Sony PlayStation continues to dominate the console marketplace with their PS4 and PS4 Pro range.
Not only have the combination of both proven hits around the globe but they have managed to fend off the likes of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Nintendo’s Switch in 2018.
And it has now been revealed that Sony PlayStation saw some great sales numbers for the PS4 near the end of the year, but will it prove decisive for the PS5 release date?
The latest PS4 news this week confirms that the PlayStation console was the best-selling gaming machine in the UK during 2018.
According to new data shared by GfK/UKIE, the PS4 held onto its primacy over the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
However, while things looked very good for Sony PlayStation, the Nintendo Switch is growing at a steady rate too.
According to Gamesindustry.biz, the Switch saw a sales increase of over 20 per cent year-on-year, making for a brilliant period.
While the Switch became a positive growth area for the overall video games market, the PS4 remained the heavyweight champ.
According to the industry publication, PS4 games made up 42.2 per cent of sales at retail in the UK in 2018.
This was followed by the Xbox One with a 30.5 per cent share, and the Nintendo Switch was in third with 24 per cent.
This is great news for all systems; however, it was also reported that PS4 game sales dropped by 9.7 per cent at retail, while Xbox One saw a 12.7 drop.
And while these number may indicate that Sony PlayStation might want to start working on the PS5 release date, there’s one other major factor to know when looking at these numbers.
They’re purely physical retail, meaning that digital sales data is missing and could probably make up for these shortfalls.
In fact, the report from Gamesindustry.biz suggests that console sales were higher in 2018 than in 2017.
“The official hardware numbers have yet to come in, although GamesIndustry.biz understands that more consoles were sold in 2018 than 2017,” the report reveals.
“PS4 remarkably saw an increase in console sales and shifted over one million units, while Nintendo Switch was the big growth area, with a sales increase of more than 20 per cent year-on-year.
“PS4 remained the No.1 console for the year. In total, just shy of 2.5 million games machines were sold last year in the UK.”
So what do these numbers tell us about the PS5 release date?
First things first, they probably rule out the possibility of a shock PlayStation 5 launch in 2019.
No analyst was really backing this outcome but the fact that the PS4 could keep selling high numbers over the next 12 months seems to rule a surprise launch.
It’s still possible that Sony could hold a surprise event in early 2019, before launching a PS5 in October, however, this seems very unlikely.
Sony could instead choose to announce the PS5 in 2019 and then launch it in the following year.
There are still a number of high-profile PlayStation games set to be released over the next 12 months, giving them plenty of time to rack up sizable sales.
Analysts are backing Sony to launch a new console in 2020, although it isn’t a universally held belief.
There are those that believe that if sales continue to be strong, we could see a delay in the launch of the next Xbox and PS5.
IDC’s Lewis Ward has gone on record to say that impressive sales could make Sony and Microsoft consider holding off on their new consoles.
He believes that sales in 2019 will give an indication of what might happen next and will help narrow the launch window of the new consoles.
Christopher Dring of Gamesindustry.biz has slightly different predictions, suggesting that Xbox and Nintendo will partner on something and that Nintendo will show new hardware.
“All the analysts believe a new PlayStation and Xbox will be announced this year. I’m outnumbered,” he posted on Twitter.
Whatever does happen over the next 12 months, there’s plenty to suggest that all three major companies reveal something new.
Nintendo could offer a revamped Switch console, Microsoft may reveal their next-gen plans and there is always the chance of Sony following suit with their own PS5 plans.