PS5 gamers haven’t learnt everything about PlayStation’s next console, and fans are wondering if Sony is still planning a few big reveals.
Learning what the price tag will be on the PlayStation 5 is going to be one of the biggest factors for fans thinking about upgrading from a PS4.
But there are other things fans will be interested to learn about over the coming months.
We now know that the PS5 release date is set for 2020 and will most likely launch around the same time as Microsoft’s Xbox Scarlett.
This would mean the PlayStation 5 releasing around the holiday season, perhaps during November 2020, becoming the replacement of the current PS4 console.
But much is still not know about the new project, including how much Sony might price the next-gen gaming machine.
And one surprise find this week has got fans wondering if Sony has a secret project in the works.
A new patent has been found for a Sony games cartridge, something that the company has never produced before.
Companies are known for registering plenty of designs that never see the market and this might be one of them.
But it has still got fans talking about whether Sony has some surprise news brewing for PlayStation gamers.
Could video game cartridges be part of the PS5 when it releases in 2020? This seems very unlikely for a number of reasons.
While this could bring the PS5 price down and make it more affordable, it would also affect backwards compatibility with the PS4.
Not having a disc drive would run against much we already know about the next PlayStation console and can be ruled out pretty quickly.
But as the original report from Letsgodigital points out, this could be for something different, perhaps a next-gen memory card system.
Games are getting larger install sizes, and this trend is expected to continue with the PS5 release in 2020.
So what if Sony is putting together a system where fans will be able to add and remove extra storage for their consoles?
The report from Letsgodigital adds: “Expandable SSD memory through a plug-in module, on the other hand, sounds a lot more logical.
“By using expandable memory, the basic version of the Sony PlayStation 5 can be put on the market cheaper. Many consumers, including fanatic gamers, have expressed their concerns about the suggested retail price on social media, this will certainly not have escaped Sony.
“All the more so because the high price of the PlayStation 3 at the time led to disappointing sales results. The marketing department of Sony will certainly want to prevent a repeat of this.
“Expandable memory in the form of a pluggable solid state drive cartridge could, therefore, be a good solution.”
Alternatively, Sony could be working on something more handheld that could be released alongside the PS5. Again, this seems unlikely due to the failure of the PS Vita and Sony ruling out a successor device earlier this year.
The Nintendo Switch is a console that has proven the market is thriving but trying to rival such a console during a generational shift could prove problematic. Whatever is revealed for the PS5, fans will be looking for a powerful new console that can be bought at a reasonable price point.