Sony finally released the official specs for the PlayStation 5. The tech giant says that the next-gen console has a peak output of 10.28 teraflops, but it appears that no matter what the company does, Google Stadia can easily beat the PS5.
New hardware is always exciting for any gamer -- it's a tale as old as gaming itself. In the older days, however, the release of a new console meant it could create new genres of games. Today's generation of gamers has been introduced to a multi-platform, cloud-centric world that could make endless possibilities.
We're all expecting that the PS5 will be ultra-fast -- that's how marketing works. But as extreme performance goes, isn't it true that data centers are simply a better environment? Google has quoted the performance of a single Stadia instance at 10.7 teraflops and solid-state storage.
If you look at the specifications, it kind of undermines what cloud gaming can really do. Modern data centers are built to scale, meaning any gamer can have as little or as much power they need or pay for. You're not going to find racks and racks of hardware with your name on it.
It's entirely possible for Google to allow gamers to use two or more Stadia instances at the same time. You may have access to unlimited GPU resources or unlimited memory as well. You're not stuck to a single piece of hardware where everything is basically capped at a certain level.
The real selling point of cloud services is that they're way more convenient and easy to use. Everything else -- all the hardware marketing -- will be eventually forgotten. Sony always banks on amazing visuals and promo reels, which is not to say they're awful at what they're doing. The PS5 is indeed one powerful console -- it's just that Google Stadia works in ways that cannot be compared to a piece of hardware.
The PlayStation 5 is scheduled for release in late 2020. However, considering the ongoing health crisis, there's speculation that it could be delayed. However, Sony hasn't said anything regarding a postponement of the sort. If it does ship on time though, maybe there will be limited supplies.
Google Stadia is amazing on its own, and no, this isn't a marketing pitch and we're not being paid by Google either. But we're expecting a lot especially given there's a huge potential for developers to leverage its full power.
Let's see if Amazon's cloud game streaming can compete with the Stadia, which is still a rumor, by the way. As for the PS5, we can't wait and test what it can really do.
