While Sony haven’t provided all the details yet, they have revealed that a PS5 release date will arrive in the future.
Beyond the confirmation that a new console to follow the PS4 and PS4 Pro is coming, the tech giant remain tight-lipped on other major details.
Fans already have a few things on the wishlist, which Sony will need to bare in mind too.
Backwards Compatibility with PS4 games is something that appears a popular idea, especially with the launches of the Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch relying a little on these premises too.
Both include some kind of backwards compatibility functionality, something missing from the PS4. The Xbox One X runs all current Xbox games, while the Switch is getting Classic titles released as part of its future Online subscription service.
Another big talking point is price, and how much will a PS5 be compared to the Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch?
Microsoft’s upgraded console has a premium price tag, while the Switch is cheaper, although the physical game cartridges are more costly.
While Sony haven’t commented on the price of their next console, other industry experts have made some pretty big predictions on the subject.
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes that unless the Xbox One X smashes it out the park, the PS5 will likely retail for less than $500.
“If Xbox One X is a phenomenal success, if it sells out, if overall Xbox sales rise to above the current level of 10 million a year, because everyone wants that power, then sure, the next gen can be more expensive,” the analyst explained on the Pachter Factor.
“But if the Xbox One X sells 1-2 million a year, out of the 10 million Xbox sold every year, and after a couple of years, they satisfy demand and no one wants it at $500, then no.
“Look, I don’t have a lot of experience with $500 consoles, but what I have is bad. The PS3 launched at $600 and it flopped. The Xbox One launched at $500, and it didn’t work, they had to drop the Kinect and bring it to under $400 before it sold.
“There’s just some consumer obstinacy about spending more than $300-400 on a console. I can’t explain why, I spend that much on Halloween candy, I don’t know. Some people, they just say ‘I can buy an HDTV for $500,’ and you can, and in a couple of years, you’ll be able to get 4KTVs at that price.
“So a console sounds very expensive compared to that- a TV will last you 10 years, and you can use it all the time, and a console lasts you 5 years, and won’t be used that much. So my bias is no, $500 consoles won’t happen.”
Another big area of speculation is when we might see the PS5 launch.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said that they believes the PS5 release date is a “minimum of two years away”.
This would mean the PlayStation 5 could come out in 2019 at the earliest, giving the PS4 a lifespan of six years.
Guillemot also said he believes the next Xbox will also come out at the same time as the PS5.
“As Sony launched PlayStation 4 Pro last year and Microsoft Xbox One X this year, we think we still have a minimum of two years in front of us before something new is coming,” he said during an earnings report.
“But that’s our perception, we don’t have any confidential information on that front.”
The Ubisoft boss also said that he believes the mid-generational upgrades of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are good for the industry.