That the PS5 is coming within the next two to three years is no secret- Sony themselves have stated that the PS4 is in the final stages of its life cycle, and this has prompted several discussions about when the next PlayStation console could launch. Some analysts believe that it will probably launch in 2020, and most people seem to think that’s pretty strong possibility.
However, industry analyst Hideki Yasuda of the Japanese firm Ace Economic Research Institute believes that it’s going to come out even earlier than that. In his report on Sony’s finances and his predictions for their future based on that (translated by DualShockers), Yasuda stated that the PS5 is most likely going to launch by the end of 2019.
He did, however, state that there’s a possibility that it gets delayed due to shortages of components that are required for the manufacturing of game consoles. Monolithic ceramic capacitors (MLCC), being the component in question, are used more and more in smart phones these days, thanks to the onset of 5G technology, while they’re also used in cars significantly more than they used to be. Yasuda believes that this could possibly cause a shortage of supply for MLCCs, which could hamper the PS5’s manufacturing process, which, in turn, could foreseeably lead to a delay in its launch date.
Personally, I think 2019 seems very early for the PS5. It’s not completely impossible, no, but looking at the number of major first party exclusives Sony have announced and lined up for the PS4, it does look unlikely that a new system will launch in just a year. If that were to be the case, Days Gone, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and The Last of Us- Part II would all have to launch within the next 12-14 months, and that seems highly unlikely.
Then again, during the PS3’s final 12-14 months before the PS4’s launch, Sony had a similarly packed release schedule, with the likes of The Last of Us, Gran Turismo 6, and Beyond: Two Souls all launching within that period. So it’s not like it’s never happened before. There’s also the chance that the likes of Death Stranding could be cross-generation releases, so you never know.
What’s your take on this? Tells us in your comments below.