C64 and getting 80% through a load after 10 minutes and then having a volume problem on the cassette deck was a whole different level of frustration!
One thing about the my son's Switch that irritates me is its distinct lack of ability to turn off. Even if you hold the power button down and select shut down, as soon as you drop it into its cradle or change the power state of the cradle, the damn thing powers up again!
@JohnnyShoulder ahh OK then
Maybe they put in the copying of patches so the difference between PS4 and PS5 feels more significant.
@Ryall Fair enough, I just wanted to point out that it's not 'just a handheld'
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