Even though we know it’ll be at least a year before we see anything with the next generation of consoles, that doesn’t stop the speculation on various aspects of it. Of course, part of that is the platform holders themselves, with both Sony and Microsoft dropping some breadcrumbs of what their next systems will look like. Beyond that, it’s not just fans on the internet, however- industry analysts are weighing in on things like price, release date, and what sales will look like. Ace Research Institute Analyst Hideki Yasuda has his thoughts about it too, and they’re mostly positive, though at least one thing may not make some people happy.
According to his quarterly analysis of Sony’s business, Yasuda sees the PlayStation 5 releasing November 2020, with a $499 price point. He thinks that because what we know so far points of it suggests a strong piece of hardware that eliminates what he saw as key flaws in the PS4. As such, as per him, Sony has another success on their hands. He thinks the PS5 will sell 6 million units in its first fiscal year (by March 31, 2021), followed by 15 million units in the year after (by March 31, 2022). He also doesn’t see Google Stadia having an impact on Sony’s console share in any significant way (thanks to Twinfinite for the translation).
Of course, as always with analysts, keep in mind that there’s no insider knowledge assumed. It’s simply a higher than average educated guess by those who study market trends. The date seems like a safe assumption. Unless Sony and Microsoft go unorthodox, like Nintendo did with the Switch, a new console releasing in the holidays timeframe is normal and has been hinted at by other parties. That $499 price point may bum some people out if true, as $399 tends to be the sweet spot for a lot of people, but we also know there’s some strong tech in the PS5, so it’s entirely possible. We’ll just have to see how Yasuda’s predications play out.
