PlayStation 5: 8 Rumours & Details You Need To Know
Can Sony continue its winning streak for another generation?
Who will be first to officially kick off the next generation of console gaming? Will Microsoft, eager to get an early lead on its competitor following the Xbox One's disastrous launch and subsequent struggles, be the first to market, or will it be Sony, who, up until recently, have had no reason to begin the long-winded process?
Providing an answer to that question with any sense of credibility is impossible this early on, but it's clearer now than ever, that both industry giants have commenced work on whatever's next and despite its undisputed win this gen, Sony needs to be wary of letting that success go to its head, lest it wants a repeat of the PS3.
With the Xbox One X now the de facto most powerful games console available, usurping the PS4 Pro's short-lived reign, and Sony confirming that sales of its hardware have begun to stagnate, it, just as much as Microsoft, has reason to get the ball rolling post-haste. A shortlist of potential features for the Xbox Two has already been put together, but what about Sony?
Microsoft apparently has no interest in VR technology, but rumours suggest that the PS5 will continue PSVR's legacy by baking virtual reality tech straight into the console and backwards compatibility, too, looks as if it'll finally be making a return, but the biggest question mark that remains is: will PlayStation 5 be a hybrid console?
It's not as outlandish a prospect as you might think...
8. We Could Be Waiting Until 2021
Microsoft officially initiated the race to next-gen at E3 this year, confirming that work on the Xbox One's successor is already well underway, but what about its competitor? Sony executives have opted not to follow Xbox boss Phil Spencer in speaking candidly about the next generation of consoles, making nailing down a specific year for the PlayStation 5's launch much more difficult.
Not helping matters are conflicting reports that do nothing to narrow the gap further than at some point between 2019 and 2021. Veteran industry analyst Michael Pachter has hedged his bets on Sony launching the PS5 at the tail end of 2020, capping the generational gap at six years, but widely circulated comments made by Sony's John Kodera paint a different picture.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Kodera told reporters "We will use the next three years to prepare the next step," in reference to what comes next after the PS4, seemingly sullying any chance of a release before 2021.
If Microsoft truly intends to release the Xbox Two in 2020, that leaves Sony peddling inferior hardware for an entire year yet again, and we all know how well the PS3 performed now, don't we?
Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.