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Sony PlayStation 5 Unlikely To Arrive Until 2020: Gizmodo (kotaku.com)
A recent online rumor got people buzzing about a possible 2018 release of PlayStation 5, but that's probably not going to happen, Gizmodo reports. Citing a source, the outlet says it believes the next PlayStation may not arrive until 2020. From the report: It's been nearly five years since the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launched, which has triggered bouts of nervousness and excitement among video game fans who want to know when they'll have to start hoarding pennies for a new generation of consoles. The PS4 launched seven years after the PS3, the Xbox One eight years after the Xbox 360. It's not unreasonable to be thinking about the next generation. We don't have a concrete answer just yet, but we have been asking around, and what we've heard is a whole lot of uncertainty.
The last console I worked with was PS3, but I think a bit of market delay here is a good idea.
An upgrade over this generation of hardware wouldn't get you much over a PS4. Sure, some percent increase - but it would feel more like being forced into an upgrade cycle, rather than really buying to get some new important capability with the new system.
Don't get me wrong - a top-of-the-line video card and SSD would make for a transformation of the 4k experience and all... but it would make for a $1400 console at the moment.
Better for Sony to let the manufacturers know what they want, get the plants tooled, techniques tested, then make that same console for $500 in a couple of years. In the meantime, everyone can develop with expensive PC testbed dev kits, then the manufacturers can test that everything can function and pass those same tests.
That, and we still haven't seen the likes of Kingdom Hearts 3 on the PS4 - the development cycle on games is still catching up with PS4-level development. Give your local devs some breathing room.
Ryan Fenton
Didn't the PS 4 Pro (with 2x the graphics performance, for VR) just come out within the past year??
If Sony is exceeding sales figures for the PS4 (they were in December) then they will postpone any talks about a successor until the numbers begin to fall. Any rumors about a replacement will stall sales of the existing model. They may well have the PS5 ready to go but it makes no sense to introduce it if the existing model is still selling well.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
Just in time to force a complete rewrite of Kingdom Hearts 3, delaying the game by another 8 years.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
The performance increase they could attain right now, even in the $600 US target simply would be very, very little.
As both Sony and MS use AMD tech (weak CPU, semi-decent GPU) the theory is the next one will move to a 'full' Zen desktop core (or close to it) and a more modern GPU design. Even then, the heat and cost would be high. They need 'true' 7nm to be up and running, I strongly suspect, before considering this.
On top of this game dev cycles are slower due to more complex games and console profitability generally comes towards the late stage in a console life, where they still make their 5 to 10$ per game but there's 70 to 150 million of the things in peoples hands. (ie: even 'crappy' games ship 2 million copies)
Furthermore, the industry appears to be considering the cell phone model of next gen stuff is going to be backwards compatible. (Hopefully) so a PS5 will likely ship, running your PS4 and PS4 Pro games even smoother, MAYBE PS5 games work on PS4 / PS4 Pro
Either way, as tech slows, the need to move to the next cycle is decreasing. If Xbox 360 got 7, PS3 got 8. I suspect we'll see at least similar figures for the next consoles. (2020 or so)
Oh and FWIW, having now got a console at launch, in the hype? Never again. The PS4 and Xbox One are now, worth considering, with a decent range of games and somewhat discounted consoles. Buying at launch you get stuck with a limited library (assuming no BC) and high prices. Just wait at least 24 months for bugs to be ironed out, better game library, potentially quieter models. Etc
Computers did it, phones did it. And consoles do it too. We have arrived at the point where there isn't much room for expansion for consoles anymore. Especially when they keep breaking compatibility with older games. Why should I buy a PS5, then buy every game again (yes, yes, in their "new" edition, which is basically the same game I already have with a different number next to the franchise name), when what I have isn't that different? Better graphics? Well, technically, yes, but do I even have a TV to see it? And if I have a TV to see it, can I actually see it? I'm the first to admit my eyesight isn't perfect (hey, I'm getting old) but do you really see the difference from HD to p5000whatever? And, more important, does it warrant forking over the money for a new console and a stack of games?
The next generation of consoles better has something really good in store if they want to convince gamers to buy their library of games all over again.
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