Sony and Microsoft appear to be taking different approaches with the PS5 and Xbox One.
According to a Digital Foundry panel at EGX, Sony is planning a next-gen PS5, while Microsoft will adopt a smartphone-style business model.
This means that while we can expect the PlayStation 5 to stick around for a number of years, Microsoft will continually refresh and evolve its hardware.
PS4 lead architect Mark Cerny reportedly said that Sony believes in the console generation, while Microsoft’s Mike Ybarra said the opposite.
Microsoft will instead make the latest technology available, suggesting that new hardware or graphics cards will release for the Xbox.
The news comes as one industry analyst predicts a 2020 release date for the PS5.
In comments reported by PSU, industry analyst Michael Pachter said: “I think that’s exactly when you’ll see one (PS5) 2019 or 2020, and if I had to bet, it’s 2020.
“Sony’s making so much money with the PS4 that I think they’ll continue to milk it as long as they can milk it.
“And I think the natural extension of that is the PS4 Pro becomes the default PS4, and they just knock that price down to $250 when they can and they keep selling it – a ton of those.
“The PS5 is probably going to be their real 4K device, and so it just feels to me that they’re not going to launch the PS5 until sales momentum for the PS4 slows, and it just hasn’t.
“So you certainly get through 2017, 2018, and I just don’t see it slowing in 2018 which should prop them to launch something in 2019.
“If it slows in 2019, they’re probably launching in 2020.”
And the PS5 could already have its first blockbuster game, as Avalanche Studios hints at what’s to come for the next-gen.
While the PS5 release date remains a mystery, Just Cause developer Avalanche has provided further proof that the next-generation of consoles is coming.
And it looks like Avalanche will be at the forefront of the new generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
The developer is advertising for staff to work on its next-gen sandbox engine.
“Avalanche Studios is currently looking for a senior programmer to join a small team developing our next generation open world / sandbox multiplayer engine,” reads an Avalanche job post.