PlayStation 5: all the latest news on release date, price, features and games. What to expect from the next Sony home console.
The release of the PlayStation 5 is one of the most discussed topics of recent times. To be honest, one wonders if and when the PS5 will be released after at least 4 years, and if so far Sony has not formalized the release date of its next home console, the rumor machine has long moved.
According to a source reported to the Financial Times, the next PlayStation, which according to what is suggested by Sony is under development, may not represent an important new starting point, indeed, its architecture may be similar to that of the PS4 and be thinner than the PS4 Slim.
According to this view, anything Sony is boiling in a pot will not be a hardware innovation. Instead, it could work on something to compete with Nintendo Switch or Microsoft’s new xCloud streaming service. Whether it’s a PS Vita successor or a hybrid between a mobile console and a home console?
Based on rumors, historical trends of Sony and interviews, we try to make a summary on PS5 to know when it comes out and at what price, how it will be and what’s new compared to the current PS4, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Here’s what that we know so far.
When does the PlayStation 5 come out?
Without Sony’s official it is hard to say with certainty when the PlayStation 5 will come out, however several analysts have expressed themselves on the issue. To date, however, the most accredited hypothesis is that we could see the PS5 in 2020.
The well-known Wedbush analyst Morgan Michael Patcher, in fact, believes that we will have to wait at least a year. Interviewed by GamingBolt, Pachter said Sony will most likely release PS5 in November 2020. He also added that the PS4 Pro will become the basic PlayStation model and will see a price reduction. This would make sense as it would be in line with the forecasts on the 4K TV market in the United States, which will reach 50% in two years. “I think Sony has already set up the next console cycle and already knows what it should do,” concludes the analyst.
Another report by Ace Securities suggests Christmas 2019 as a possible launch, but indicates potential production problems that could lead to a real debut in 2020. The analyst also claims that the PS5 will be a “high-performance machine” that will boast a “High-end computer graphics”. It is also said that the PS5 will have technology for streaming games, allowing you to play streaming video on the web like a movie or TV series. This could be a blow to Microsoft, which is already working on the Xbox Two and whose launch would then be anticipated and overshadowed by the competition. The rumors emerged so far reveal that the new Xbox 2, codenamed Scarlett, will debut in 2020.
And if the experts indicated in 2020 the most palatable year of release of the PS5, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal the new CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Tsuyoshi “John” Kodera may have suggested that the PS5 will be available in 2021. Commenting on the excellent results obtained by the PS4, Kodera has announced that in the next three years the company will prepare for the next step and to be able to reach higher peaks. He also invited us to deviate from the idea of the traditional life cycle of gaming platforms as consoles and networks (like the PlayStation Plus) are not two separate things.
PS5 Release: Sony timeline
The PlayStation 5 will be the next console to the very successful PlayStation 4, released in 2013 and renewed in 2016 with a lighter and more compact version ( PS4 Slim ) and a more powerful and with support for 4K video ( PS4 Pro ).
The real news then awaits with the release of the PlayStation 5, subject to speculation for some time. According to rumors, the launch of the PS5 could take place between the end of 2019 and 2020.
If we take a look at the release dates of the old PlayStation, this is the picture that leads us to hypothesize the release date of the PlayStation 5:
- PS1 release: 3 December 1994
- PS2 release: 4 March 2000
- PS3 release: 11 November 2006
- PS4 release: November 15th 2013
- PS4 Pro Release: November 10th 2016
- PS5 output? November 2020
As we can see, Sony has spent about 6-7 years between the release of a new console and the other, preferring the month of November to launch the news. The 2020 could be the year in which Sony will release its PS5 as the first console with support for native 4K and wireless VR, provided that Microsoft does not precede it.
For now, technology with full support for native 4K games will be the norm and almost everyone will have 4K TV. This availability will ensure that the PlayStation 5 is a powerful machine sold at an affordable price.
PS5: what to expect
PS4 and PS4 Pro not only continue to be successful, but have recorded some of the best sales in history. In addition, until 2019 the system exclusively supports leading titles such as The Last of Us Part 2 and Death Stranding. It makes sense for Sony not to announce a new generation console yet.
But with Microsoft that at the end of 2017 is back to the uprising with Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch increasingly loved and PlayStation 4 Pro that has lost the primacy of home console more powerful, logic wants Sony to pull the rabbit out of the cylinder.
Among the innovations on board the PS5, fans expect more powerful processor and GPU, larger hard disk, improvements on the virtual reality front (perhaps a new VR headset?) And backward compatibility with previous versions, lost with the PS4.
PS5: how will it be? Features and hypotheses
The PS4 came out in 2013 and since then the first step towards a hardware upgrade took place in November 2016 with the release of the PS4 Pro. Not a new console, but rather the faster and more powerful version of the PS4 with support for 4K and GPU and improved graphics effects.
For PS5 Sony will probably draw inspiration from what are the features of the new Microsoft platform to respond with an even more powerful machine. In this regard, Chris Kingsley, CTO and co-founder of Rebellion, said that according to him, PlayStation could also go beyond the Xbox One X.
Among all, Sony is the player that has employed more resources in virtual reality, and we can expect that the PS5 will give an extra boost in this area, while ensuring superior performance. The company will also work to ensure that future VR products are wireless, enhancing immersion in the virtual world.
PS5 games: what titles to expect
For games with which a hypothetical PS5 could be launched we have to look far enough into the future. Death Stranding and The Last of Us: Part 2 are in production for the current PlayStation 4, but there are still possibilities that can be launched on the next flagship console. Considering a three year development cycle around the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn could be expected for a release around 2020 as the original game came out in early 2017. Another game recently revealed that could realistically be a title for PS5 is Ghost of Tsushima of Sucker Punch, brand new IP of which we have only a short trailer in CG so far. Equally probable is the return of an old much loved title like Infamous or the Resistance saga.
Among the most obvious candidates, assuming a release date in November 2020, there are almost certainly FIFA 21, a new Call of Duty, a LEGO game, Gran Turismo 7 and GTA 6, the latter has been waiting for so long anyone gets excited only to hear its name.
Playstation 5 vs Xbox Two?
Pachter also suggests that the new PS5 will be released in two variants that will support VR.
The first model, simply called Experience, will be equipped with the hardware compartment necessary to run video games. There is talk of a disk of 50TB. But, according to rumors, the second version of PlayStation 5 will have even better features. Its name could be PlayStation 5 Pro Experience and would come to market with many advanced features, such as support for 4K Blu-ray, a larger hard drive (over 50TB) and backward compatibility. No rumors have emerged in this regard, but it is easy to think that the price of this PS5, compared to the basic model, will be premium.
The analyst also said that the Japanese giant will not launch the PS5 to compete with Xbox One X. However, there are reports that talk about the launch of a hypothetical Xbox Two in 2020, which would become the number one rival of the 5th generation Sony console.
Optical discs or games in streaming?
It is thought that in the near future, consoles could take radically different forms from the current ones thanks to cloud computing processes that make games run in streaming and eliminate cumbersome components. However we do not think that Sony’s approach will follow the example of Nintendo with the small and compact Switch.
Expect a faster CPU and RAM that can handle a hungry 4K of data, but PS4 owners would put support for external USB hard drives on top of their PS5 wish list, a feature they envy to the Xbox One.
Regarding the format of the disks, the entertainment industry is increasingly moving towards digital support, however we believe that PS5 will not be the first system to venture on this path, at least not until Microsoft is attracted by the idea. Surveys show that players are still attached to physical disks that can be resold and can circumvent disk space problems. Sony should leave the Blu-ray drive in favor of the discless console, it will have to repay the move with several terabytes of storage.
Obviously with the games in streaming the problem of space would disappear and in this regard we talk about bringing fast broadband and mobile data 5G. It could be a cloud-based version that exploits the thriving ultra-fast networks, perhaps with a subscription model on the style of mobile telephony.
PS5 price: how much will it cost?
If there is another detail that intrigues fans, that is the cost of the new console. What will be the launch price of the PS5? Between the PS3 and the PS4 we witnessed a price reduction of 200 dollars. The third-generation PS started in fact from $599, while the PS4 came out at $399.
The price of a new console is always a sensitive issue, and what will cost the PlayStation 5 is the current dilemma (and the next 3 years). Rumors speak of the possibility that the PS5 will come out in two versions , standard and slim, which will affect the price of the console. The PS4 has shown that $400 is a figure that works, so it is likely that Sony will keep the same price or that will raise it a little, touching the $500.