When will we see the release of the PS5? According to industry analysts, it will be at least a couple of years before we see the successor to the incredibly successful PS4.
The NPD Group is a collection of analysts with keen insights into the goings on of the technology industry, and a recent report from January 2018 suggests that the PS4 is the top dog when it comes to revenue despite incredibly impressive sales from the new Nintendo Switch. Because of that, NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella says that it’s not likely we’ll see a PS5 release date for a couple of years.
“Hardware units are mainly driven by content and pricing strategies. I’m interested in seeing how the PS4’s price point changes over the year both in base price as well as in promotional pricing. I do expect the PS4 to have another great year of sales, but I do expect it to be down versus 2018…2020 is what I have in my forecast [for the release of the PS5]. The data suggests there’s no need to do it earlier. But I’ve been surprised before so I’m as interested in this as anyone.”
While the thoughts of one analyst aren’t necessarily a reliable indication of when exactly we’ll see the PS5, it’s certainly true that the PS4 feels like it has a lot more life left in it. With the recent introduction of the PS4 Pro, Sony has managed to provide an upgrade to graphics for those who desire it while continuing to offer support for every game on the base PS4. By essentially shipping two versions of the same console – one with better graphics – Sony is able to capture a wider portion of the market and stretch the life of their famous console out even longer. It’s true that we’ve seen some incredible games release for the PS4, and the library for the console is immense. The PS5 would bring Sony back to ground zero, but with advancements in graphics technology, it’s looking like it’s about time to make the jump to a next-generation console.
With the release of the PS4, Sony eschewed backwards compatibility and made it impossible to play previous generations on the console without taking advantage of re-masters or the company’s game streaming services. This is one area in which Microsoft had a significant advantage, with gamers able to play their favorite Xbox 360 games on a modern console. With the release of the PS5, will Sony take a similar route and allow gamers to take advantage of the massive library that the PS4 had to offer?
With the PS4 and now moving into the PS5, the accessibility of gaming has never been better. With high-speed internet, a digital store is the primary way in which a lot of people get their games. While adding a PS3 game into the PS4 may have required using a physical disk, the majority of the PS4 library is online and ready to download – potentially to a PS5. If there’s a way in which the company can retain the wide appeal of the hundreds of PS4 games that have released since its launch, it may be easier to convince gamers to make the jump to a brand new PS5.
With a release date still potentially a couple of years away, however, it may be enough time in order to warrant the purchase of a new console. With the PS4 originally releasing back in 2014, we’re looking at a potential 6-year lifespan in a field with rapidly advancing technology. As mentioned above, Sony has since upped their graphics capabilities with the release of the PS4 Pro, but the potential of new PS5 technology to take advantage of the latest advancements in the gaming field could bring us to a whole new level of realism we’ve never seen before.
While the majority of gamers are more than happy with their PS4 and the wide access to content it gives them, there is a significant portion of gamers that are getting antsy regarding this upcoming release. We haven’t really seen any reliable rumors or leaks regarding the development of the PS5, so we don’t know what the console has in store for us. If there’s one thing that’s certain, however, we’ll likely see a pretty big jump in graphics capability. The difference between the PS3 and the later games released on the PS4 is immense. The advances in technology may not be as great as with the gap between the PS3 and PS4, but the PS5 could certainly stand to usher in some massive improvements.
But what else could expect from the PS5? Sony has generally arrived at a formula that works for them: wide support for a wide variety of developers, alongside a subscription service for online play that offers free games as an additional perk. We expect to see PlayStation Plus extended to the PS5 – perhaps with more emphasis on streaming games to the console. As titles continue to balloon in size, advanced capabilities to stream lag-free gameplay may provide another profit avenue for Sony while saving precious hard drive space that is at a premium for many gamers. The controller will likely be slightly different than the PS4, but considering the similar design we’ve seen from the company across multiple generations, you shouldn’t expect a significant departure.
All in all, a potential PS5 release date of 2020 is honestly looking pretty reliable – even if the NPD analyst prediction isn’t based on any inside information. We’ve got a couple of years left on the PS4, but after 6 years it will certainly be time to mix things up with a brand new PS5.
