The PlayStation 5 will be released in 2020 or sooner, as per our current predictions (see below). This countdown is based on careful review of historical trends, news and information, leaks, research, and current gaming trends.
We are continually updating this page with new information as it breaks that could alter this prediction. In 2013 we came within a few days of predicting the PS4 release date. We plan on having the same high accuracy for the PS5 release date. Looking at the cycles of past PlayStation’s can we begin to chart a course of when we should expect to see the PlayStation 5! Back in 1994, Sony unleashed the PlayStation on the world, a bastion of high-end technology that changed gaming as we know it forever.
It was only six years later that it outdid itself with the PlayStation 2, a system that many still believe is the crowning pinnacle of the PlayStation brand. It made history as one of the best-selling video game consoles ever. Following a pattern, six years later the PlayStation 3 was released, ushering in an era of online games and networks that once again changed the face of gaming forever. Then came the PS4, which blew it’s rival the Xbox One out of the water.
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When did Sony start working on the PS4?
If you guessed 5 years before the launch of the PS4 you are correct. Mark Cerny the lead system architect for the PS4 was once quoted as saying “the development of a next-gen platform started about five years ago.” The concepts began swirling around as early as 2008! This was only a mere two years into the PS3 life cycle. Interestingly enough, Sony partnered with Bungie, the developers of Halo and Destiny, to design the PS4 controller so that it would be more beneficial when being used in first person shooters.
In 2012 development kits started going out to developers. These were bare bones PC rigs with the new AMD Accelerated Processing Unit chipset included. They were codenamed “Orbis.” Sony officially announced the PS4 in February of 2013 at a special event, thus revealing its existence to the world.
When is the playstation 5 coming out?
The best estimate for the PS5 Release is November of 2020. The PS2 came 5 years 3 months after the PS1, the PS3 came 6 years 8 months after the PS2 and the PS4 came 7 years and 5 days after the PS3.
So following this trend we would expect the PS5 to Release in 2020 or even later. Many argue that the PS5 will actually come out sooner. Read below to find how an early release date could actually make sense.
Could the PS5 be coming much sooner?
While trends would dictate that the release date is in 2020, there have been signs that the PS5 could be coming to us much sooner. As early as 2017 in fact. There isn’t any concrete evidence to suggest this yet, but we know that Sony is working on the PS5, and we know that the visions of both PlayStation and its developers are moving faster than technology allows. Take project Morpheus for example. Once we attach a virtual reality headset to the PS4, we’re limiting the power it can output because we now have this new method of input that requires its own percentage of the PS4’s power.
While the PS4 is far more powerful than the PS3, it still pales in comparison to the top-of-the-line PC builds out there. Without the ability to consistently upgrade the hardware as games become bigger and more demanding, the PS4 is going to run out of power sooner than later. We may not make it to 2020 with the power that it has in comparison to the games developers want to make. Unfortunately, Sony didn’t create the PS4 with a long-term solution for hardware demands. It is what it is and once that juice runs out, they’re going to need something better.
This has already been expressed by Shuhei Yoshida, the President of Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment. In a quote that you can read in one our news articles below, he said that the PS5 depends on developer demand. This, combined with recent reports that AMD is working on their next chip sets means that the new console is not only being considered, it’s most likely being engineered as we speak.
You Mad Bro? Why People Get Angry (or Don’t) about Shorter Life Cycles
Game consoles represent huge investments for consumers. Between the games, the accessories, and the subscriptions, it’s no wonder people get angry when we bring up the concept of yet another console. Boy oh boy, though, do people get angry! If you try to bring up the subject on forums like Reddit, expect to sufficiently “ripped a new one,” as it were.
People are protective of their investments, which results in kind of a hostile and hush-hush environment for people like us who dare to dream. What’s interesting though is the double standard that exists in the world of technology. Bear with me for a moment here, let’s consider something:
- a New iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone comes out each year and people rush to buy it, no questions asked.
- A new console is hinted at, but won’t be out for several years, and people lose their minds
What’s the deal? I get that these two examples cater to different types of consumers, but seriously? The level of acceptance versus the level of hostility is just insane. Here’s the problem though: technology outpaces consoles insanely fast. Anyone who is a PC gamer will know, just when you think you have the greatest rig, a new GPU or CPU comes out and suddenly you’re obsolete again.
The PS4’s hardware is amazing compared to the PS3, but it’s already outdated by a long shot when you compare it to modern gaming PC’s. Since you can’t swap out parts in the PS4 or in any home console for that matter, you need to replace it sooner to keep up with technology.
That’s the hard way of looking at it, but Sony has a more level-headed approach. I’m of course referring to Shuhei Yoshida’s quote regarding the PS5 when he said that developers will decide the right time to release it. If they don’t have the power they need, then it’s time for PS5. Classic cryptic Sony talk, but a solid outlook.
Of course, if you ask the Sony President on the American side, Andrew House, he has a different quote: “Not giving hard numbers, but the best guidance that I think I can offer based on the landscape we see right now, is that we have high hopes that the PlayStation 4 will exceed the overall life cycle of the PlayStation 3. It remains a significant question mark as to whether this will approach or exceed that of PlayStation 2.”
That’s going to be a tall order with the way technology is progressing. Taking the two quotes from each of these Sony executives, they almost sound like they’re at odds with one another as to what they want from the PS4 life cycle. Obviously they want their product to remain relevant, but it’s only a matter of time before developers will want that extra power.
So what’s the alternative? Build a better console faster than before? No, probably not. Instead, it’s likely that Sony will need to adapt to a more service-oriented future that turns the home console into more of a set-top box like Amazon Fire TV or Roku, or even Apple TV.
If games took the form of apps and streamed to your television from cloud servers, then Sony would have no need to release new consoles. Instead they would sell the games through these streaming boxes and possibly offer a subscription like PlayStation Now as well.
As it stands, the PS4 is selling extremely well and beating out the competition. With factors like PlayStation VR and the rising tide of new technology though, it’s going to run out of runway sooner than later. The developers will need more power and angry fans or not, we’ll need to start talking about the PS5.
PS5 Release Date News
To predict the launch date of the PlayStation 5, we will need to remove ourselves from the river of time’s rapid currents and emerge onto its shores. We will become quiet observers, occupying for a brief moment a dimension unknown to us. We have come back from our journey, the facts are below. The prediction is in place, and the stage is set for a new generation beginning on November 15th, 2020.
- Will the PS4 be Sony’s Last Home Console?
- AMD Promising Five Times the Power on PS5 AMD is making some bold claims about their chipsets for the next generation of consoles. According to their projections, the PS5 will be five times more powerful than the PS4! How is this possible you ask? Find out in our full article!
- PlayStation Hiring For Work on a “Next Generation Gaming System” A job posting appeared on the PlayStation website looking to hire a senior programmer. Are they hiring for the PS5?
- Is PlayStation VR Holding Back the PS5 Release Date? Could it be that the PS5 is already close to completion, and Sony is holding back to try and make the PS4 last as long as possible with the addition of a VR headset?
- New Rumors Suggest PS5 Will Use 3D Stacked RAM Now that researchers at Rice University have discovered how to create 3D Stacked RAM in a fraction of the time and cost, rumors are swirling that Sony will jump at this opportunity to use the technology in the PS5. Check out our full article for all the details!
- Nintendo Begins Working on a New Console, What About Sony? With Nintendo officially confirming the existence of a new console to replace the Wii, rumors are out in the wild about how powerful it will be. Is Sony going to strike first with the PS5? Find out in the full article!
- PS5 Release Date is early! A recent AMD presentation talked about the possibility of shorter console cycles. Does this mean we’ll see the PS5 earlier than expected?
- Internally Sony is already working on the PS5. The project has a secret code name just like the PS4 did that only select employees know.
A Few Predictions of Our Own
Thus far we’ve been hitting you with hard facts and rumors from other news sources, but we as gamers feel the need to throw in our own predictions as well. At this stage in the game, the more ideas we have, the better, because that drives us towards the ultimate goal of pinpointing the exact date of the PS5 release.
Earlier we mentioned that some people believe the PS5 could be coming as soon as 2017, and yet we remain steadfast in our 2020 release date. Why is that? Well, we do believe that Sony is working on the PS5, but we also know that consumers won’t just jump ship from the PS4 when it’s just hitting its stride.
Currently, the PS4 has sold over 20 million units worldwide and is leading over Microsoft by a large margin. There’s no signs that it’s slowing down either. E3 2015 showcased a huge number of great games and major franchises coming to PS4, and the announcement of a Final Fantasy VII remake threw gasoline on the fire.
The PS4 is riding high, and games continue to deliver. Some of the biggest flagship titles are coming in 2016, so why would Sony release a new console the following year? It would undercut the the PS4 success thus far.
While we do acknowledge the fact that the PS4 hardware is going to run out quickly because of its inability to be upgraded, we also point to the growth that he PS3 experienced in its final years. Compare a launch title like Resistance: Fall of Man to the original release of The Last of Us and you’ll see that developers clearly saw ways to get more horsepower out of the system as the years went on.
Game developers are innovative and creative people. Yes, there will be a demand for power, but no, that won’t stop them from finding ways to use what they have. What I’m saying is that our 2020 release date prediction for the PS5 is far more accurate that 2017 because releasing it then would just be bad for the PS4’s success.
I think Sony is already running tests on the PS5 and I think it will be ready, or at least playable by 2017, but I also think Sony is going to play their cards close to their chest.
If the PS4 sales plummet or developers simply can’t do what they want with the hardware available, then yes, Sony will unveil the PS5 to invigorate the market and build hype, but without the need for a new console in terms of business and innovation, Sony will keep things under wraps until the time is right.
I would like to play devil’s advocate for a moment though. What if the PS5 is coming as soon as 2017? We’ve already discussed how the PS5 will most likely be a cloud-based on console so what if Sony is already testing the market for such a product?
We all know about PlayStation Now and if you don’t, it’s a streaming service like Netflix, but for games. Sony could be using this service as a testing ground to see not only if the public would support a cloud-based system, but if the demand is there. It’s not an entirely far-fetched concept.
And then there’s Project Morpheus, which some say won’t run on the PS4 with its current hardware, at least not to the standards we want. It’s true that this technology will require a large amount of power from the PS4, but would something as simple as this be the harbinger for the PS5? I think if virtual reality takes off like people think it will, then yes, we will see a Project Morpheus for the PS5 as a peripheral and possibly the main controller.
As it stands, we’re going to keep scouring the internet for more clues, rumors, and news to keep this page as accurate as possible.
In the meantime, it’s your turn. We want to hear from YOU! When do you think the PS5 is coming? What predictions do you have? Tell us in the comments below!
Awesome news man…..thank you…