The next generation of video game consoles is almost upon us. Well, sort of.

Sony's Mark Cerny recently sat down for an interview with Wired where he provided some key information about what we can expect from the company's next-generation console, which we presume will be called the PlayStation 5 (the name of the device wasn't officially confirmed in the interview).

What We Know About the PS5

The interview is a rather interesting way for Sony to drop hints about its upcoming console, as these sorts of announcements are typically made at some sort of press event with lots of pomp and circumstance. Still, Cerny did reveal some critical information that provides us with a taste of what we can expect when the next-generation of video games becomes available.

One of the most important things to note is that this won't be like the PlayStation 4 Pro, where it's an iteration on the previous console. Instead, this will be a more traditional leap like the PlayStation 3 to the PlayStation 4.

However, for PS4 fans, Cerny did reveal that the next console would be based on the same architecture as the PS4, which means it'll be backward compatible with games from the previous platform.

As for the graphics, Sony says that its next console will have a custom version of Radeon's Navi line. This means it'll have support for ray tracing, which is just starting to make waves in the world of PC gaming and movies. The console will also be able to output graphics in 8K, though that will require televisions and displays with support for the higher resolution to catch up.

For the processor, Sony will arm the device with an AMD chip based on the third-generation Ryzen processor. It will feature eight cores of the seven-nanometer Zen 2 chip.

There will be 3D audio thanks to the power offered by the AMD chip. This, along with the graphical horsepower, should help game developers create more immersive experiences than we've ever seen before.

Cerny wouldn't go into details about its plans for VR on its next console, but he did say that "VR is very important to us and that the current PSVR headset is compatible with the new console."

One of the biggest changes to the new generation and one that PC gamers have been enjoying for quite some time is the inclusion of an SSD, which will greatly speed up loading times. In fact, Cerny demonstrated the loading times on a development kit of the new console with Spider-Man on the PS4. The PS4 took about 15 seconds to load while the new console with its SSD took about 0.8 seconds.

Here's a quick rundown:

• Backward compatible with PS4 and PSVR
• Support for discs
• Radeon Navi line GPU with support for 8K and ray tracing
• AMD processor based on third-generation Ryzen with eight cores
• 3D Audio support
• Solid state drive

When Can You Buy The PlayStation 5?

Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of information we don't know about the next PlayStation console, and one of those is the exact release window for it. Cerny did say that it won't be out this year, though, so gamers will need to be patient.

Another thing Sony didn't reveal was anything about the console's services or other features, as this initial reveal was meant to give us a taste of the hardware.

Obviously, the company didn't announce any pricing information for its next-generation console yet, as it's far too early for that.

Sony isn't holding a press conference at E3 in June this year, so it's not clear when we'll get to hear more about just what the company has up its sleeve for the next console generation.