PS5 devs talk about using the new SSD and 3D audio: "This is just the beginning"

The developers of upcoming PS5 games are excited to talk about the system's new super-fast SSD and 3D audio features.

Sony invited game makers to share their thoughts about the two new PS5 features in a new post on the PlayStation Blog. They talked about what it means for their projects, both in the near term and years into PS5's lifespan when game makers have begun to master the console.

Much has already been made of how PS5's SSD can nearly eliminate loading times in Marvel's Spider-Man, but the creative director of Spider-Man: Miles Morales said the changes will go even further: "The SSD and its speed allow us to more quickly load and display more detailed assets," Insomniac Games' Brian Horton wrote. "This should lead to the city looking better than ever, and this is just the beginning for our team unlocking those possibilities. It's a fundamental change that we can't wait to take more advantage of in the years to come."

Meanwhile, the lead programmer of Returnal at Housemarque is already considering the future possibilities presented by PS5's SSD: "What does it mean for developers when everything can be loaded from the disk that fast? Will we even need the concept of 'levels' anymore?" Ari Arnbjörnsson wrote. "The possibilities for this tech are exciting for me as a developer, and exhilarating for me as a gamer."

Sticking with Housemarque but moving on to the possibilities presented by PS5 3D audio, game director Harry Krueger said it could help players feel more situationally aware. This can make finding enemies and dodging attacks in a fast-paced action game like Returnal feel faster and more intuitive.

"Now with the PS5 console's Tempest 3D AudioTech sound engine we'll be able to play sounds in such a way that players will be able to locate the machines around them with greater ease," Guerrilla Games creative director Mathjis de Jonge said, "which is great for situations in which you find yourself surrounded or just want to sneak on machines." Sounds like your ears will be one of your best tools for hunting dino-robots in Horizon: Forbidden West.

Finally, Resident Evil Village producer Jun Takeuchi was really excited for the new possibilities of terrifying players: "It's almost as if 3D Audiotech was made specifically with horror games in mind. It used to be that in order to get that spatial audio, players would have to invest a lot of their own time and money. Now, just putting on a headset, they can get a full 3D audio experience."

PS5 developers were also excited to talk about the DualSense controller - they make it sound like magic.