As the new year begins, it is time to look forward to the new technology being released, enhanced, or revised in 2020. This year has potential to be a groundbreaking one as many big changes within the technological world are set to take place.

2020 will see the release of the new Playstation and Xbox consoles. It has been about six years since the last big consoles were released meaning this will lead to the reemergence of the Playstation vs. Xbox “console wars.” The most guaranteed technological change in 2020 is the new console releases. Both the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X are set to release during the holiday season this year. The Playstation 5 will have immense improvements within the computer processor and will support incredible 8K graphics. There will also be slight improvements in the controller but not much is known as of now. Xbox Series X will have basically the same improvements as the PS5 regarding the capabilities of the consoles. However, it seems to be not as energy efficient but there is still time for this to be altered. Despite both consoles being major improvements from the previous models, the estimated price of $500 is expensive for students.

“I would probably not buy the new console because it is not worth the money it would cost,” said sophomore Matthew Griffith.

 Possibly the most impactful technological development is the improvement of the accessibility of 5G. In 2020, “more affordable data plans of 5G will become a reality.” 

5G is the fifth generation of cellular data. It is a much faster alternative than 4G which was already a huge improvement from previous generations. Verizon and AT&T will be rolling out 5G networks this year. However, there is only a limited version being released during this year. It will only have slightly faster speeds in most areas except in specific areas in which the full 5G technology will be released. Although, there is only a small improvement as of now, 5G could have a major impact on students and teachers in the near future.

Another major development is autonomous vehicles. In recent years, companies have made strides in automation within vehicles. 

This year, Tesla is expected to create a truly “complete” autonomous vehicle by this year, according to Elon Musk. In addition, legislators are working towards accompanying this technology into the driving laws. Driverless cars have been all the hype for the last few years as many companies have made promises about releasing this technology. However, we are still not at the stage in which driverless cars will be seen on the roads. Realistically, this year, automated braking and lane-changing will become much more common. In addition, aspects of automation will become a reality within trucking and shipping.