PS5 looks to Netflix for innovation, but not in the same way as Xbox Series X

Now that Sony and Microsoft have revealed the specs for their next-gen consoles, we know that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X will be capable of significantly increasing loading speeds for games. 

During the PS5 reveal, PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny shared that the reduced loading times are thanks to the SSD that can load 2GB in 0.27 seconds, meaning that loading screens will be virtually nonexistent. Now Kotaku news editor, and industry veteran, Jason Schreier has weighed in on what he knows about how the super fast load times will be incorporated into the console's operating system.   

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Writing a comment on a Resetera thread discussing the PS5 patent that detailed how the console's OS will operate,  Schreier wrote:

"I have heard some fascinating things about the PS5’s operating system like this - one of the pitches they’ve been making to developers is 'playing a PS5 game should be as easy as Netflix.'

"They want to make players feel like they can load up the game immediately and know exactly how much time a given activity is going to take them. They want people to feel more inclined to play in short bursts rather than only wanting to turn on the console when they have a few hours to spare."

Cerny touched on this in a Wired interview last year, when he said:

“We don't want the player to have to boot the game, see what's up, boot the game, see what's up."

He went on to describe a seamless process, whereby players can switch between games almost instantaneously, with no waiting around. Netflix subscribers can do the same with the streaming service's content in the app. You can suspend a film, switch to a series, and back again, for example, and both will resume at the point at which you left off. That's the kind of experience we can expect on the PS5, by the sounds of things.

There's still a bit of a wait until the consoles' launch date this year, with both expected to hit shelves in the holiday 2020 window. After revealing a more specific Thanksgiving release date, Microsoft backtracked, saying it was a mistake, but with the current coronavirus pandemic, we may not see either make an appearance in 2020.  

On that note, make sure you're washing your hands and follow T3's guide on how to clean your PS4 and Xbox controllers.