The storage technology in the PS5 and the next Xbox console mean that game loading times will “never be the same,” says one developer. Sony has confirmed that the PS5 can load PlayStation exclusive gameMarvel’sSpider-Man15 times faster than the PS4can, but it seems that this may just be the start of how the new consoles will affect game loading.
Speaking to GamingBolt, Alex Golebiowski fromLost Orbit - Terminal Velocitydeveloper Pixelnauts called the decision to put faster SSDs in thePS5and the next Xbox a “great choice” by Sony and Microsoft. “Load times will never be the same,” said the developer. Sony and Microsoft say that the PS5 and the next Xbox console, which is codenamed Project Scarlett, will have “next generation” SSDs that will greatly cut game load times.
The consoles are more than a year away from being released, but it does seem as though game load times will be an important part of Sony and Microsoft’s strategies. Microsoft made sure to talk about the SSD of the next Xbox in itsProject Scarlett reveal video from E3 2019, claiming that the new console could load games up to 40 times faster than the Xbox One.
Sony, meanwhile, has shared videos of the PS5 loading games quickly. A spokesperson for the company has also said that with the PS5, Sony wants to make gameloading screens a “thing of the past.”
However, lower loading times and fewer loading screens aren’t just good selling points; they also allow developers to do more and make bigger, better-looking games. As an indie developer, Golebiowski said that the next-generation consoles offer “fewer boundaries to make beautiful games without having to spend the budget of a full AAA dev.”
Sony and Microsoft are working on ways to put their new consoles to the test. Microsoft has confirmed thatHalo Infinitewill be a Project Scarlett launch title, while there are rumors that Rockstar is developingGrand Theft Auto 6for the two consoles. These games would all be better off with no loading screens, so many would agree with Golebiowski.
