Sony Launches the PlayStation 5 in Select Markets

Sony Interactive Entertainment released the PlayStation 5 in the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. The launch marked Sony’s entry into the ninth generation of home video game consoles. The system was released one week later in additional regions, including Europe, on 19/11/2020. The PlayStation 5 launched in two hardware configurations: a standard edition with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive priced at $499.99, and a Digital Edition without a disc drive priced at $399.99. The console featured a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2–based GPU, along with a custom solid-state drive designed to significantly reduce load times. The PS5 introduced the DualSense wireless controller, which included haptic feedback and adaptive triggers intended to provide varied resistance during gameplay. Launch titles on 12/11/2020 included Demon’s Souls, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Astro’s Playroom, the latter pre-installed on all systems. Sony reported that more than 10 million PlayStation 5 units were sold globally by July 2021, making it the fastest-selling console in the company’s history at that time. The 12/11/2020 release placed the PlayStation 5 in direct competition with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S, which launched two days earlier on 10/11/2020. The PS5 debut represented Sony’s continuation in the home console market following the PlayStation 4 generation. #PlayStation5 #PS5 #Sony #VideoGameHistory #2020