If we look closely, we look back at the previous years when Sony released consoles, and in the first year or two everything was fine, but Sony really started to hit its stride in the third year. In the fifth year there are a variety of console models to choose from. With the PS4, those models are the PS4 Slim, and the PS4 Pro which was last released in late November 2016.
Why did Sony release a new, more powerful version of the console? Because after only a few years on the market, the PS4 standard is already lagging behind by high-spec PCs. Players need something to show off the picture quality of their 4K TV, and the PS4 Pro acts as a mid-generation stopgap.
This console is still experiencing record breaking. By the end of March 2018 Sony had sold 76 million PlayStation 4 consoles. And hopes to overtake another 16 million in the coming financial year.
Despite all this, many PCs have high specs today and even the PS4 Pro is a few miles behind. Sony may want to close this gap as soon as possible with the PS5. Especially now that the company’s CEO, John Kodera, has publicly acknowledged that the console is nearing the end of its life cycle.
Speaking to investors in May 2018, Kodera said that the majority of PS4 consoles had already been sold but would continue to invest in new and exclusive IPs for the PlayStation.
It’s not ridiculous to assume the PS5 is already in the development stage. After all, development on the PS4 started in 2008 – five years before it was launched. One industry insider even claims that PS5 development kits are already available on the market.
Industry analyst Michael Pachter also has his own guess as to when the PS5 will launch. First, he said the PS5 would be released in 2019, but he later changed his predictions to 2020.
There are six years between the first PlayStation and PS2, the same time between PS2 and PS3, and seven years between PS3 and PS4. If we work from that seven-year assumption, we probably won’t get a PS5 in 2020. That means we could see the PS5 debut at E3 2019, but there are already hints of a new gen console lurking in the codename Unreal Engine, codenamed Erebus. , so if the PS4 ever bears the codename Orbis, will it be the PS5?