Next gen SSD is the single biggest performance jump ever from generation to generation

[Joule]

I'm going to single out PlayStation. Please correct any mistakes or flat out wrong info.

Read speeds of all consoles

PlayStation: CD-ROM 300 KB/s (double speed), 150 KB/s (normal)

• Not bad for 1994

PlayStation 2: CD-ROM 3.6 MB/s [24x PS1], DVD 5.28 MB/s [35x PS1] (Select few PS2 games are on CD-ROM)

• 35x faster than PS1! Now that's a huge improvement

PlayStation 3: Blu-Ray 9 MB/s [1.7x PS2] [60x PS1]

• 1.7x PS2, not so great an improvement. Reading from a spinning disc can only be increased so much which is why this generation mandated all installs to HDD, it's quicker...

PlayStation 4: Blu-Ray 27 MB/s [3x PS3] [5.1x PS2] [180x PS1], HDD ~50 MB/s inner layers 100MB/s outer layers + seek times (5.56 ms average latency [5400 rpm]) [5.6 - 11x PS3] [9.5 - 19x PS2] [333x - 667x PS1]

• 5.6 - 11x PS3, that's a nice jump. The reason every game you buy even physical discs is because reading from disc is slower than reading from your HDD. PS4 was not designed to read from disc, so you can pretty much ignore the Blu-Ray read speeds

• The disc installation is required on PS4 because the console is not designed to read games off of discs. It's not a PlayStation issue. It's a physics issue. The machine may have a Blu-Ray drive that's about three times faster than the PS3 and sixteen times as much memory, but it's still more expedient for the PS4 to read data from its own hard drive. Cerny said his team had heard too many complaints from current-gen developers about having to wait to load in new levels of games. Putting the data on the readily-accessible hard drive alleviates that. Kotaku

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PlayStation 5: SSD: 5.5 GB/s [55 - 110x PS4] [611x PS3] [1042x PS2], 8-9 GB/s with compression [80 - 160x PS4] [889x PS3] [1515x PS2]

• Sorry PS1, you're too slow!
• That's 55 - 110x the speed of PS4 stock hard drive (seek times not taken into account)! Holy shit, that's a bigger jump than what it was from PS1 -> PS3, nearly double in some cases. PS4 -> PS5 is 2-4 times the jump from PS1 -> PS2

Needless to say, I'm super excited for this generation and look forward to seeing what developers can do with this kind of speed. I wanted to share this because I thought it would be interesting to compare generation to generation improvement for this. I always see RAM and GPU comparisons for this kind of stuff.

Seek times image:

Sources:

PlayStation technical specifications - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

PlayStation 2 technical specifications - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

PlayStation 3 technical specifications - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

PlayStation 4 technical specifications - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

How Mandatory Game Installations Will Work On PS4

Call it installation or call it caching, but the bottom line is that you will have to save large chunks of PlayStation 4 games to the system's hard drive. It's not an option. It's mandatory on Sony's next-gen system. Today, at a stylish waterfront hotel in New York City that's been taken over by...

kotaku.com

Hard disk drive performance characteristics - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Unveiling New Details of PlayStation 5: Hardware Technical Specs [UPDATED]

Watch live for a deep dive into PS5's system architecture and how it will shape the future of games.

blog.us.playstation.com

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[Deeke]

Nice OP. Love the color coding

 

[DriftingSpirit]

Which will probably tie into what should be the "Fastest Console" marketing from Sony.

When you consider the benefits the SSD brings to the system overall (not just games), it makes sense why they decided to put more effort into this tech.

Gotta go fast, baybee!

 

[-Le Monde-]

Which will probably tie into what should be the "Fastest Console" marketing from Sony.

When you consider the benefits the SSD brings to the system overall (not just games), it makes sense why they decided to put more effort into this tech.

Gotta go fast, baybee!

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I want a Sonic themed ps5. 😋

 

[zombiejames]

So long, spinning rust 👍

 

[ciddative]

It's gonna be glorious

 

[Evolved1]

I would pay $500 right now for a PS4 that eliminated load times. I'd buy two. So yeah, I'm pretty excited about PS5.

 

[ichigoww]

Can't wait to see how Skyrim will run on this.

On a more serious note, I'm very much looking forward to what devs will be doing with this new tech, haven't been hyped for a new gen since the jump from the 6th to the 7th.
I'm kinda worried a bit too though, faster tech means bigger assets can be used, which might translate into longer dev cycles (and people complaining) or more crunch.
This definitely will be an interesting generation.

 

[Bundy]

It's gonna be damn good. The PS5 SSD is insane!

 

[Stoopkid]

Crazy times ahead.

 

[Thiago]

Can't wait to see what the devs will achieve with the insane PS5 SSD, especially the first party bunch.

 

[Lagspike_exe]

My 2018 MBP which has 1.5GB write/2.5GB read is also instantaneous in a lot of things I do. OS works like magic. I can only imagine what 5.5GB/s feels like.

 

[Duxxy3]

I want to see all of this theory in practice. It's such a massive increase in i/o that I don't know when it will be utilized fully, outside of load times.

 

[drock5k]

Can't wait to be done with loading times.

 

[Deleted member 66837]

Love this, great job OP!

 

[Evolved1]

Can't wait to see how Skyrim will run on this.

On a more serious note, I'm very much looking forward to what devs will be doing with this new tech, haven't been hyped for a new gen since the jump from the 6th to the 7th.
I'm kinda worried a bit too though, faster tech means bigger assets can be used, which might translate into longer dev cycles (and people complaining) or more crunch.
This definitely will be an interesting generation.

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It also reduces the time they spend having to optimize and slice the levels up into manageable pieces. I'm not a dev, but I've read this is a significant amount of time/resources. So, that's a benefit to offset some of the time and effort creating assets. I bet most devs would rather create stuff than optimize it.

 

[Wollan]

My 2015 PC with 2GB/s m.2 SSD still feels fresh and responsive today. Practically unlike any other computing device I have had prior (spinning HDD's are slow and gradually deteriorate, mobile phones downclock over time due to 'battery wear' etc.).
PS5 SSD delivering 9GB/s with no seeks, with an OS built around this experience, will make that system feel forever young like no computer before it, indicating a true before & after moment.

I can imagine hardware support will feel a great big relief with the arrival of baseline SSD's as well, HDD's were likely the number one cause for system failure.

 

[Deleted member 67920]

Nothing is ever going to be a bigger leap than the 3D revolution.

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

Yep, its going to be great.

 

[Kyoufu]

My body is not yet fully prepared for the shock of instant boot/load times that PS5 promises.

 

[Omnistalgic]

yeah, it's an outstanding jump. I'm ready to see what can be accomplished. It almost feels like it'll never come. Covid-19 has dampened my optimism.

 

[martincrimson87]

To me it's the supercharged PC architecture all over again. Can't wait to load Indie Metroidvania 25 in a nanosecond.

 

[Rebel1]

SSD is going to be amazing

 

[BadWolf]

The PS4/PS5 comparison Spider-Man demo is still the most impressive next gen showcase.

Can't wait to see what this SSD does for gaming.

 

[OgTheEnigma]

Most PS3 games ran off the HDD later in the generation, so there wasn't much of a generational leap in this regard from PS3 -> PS4. I'd actually argue that PS4 default 5400rpm HDD is likely to have lower usable drive speeds for games, due to PS4s recording video at all times. I think 15 minutes is over 700MB, so PS4 is losing around 0.8MB/s, plus the impact on seek times.

 

[Rat King]

I just wanna see the damn thing in action! If what they promise ends up being true then it's a great step forward in comparison to what we have now.

 

[1upmuffin]

I will add that we used to have fast load times with cartridges. Reading from discs is quite slow.

 

[elzeus]

I want to see how they modify the OS on XseX and PS5 to take advantage of the SSD's.

 

[low-G]

Only major technical error is that games already use compression loading from the HDD.

 

[Windows-PC]

I really don't want to be the bad guy, but I can't get exited because of faster loading times. Maybe it's because I never had a problem with the length of loading times. I don't care if I have to wait 35 or 2 Seconds.

I care about compute power, that what put pixels as much and fast as possible on the screen.

But everyone has his own taste I guess :)

 

[BadWolf]

I really don't want to be the bad guy, but I can't get exited because of faster loading times. Maybe it's because I never had a problem with the length of loading times. I don't care if I have to wait 35 or 2 Seconds.

I care about compute power, that what put pixels as much and fast as possible on the screen.

But everyone has his own taste I guess :)

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It's not just about load times, friend.

It will affect game development in a big way.

 

[HStallion]

I really don't want to be the bad guy, but I can't get exited because of faster loading times. Maybe it's because I never had a problem with the length of loading times. I don't care if I have to wait 35 or 2 Seconds.

I care about compute power, that what put pixels as much and fast as possible on the screen.

But everyone has his own taste I guess :)

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For games where you die a lot and have to reload the shorter the load time the better. Bloodborne was a chore if you were dying all the time.

 

[Lobster Roll]

SSDs are going to be great. It's one of the most noticeable, low-cost upgrades on a PC and it makes a world of difference.

 

[Flash]

It's not just about load times, friend.

It will affect game development in a big way.

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People are overestimating what an SSD with that type of speed will do for gaming. Either way you slice it developers (3rd party in particular) will not solely develop games for SSD users in mind. SSDs with 4-6 gb/s have existed on PCs for years now. Nothing significant has changed. It will be a significant boost to console smoothness for specific tasks and obv loading screens but as far as changing the landscape of gaming, it won't. If the OP thinks improved loading times is THEE "biggest performance jumps" ever then we are fundamentally working with different definitions here. I guess it's relative. Find it a bit comical people are losing their shit over those types of speeds though.

When I think about "performance leaps" I am looking at improved frame rates at similar to improved resolutions in games I am already playing or looking forward to play. Loading screens and OS smoothness isn't in the same galaxy.

 

[solidr]

And the games are still going to run at 30fps :P

 

[Deleted member 1003]

Indeed, this has me more excited than anything 4K.

 

[Evolved1]

People are overestimating what an SSD with that type of speed will do for gaming. Either way you slice it developers (3rd party in particular) will not solely develop games for SSD users in mind. SSDs with 4-6 gb/s have existed on PCs for years now. Nothing significant has changed. It will be a significant boost to console smoothness for specific tasks and obv loading screens but as far as changing the landscape of gaming, it won't. If the OP thinks improved loading times is THEE "biggest performance jumps" ever then we are fundamentally working with different definitions here. I guess it's relative. Find it a bit comical people are losing their shit over those types of speeds though.

When I think about "performance leaps" I am looking at improved frame rates at similar to improved resolutions in games I am already playing or looking forward to play. Loading screens and OS smoothness isn't in the same galaxy.

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Here's a post that will age like milk.

 

[Estarossa]

Nice numbers, but we want to see the games.

 

[Candescence]

At the very least, one can hope that starting up a Rockstar game won't take two or more goddamn minutes. GTAV and RDR2's loading times are the fucking worst.

 

[Flash]

Here's a post that will age like milk.

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I'd ask you to point to the game that has benefited from the revolutionary SSD speeds you seem to think matter lol on the PC but I suspect you can't cause it hasn't happened.

And the games are still going to run at 30fps :P

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At least they'll get to play the 30fps games faster now since the loading times are cut in half lol

 

[JasoNsider]

I wish I could put a giant banner on the top of the forum that reads "it's not about load times"

Drives today are predominantly streaming. Load screens are only a small portion of their use. The faster you can stream, the richer the world. If you can stream in fast enough, design itself can even change. PS5 drive is legit so fast we are opening doors on design that we still don't know exactly where it could take us.

 

[DavidDesu]

I'm just excited to use the PS5, day to day. It's going to be a really fun experience. I'm curious if and what other experiences we might get as a result on the OS side. You could legitimately run really good video editing software on the thing, like a wildly advanced version of the Share factory. I really hope we get something like that, even an external app developer doing something like that (like LumaFusion) if they were allowed to use game captures like that. Hell even plug in (ideally an external SSD) your own footage and use the PS5 as the editor. Come on, someone. The hardware will be amazing at doing something like that.

 

[ABIC]

Considering how Squeenix did their best in FF7R to sell us on a PS5.. ..

I NEED IT RIGHT NOW

 

[Rocco]

I never knew loading times impacted so many lives. I just look at my phone. *shrugs*

SSD's on SeX and PS5 will certainly be nice to have, however the game changing revolution that certain people seem to think they will bring about is a bit comical.

I'm personally looking forward to the improvements in GPU/CPU power.

I guess everyone has their preferences.

 

[Benzychenz]

People are overestimating what an SSD with that type of speed will do for gaming. Either way you slice it developers (3rd party in particular) will not solely develop games for SSD users in mind. SSDs with 4-6 gb/s have existed on PCs for years now. Nothing significant has changed. It will be a significant boost to console smoothness for specific tasks and obv loading screens but as far as changing the landscape of gaming, it won't. If the OP thinks improved loading times is THEE "biggest performance jumps" ever then we are fundamentally working with different definitions here. I guess it's relative. Find it a bit comical people are losing their shit over those types of speeds though.

When I think about "performance leaps" I am looking at improved frame rates at similar to improved resolutions in games I am already playing or looking forward to play. Loading screens and OS smoothness isn't in the same galaxy.

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PCs having SSDs for years is irrelevant because games aren't being designed around them. Consoles set the benchmark for game design as games have to work across them. Once we get past cross gen games expect the big third party games to start having an SSD as a minimum requirement on PC because that's how they'll be designed for consoles, and they'll be unplayable without it.

I never knew loading times impacted so many lives. I just look at my phone. *shrugs*

SSD's on SeX and PS5 will certainly be nice to have, however the game changing revolution that certain people seem to think they will bring about is a bit comical.

I'm personally looking forward to the improvements in GPU/CPU power.

I guess everyone has their preferences.

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They won't just effect load times, because games will be made with that fast loading in mind. You won't need slow walking and tight squeezes designed to mask loading for example. You'll just be able to travel around freely. Going back to past gen consoles after a few years will be like night and day.

 

[Lukemia SL]

I wish I could put a giant banner on the top of the forum that reads "it's not about load times"

Drives today are predominantly streaming. Load screens are only a small portion of their use. The faster you can stream, the richer the world. If you can stream in fast enough, design itself can even change. PS5 drive is legit so fast we are opening doors on design that we still don't know exactly where it could take us.

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Opening doors I like that we're not sliding or crawling through them. Makes us proud!

 

[Betelgeuse]

I wish I could put a giant banner on the top of the forum that reads "it's not about load times"

Drives today are predominantly streaming. Load screens are only a small portion of their use. The faster you can stream, the richer the world. If you can stream in fast enough, design itself can even change. PS5 drive is legit so fast we are opening doors on design that we still don't know exactly where it could take us.

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Bolded for truth.

Your and others' input is a breath of fresh air amidst unfounded pessimism and myopia around SSDs. I bookmarked an earlier post of yours and have been quoting it off and on for this reason - hope that's OK.

 

[Imitation Of Life]

I want to see all of this theory in practice. It's such a massive increase in i/o that I don't know when it will be utilized fully, outside of load times.

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Games won't be designed to hide load times anymore. Will be interesting to see to see how level design changes without that being a focus.

 

[ABIC]

People are overestimating what an SSD with that type of speed will do for gaming. Either way you slice it developers (3rd party in particular) will not solely develop games for SSD users in mind. SSDs with 4-6 gb/s have existed on PCs for years now. Nothing significant has changed. It will be a significant boost to console smoothness for specific tasks and obv loading screens but as far as changing the landscape of gaming, it won't. If the OP thinks improved loading times is THEE "biggest performance jumps" ever then we are fundamentally working with different definitions here. I guess it's relative. Find it a bit comical people are losing their shit over those types of speeds though.

When I think about "performance leaps" I am looking at improved frame rates at similar to improved resolutions in games I am already playing or looking forward to play. Loading screens and OS smoothness isn't in the same galaxy.

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You're right that the design architecture of many games won't change yet, because the lowest common denominator PC user or last-gen console player will still be on a HDD.

That's why exclusives are gonna be key.

I expect big games from big companies that want their titles sold across all platforms are still going to rely on tube designs, but at least we'll be rid of any loading in that world as well.

 

[Windows-PC]

For games where you die a lot and have to reload the shorter the load time the better. Bloodborne was a chore if you were dying all the time.

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I can fully understand that faster loading times in these situations are great, and I understand that you are probably really exited about this, rightfully!

But s I said earlier, I play video games now for over 30 years now, and loading times were never be a problem for me. And as I'm aware of, no one complained about long loading times the last 7 years during the PlayStation 4 and XBox One generation.

With every new generation of consoles there was only one important thing for me and I have the feeling for everyone else too, and that was more compute power the better. And this will at least for me never change :)