PS5’s audio is so advanced, you might have to take a test for it

We’re still quite a ways off from the expected holiday 2020 launch of the PlayStation 5, but Sony gave us some nuggets of information to chew on this week while we’re all cooped up in our homes.

Sony held a live-streamed briefing called “The Road to PS5” on Wednesday afternoon. The 52-minute presser focused heavily on specs, with absolutely nothing in the way of explosive game demos or announcements. You shouldn’t be surprised to hear that the PS5 is incredibly powerful, but the way it handles audio — not visuals — is what really grabbed our attention.

Eurogamer got the first look at the PS5’s specs and that included details about its audio-focused Tempest Engine. Lead console architect, Mark Cerny, talked about the system’s ability to deliver vivid, realistic 3D sound that could allow gamers to hear where individual virtual rain drops are landing in the game’s environment, rather than just playing a constant rain sound effect like most video games do now.

To do this, Sony wants to use the Head-Related Transfer Function, or HRTF, which is an existing term in the 3D audio space. Everyone has their own HRTF profile because head and ear shapes differ from person to person. You might not hear a sound the same exact way another person hears it and Sony wants to take that into account with PS5.

So, how does Sony plan on doing that? Cerny said the company could potentially have players upload photos of their ears, which could then filter through a neural network to choose the right HRTF setting for each individual. At launch, the PS5 should have five different HRTF presets based on data collected from about 100 people.

Whether it’s literally sending your ear photos to Sony or not, there will be some kind of configuration test in the PS5’s settings to help each player determine which HRTF profile is the best for them. If this all shakes out as Sony hopes, it could make games sound more immersive, even on crappy TV speakers.

Maybe it’ll revolutionize game audio or maybe it’ll just be another overhyped new console feature that doesn’t actually change much — like the Nintendo Switch’s HD Rumble. Either way, we can’t wait to find out.