In a generation of gamers who always gun for a smooth, wonderful gaming experience, a little upgrade on consoles is absolutely necessary every once in a while and we are soon to see another blockbuster in the market. While we are still reveling in the awesomeness that is the PlayStation 4 with its showstopping specs and all, it appears the Sony console will soon be laid to rest by the arrival of PlayStation 5.
PS4 which stormed the market in 2013 has come up with different versions of the console which we admit were all worth the money spent on them. The base model came out late 2013 while the upgraded PS4 Pro became the new phenom in September of 2016, causing a little confusion among gamers with regards to which to go for.
However, Sony is not without competition in the world of game consoles. With the latest version of the PS4 making waves as a commercial success, Microsoft came up with an even more powerful Xbox One X in November 2017. Prior to Xbox, Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017 to critical acclaim and with blockbusting feats. So far, in the US and Japan, it is considered the fastest selling console with almost 18 million units sold. Consequently, the need for Sony to step up the game is inherent which brings us back to the PlayStation 5. With all the high-spec PCs in vogue, PS4 has been found wanting and lagging behind on different quarters but not entirely useless though there’s no gainsaying that PS5 will give it a run for its money. Below are more details about the highly anticipated console including the expected price, specifications and release date.
Price And Specifications
With the widespread success the PS4 is currently enjoying, nothing short of spectacular is expected of the upcoming PlayStation 5. For what it’s worth, Sony is expected to exceed the power of the Xbox One X, which boasts 6 teraflops at the moment in addition to an eight-core 2.3 GHz CPU, 12GB GDDR5 memory, as well as a GPU sporting 40 compute units operating at 1172MHz. This also means that Sony has some really big shoes to fill.
For starters, we gathered that Sony is working with AMD, using Ryzen CPU tech for their new offering – PlayStation 5. Notably, the company also contributed to the components of the PS4. While the specs for the PS4 are not exactly up for public scrutiny, there’s no doubt that the PS5 will come complete with capable CPU without leaving out enough memory that will surpass the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Also, opting for a Ryzen CPU against Jaguar CPU which can be found in PS4 and Xbox One is a major evidence that Sony is about to take gaming to a whole new level.
Additionally, if past history is anything to go by, Sony would most definitely pull off something new with the controller for the PlayStation 5. Fingers are crossed as we await the release of the console.
Speaking of the price, with a few lessons learned from the launch of the PS3 at $499/$599 (20GB/60GB SKUs), Sony might keep the PS5 price at a reasonable range. Following the backlash after the release of PS3, PS4 entered the market at the price of $399 in 2014 while PlayStation 4 Slim followed suit in 2016, selling at the reduced price point of $299. Afterwards, a more powerful PS4 Pro launched at the same price as the original PS4 – sold at $399. Going by the aforementioned, we can safely say that the PlayStation 5 price is likely to sit around $399.
PlayStation 5 Release Date, News And Rumours
Regarding the expected date for the eventual launch of the PlayStation 5, what we have for now are mere rumours and speculations. Clearly, Sony is still basking in the commercial success the PS4 brought in and wouldn’t want to spoil its glory with the arrival of a new upgraded console.
Regardless of the foregoing, Sony might just be cooking up something already; if the information from an industry insider is anything to go by. According to the informant, the development kits for the PS5 are already in motion. But while it might be true, we just have to treat it as a rumor that it is after all.
Again, industry analyst Michael Pachter has also made his own predictions about the actual release date of the PS5. He first predicted that the console would be released in 2019 and when the info doesn’t appear to be feasible anymore, he switched to 2020.
However, according to the comments supposedly made by SIE CEO John Kodera, gamers might have to wait another three years from 2018 to get their hands on the PS5. In other words, it is from 2021, at the time when the PS4 will be celebrating its 8th anniversary, that we can expect the latest hardware. This is way longer than a lot of people anticipated.
Also, a Kotaku report suggests that it is likely that the PS5 will be released in 2020 or even later. Based on the rumours and speculations, we are left with no option to look forward to 2020 as the earliest possible date for the epic launch. All things being equal, let’s take a quick look at Sony’s products and how they have been released over the years.
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Following the release of the first PlayStation in December 1994 in Japan, 9 September 1995; in North America, 29 September 1995 in Europe, and 15 November 1995 in Australia, it took the company about six years to launch the next offering. Thus, the PS2 was released on 4 March 2000; after announcing its imminent arrival in March 1999. Again, there was another six years gap between the PS2 and the PS3 which was first launched in Japan and later in North America on November 17, 2006. Moving a bit away from the usual six-year gap, Sony took seven years after the PS3 was launched to put together the masterpiece that is the PS4 – this brings us back to 2020 or 2021 for the launch of PlayStation 5 if we are to follow the sequence.
Perhaps, the speculations and rumour were derived by the regularity that seems to follow the release of consoles by Sony. Asides that, the whole potentials of the PS4 are yet to be harnessed and three more years might be enough to do that before the PlayStation5 gets here.