When Sony entered the videogame industry for keeps in 1994-95 with their PlayStation system, that was the beginning of their meteoric rise and establishment as one of the major pillars of console gaming. At present, Sony’s main console platform is the beefy PlayStation 4, which they introduced to the gaming world in 2013-14. Capable of playing games on Blu-Ray disks or stored in its hard drive, with great device integration and online capabilities, it stands as one of the pinnacles on what a dedicated videogame machine can do. Now, even though Sony has made no formal announcement yet, talk about a successor console, a “PlayStation 5,” has begun to circulate.
The Verge has it that, current estimates would have Sony releasing a new videogame console no later perhaps than the end of next year, 2020. This is in sync with the “seven-year period” of prominence with the PlayStation 4’s predecessors. It debuted seven years after the 2006 introduction of the PS3, which in turn arrived seven years after the unveiling of the PS2 (2000). The last definitive word by Sony on the matter of a planned PlayStation 5 was in October last year, when their CEO Kenichiro Yoshida remarked on the necessity of “next-gen” hardware before work on a follow-up console would even be considered.
On the other hand, even after close to seven years the PS4 does not seem to be showing any technical limitations for game developers. One needs only to look at recent releases for the system, like Insomniac Games’ “Spider-Man” or Sony Interactive Entertainment’s own “God of War.” Also contributing to a perceived longevity in the fourth PlayStation console is its mid-term upgrade the PS4 Pro. Still, many have observed that the console is rather light on game titles releasing this year; Sony has even announced that it will be a no-show at E3 2019. Perhaps they are gearing up for PS5 development to start soon?
That is only speculation at this point, but then again Sony must also be aware of talk that their primary rival Microsoft may have already begun bouncing ideas for their own successor console to follow the Xbox One, something that has more powerful specs and can also handle cloud gaming, the better to keep its game titles to its corporate chest as critics might say. One thing analysts can agree on is that both Microsoft and Sony are steadily blurring the line of game design between consoles and the PC, and that this might be the trend for the future, with more multiplayer exclusive titles. Eyes are on for this year and the next, waiting for the next Xbox whatever and the rumored PlayStation 5.
Image courtesy of Screen Rant
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