A Codemasters developer has seemingly confirmed that the recently leaked PS5 development kit design is real. Sony's last console, the Playstation 4, has shipped over 100 million units since it's original launch back in 2014 (more than double the 41 million Xbox Ones that lead competitor Microsoft has sold), and the company now seems ready to move forward into the next hardware generation.
Earlier this week, a Brazilian patent applied for by Sony led many to assume that an upcoming Playstation 5 dev kit was in development. Not to mention, Crytek's recent comments on SSD (solid-state drives) being integral to the next console generation have left many to wonder just how much information current AAA developers have on consoles that have not yet been released to the public. It would stand to reason that a number of video game companies must already be working on titles for the new systems, otherwise, there would be no day one releases ready for when the next console generation is inevitably announced.
According to a report by LetsGoDigital, the recently leaked patent is a real design for Sony's new developmental PS5 kit, confirmed by Matthew Stott, a senior artist at Codemasters. In a tweet, Stott stated that the circulating images did indeed show a Playstation dev kit and that they "have some in the office," although a specific number is not mentioned. Since then, both the tweet and Matthew Stott's Twitter account have both been deleted. LetsGoDigital also created some 3D renders of what the dev kit might look like, which is pictured below.
While the design of this dev kit patent may look strange to some, it's important to remember that development kits rarely look the same as the final console versions that end up on store shelves. Although the official wording on the patent lists this piece of hardware as an "unknown device," Stott's comments and the quick removal of them from the internet seem to indicate that it is indeed related to the ongoing development of the Playstation 5, which Sony says is being made with "hard-core" gamers in mind and could be available as soon as 2020.
A new console generation is always an exciting time for gamers, with new development tools and stronger processors often leading developers down interesting new gameplay roads not yet traveled. If Codemasters has multiple PS5 dev kits in their office, it would stand to reason that many other AAA developers do as well, and one's mind can only imagine what kind of next-gen graphics and experiences players can look forward to from their favorite companies in the near future.
Source: LetsGoDigital