PlayStation 5 arrives in SA today

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) launches its next-generation console, PlayStation 5 (PS5), in South Africa today, with pricing details announced.

The PS5 Digital Edition will be available for a recommended retail price (RRP) of R10,000 and PS5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive will be available for an RRP of R12,000. With the exception of the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive itself, both PS5 models offer the same specifications.

“Today marks a historic moment for the PlayStation brand, and all of us at SIE are pleased to celebrate the release of PlayStation 5 together with our community of fans, game developers, and industry partners,” says Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “PS5 is a truly next-generation console representing the beginning of a new era for gaming. We are humbled to work with a talented community of world class game developers. Their creativity will bring limitless possibilities to what the future of gaming can look like on PS5.”

SIE is marking the launch by lighting up iconic buildings and popular sites in 25 territories around the world, projecting images of the PlayStation shapes, the PS5 console, the DualSense wireless controller, and other PlayStation brand imagery.   

PlayStation 5’s game library is led by launch day titles from SIE Worldwide Studios, including Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Astro’s Playroom. More than three dozen new games  will be available for the holiday season, including highly anticipated games from SIE’s publishing partners, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Activision), Fortnite (Epic Games), FIFA 21 (EA), NBA 2K21 (2K), Godfall (Gearbox Publishing), Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft). Meanwhile, new titles from independent developers, such as Bugsnax (Young Horses) and The Pathless (Giant Squid/Annapurna Interactive) will increase the breadth of diverse content coming to PS5. 

Upcoming Worldwide Studios exclusives include Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Destruction AllStars, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, and a new God of War game. Additional games launching first on PS5 include DEATHLOOP from Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks, Ghostwire: Tokyo from Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks, Project Athia (Working Title) from Luminous Productions/Square Enix, and Final FantasyXVI from Square Enix. Resident Evil Village from Capcom and Hogwarts Legacy from Warner Bros Games round out the lineup.

At launch, PlayStation Plus members can access a curated lineup of 20 PlayStation4 games with the PlayStation Plus Collection, available to download and play on PlayStation 5. The PlayStation Plus Collection features critically acclaimed games, including Batman: Arkham Knight, Bloodborne, Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicle Edition, Fallout 4, God of War, Monster Hunter: World, Final Fantasy XV, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard,Persona 5, The Last of Us Remastered, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. 

Inspired by a global community of creators, says SIE, PS5 will bring players into game worlds with unprecedented speed, visual fidelity and sensory immersion. Gamers will experience near-instant load times thanks to PS5’s ultra-high speed solid state drive (SSD), as well as “breathtaking 4K graphics and silky-smooth gameplay”, up to 120 frames per second. With enhanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense wireless controller and immersive soundscapes made possible by Tempest 3D AudioTech, PlayStation 5 promises to heighten players’ senses, “making them feel transported into their game world”.

In addition to gaming experiences, PlayStation 5 offers a curated lineup of some of the most popular streaming services available at launch, including Netflix, Spotify, Twitch, and YouTube. There will be a dedicated space exclusively for media entertainment on PlayStation 5, making it quick  to switch between games and movie/TV. 

For more information on where to buy the PS5, visit https://www.playstation.com/en-za/ps5/buy-now/.