Shock PlayStation news gives Microsoft advantage in PS5 vs Xbox Scarlett battle

Microsoft has potentially gained a big advantage in the next-gen console war between the Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5. The Xbox Scarlett console has been given a holiday 2020 release date by Microsoft. The PS5 is expected to launch around the same time. But with approximately 12 months to go before the new consoles are available worldwide, Sony has lost a key player in the PlayStation’s success. In a shock announcement on Twitter, Sony revealed that Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden is stepping down from his position.

“It is with great emotion that we announce that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden will be departing SIE,” reads a Sony tweet.

“His visionary leadership will be greatly missed. We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service. Thanks for everything, Shawn!”

Layden’s tenure coincided with some of the PlayStation’s most memorable exclusives, including Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, Spider-Man and God of War.

That’s on top of upcoming blockbusters like The Last of Us: Part II, Ghosts of Tsushima and Death Stranding.

Whoever replaces Layden will not only be responsible for overseeing the launch of the aforementioned games, but also for the release of the PS5 next year.

Unless something drastically changes, Microsoft will seemingly have a much smoother road to the next-gen.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has already made some positive changes to the gaming brand, so things are looking good for the future.

During Spencer’s reign, Microsoft has purchased multiple gaming studios, launched a popular subscription service and released a much more powerful version of the Xbox One.

There’s a chance we’ll find out more about the Xbox Scarlett during Microsoft’s imminent X019 event.

“X019 is our global celebration of everything Xbox,” Microsoft reveals. “We’re incredibly excited to bring X019 to London, United Kingdom from November 14-16 at the Copper Box Arena.

“It’s the biggest Xbox event we’ve ever hosted in the UK and we can’t wait to share it live with thousands of people from the incredible Xbox community there.”

As for the PS5, it was recently revealed that the next-gen console will support 8K resolution, ray-tracing technology and have much faster loading times.

The speedy (or non-existent) loading times are possible thanks to the specialised solid-state drive, which will make a huge difference to processing speeds.

In Spider-Man on a PS4 Pro, for example, it can take upwards of 15 seconds to fast travel from one location to another. The PS5, on the other hand, will be able to handle the same task in less than a second.

Worlds can also be rendered at far greater speeds, which should inject more pace into games.

source: express.co.uk