Today, PlayStation discussed their 2017 fiscal year in a Sony IR (Investor's Relations) Day presentation. In the report, it was mentioned that as of March 31, 2018 that the PlayStation 4 system had sold 79 million units, with 246 million games sold. Also discussed were the sales of PlayStation VR, which, while successful, fell below market expectations, and that the company would be readjusting their outlook on VR going forward. The main focus for Sony's gaming sector is to bolster the PS4's library by utilizing the company's many intellectual properties. More importance will be put on revitalizing successful IPs from the past, citing existing franchises as a pillar of strengthening sales.

The CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, John Kodera also claimed that the PlayStation 4 was "reaching the final phase of its life-cycle", which would cause a decrease in profits. From now until the fiscal year ending in March 2021, Kodera expects lower revenue than in previous years, but intends for strong software sales to offset losses. These plans would "allow for a breather while preparing for a bigger leap for PlayStation" afterwards, in 2021.

Source

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Sounds about right, I was gunning for a PS5 reveal in 2019 with a release coming late 2020/2021 myself so this looks right on target really.

HDR, 4K, 120Hz... GTX 1180 and AMD's Ryzen 2 and 16GB's of RAM... I could see that combo being about double the performance of the PS4 Pro (maybe closer to 3X performance due to the PS4's ultra weak CPU.) Maybe could happen...

2.5 years from now the cost of that stuff might be in the console range for a launch price?

 

[TehCupcakes]

The graph says it all. PS4 might have reached its peak, but Playstation is at an all-time high and they have had years of successfully building profits since the PS4 launch. PS4 is not an animal that will die fast like the Dreamcast or Wii U. It's more like the PS2. We have at least another 3 years of steady releases, even if they are technically winding down in preparation for the next generation.

I think it's a bit premature for people to be saying "this is sad. And I just got a PS4!" It's not like PS4 is on its death bed. It's more like a mid-life crisis. (Or 2/3 life.) Arguably, the difference in graphics quality between the current gen and whatever comes next will be the least significant* the console market has seen yet. That might facilitate an unprecedented extension of this generation. Just some speculation; but overall, the video game industry is so young that literally anything can happen. I think it's hard to predict where the next few years will lead and I wouldn't be surprised if the outcome is unexpected. (As oxymoronic as that sounds.)

*NOTE: 4K support doesn't mean anything when the average consumer does not own a 4K TV. Remember when they tried to make 3D a thing on PS3? It didn't catch on because consumers don't need it and frankly it's not worth the extra cost. Until 4K TVs are more commonplace, I don't see how a new system could make a big leap in graphic quality. Besides maybe more consistent VR performance, but that is its own niche.

 

[Darksabre72]

Is it just me, or has the exclusives for the PS4 and Xbone been pretty depressing this gen? It felt like last gen had so many more exclusives. I've thought about getting a PS4 pro when the hack came out, but looking at the games, most I can just play on PC, and it felt like a waste of money.

heck there were rarely any b-tittle games for any of those console at all because of the games as services that they are following

 

[bi388]

HDR, 4K, 120Hz... GTX 1180 and AMD's Ryzen 2 and 16GB's of RAM... I could see that combo being about double the performance of the PS4 Pro (maybe closer to 3X performance due to the PS4's ultra weak CPU.) Maybe could happen...

2.5 years from now the cost of that stuff might be in the console range for a launch price?

Theres no way in 2.5 years a console with an 1180, ryzen 2 and 16gb rrd4 will be within 500 bucks. Not even close. The 980 came out almost 4 years ago and is 300+, and we are talking half that time from the 1180 launch to the theoretical ps5 launch. And i really doubt console gaming is gonna go above 60hz. Remember most games are still 30 lmao.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Theres no way in 2.5 years a console with an 1180, ryzen 2 and 16gb rrd4 will be within 500 bucks. Not even close. The 980 came out almost 4 years ago and is 300+, and we are talking half that time from the 1180 launch to the theoretical ps5 launch. And i really doubt console gaming is gonna go above 60hz. Remember most games are still 30 lmao.

The current GPU prices are still a product of that whole mining thing... slowwwly coming down, 2.5 years from now things will be vastly different. lmao also your quoting consumer prices... The Xbox One X has roughly a GTX 1080 in it... Good luck getting one for 500 bucks, but yet I can go buy a Xbox One X right now 2 minute drive from my house for 500 bucks locked inside a Xbox

So I stick with my initial guess, could be completely wrong but it's as good as anyone's right now about what could be in the PS5.

 

[bi388]

The current GPU prices are still a product of that whole mining thing... slowwwly coming down, 2.5 years from now things will be vastly different. lmao also your quoting consumer prices... The Xbox One X has roughly a GTX 1080 in it... Good luck getting one for 500 bucks, but yet I can go buy a Xbox One X right now 2 minute drive from my house for 500 bucks locked inside a Xbox

So I stick with my initial guess, could be completely wrong but it's as good as anyone's right now about what could be in the PS5.

Not even close. The xbone x gpu isnt even close to a 1080. Its around a 1060 or rx570 specs wise in most regards. If it was a 1080, then the console would be running games at native 4k 60 .

 

[medoli900]

Feels like they're going the smartphone way and hoping people will be willing to upgrade to the "latest and greatest"every couple of years.

What?
The PS2 and PS3 was released after 6 years the previous gen console was out. The PS4 was released 7 years after. If PS5 does release in 2020/2021, then it would be 7~8 years after.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Not even close. The xbone x gpu isnt even close to a 1080. Its around a 1060 or rx570 specs wise in most regards. If it was a 1080, then the console would be running games at native 4k 60 .

None of that even matters, point being when the new machine launches it will use roughly the same specs of what the PS4 launched at compared to PC, in other words the cheapest current gen AMD part that offers the minimum of performance they need (Ryzen 2 probably quad core 8 threads at like 3Ghz maybe at least one would hope....) and what ever custom GPU that will be difficult to compare to a PC part.

When the PS4 launched current AMD tech was the FX series and that's what is in those machines, I think they would use Intel CPU's but too much $$$. GPU's they seem to aim at more bandwidth and more RAM VS processing... probably due to at the time having extra GPU power connected to a 1.8Ghz AMD FX CPU just doesn't make much sense, the CPU would hold back the GPU so much... I suspect this is why the Xbox One X runs at 2.4Ghz trying to keep the faster GPU fed. Wouldn't be as much of a problem with the increased IPC from Ryzen 2, so we will see.

I hope I am right, if not than the next gen isn't going to be that much of a leap is it? I mean this gen according to you is already doing a GTX 1060... so where does that leave the PS5 in 2.5 years? lol

RAM 16GB's isn't that much more than what is in the Xbox One X right now, 12GB's VS 16GB's meh... but for playing native 4K is going to be needed.

 

[bi388]

None of that even matters, point being when the new machine launches it will use roughly the same specs of what the PS4 launched at compared to PC, in other words the cheapest current gen AMD part that offers the minimum of performance they need (Ryzen 2 probably quad core 8 threads at like 3Ghz maybe at least one would hope....) and what ever custom GPU that will be difficult to compare to a PC part.

When the PS4 launched current AMD tech was the FX series and that's what is in those machines, I think they would use Intel CPU's but too much $$$. GPU's they seem to aim at more bandwidth and more RAM VS processing... probably due to at the time having extra GPU power connected to a 1.8Ghz AMD FX CPU just doesn't make much sense, the CPU would hold back the GPU so much... I suspect this is why the Xbox One X runs at 2.4Ghz trying to keep the faster GPU fed. Wouldn't be as much of a problem with the increased IPC from Ryzen 2, so we will see.

I hope I am right, if not than the next gen isn't going to be that much of a leap is it? I mean this gen according to you is already doing a GTX 1060... so where does that leave the PS5 in 2.5 years? lol

RAM 16GB's isn't that much more than what is in the Xbox One X right now, 12GB's VS 16GB's meh... but for playing native 4K is going to be needed.

If the aim of the ps5 will be to play at 4k 60, which I think is likely, it would need a 1080ti equivalent, a decent cpu and 12-16gb ram. Im not sure they would need 16gb of ram, since both the ps4 pro and xbone x can get native 4k with less as can many game on pc, but maybe theyll need it. Theres also the possibility they only aim for native 4k 30/1440p 60, which i think is a real possibility, in which case it might only have like a 1070, and then they can make a pro model a few years later.

 

[Anfroid]

What?
The PS2 and PS3 was released after 6 years the previous gen console was out. The PS4 was released 7 years after. If PS5 does release in 2020/2021, then it would be 7~8 years after.

I kinda meant how the pro came out just over a year ago. Gaming technology hasn't advanced much in the last few years to warrant another major console change compared to previous generations.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

If the aim of the ps5 will be to play at 4k 60, which I think is likely, it would need a 1080ti equivalent, a decent cpu and 12-16gb ram. Im not sure they would need 16gb of ram, since both the ps4 pro and xbone x can get native 4k with less as can many game on pc, but maybe theyll need it. Theres also the possibility they only aim for native 4k 30/1440p 60, which i think is a real possibility, in which case it might only have like a 1070, and then they can make a pro model a few years later.

I would love to see the PS5 support Nvidia's new ray tracing acceleration tech but that's just super wishful thinking on my part

This gen I was surprised they went 8GB's at launch, PS3 and 360 was 512MB's (I thought that was wayyy too little) I wouldn't be surprised if they do not need 16GB's for 4K gaming but include it as a sort of selling point over the last gen.

Definitely will be a hard sell now that I think about it, if the games look mostly the same as this gen who is going to pay 500 bucks for a new machine when the old one does the exact same games?

Edit: Ironic, this just popped up in my youtube recommended feed thing...

 

[medoli900]

I kinda meant how the pro came out just over a year ago. Gaming technology hasn't advanced much in the last few years to warrant another major console change compared to previous generations.

I mean, the pro is not a new console. It's the same thing than the Gameboy Advance SP for the Gameboy Advance, the DSi for the DS, the 2DS/N2DS/N3DS for the 3DS...

 

[Burlsol]

Just checking, but these people realize that it is only just now that games are being released which make use of the system particularly well, with a handful of landmark titles still not ready for release. That average hardware capability has, to a certain degree, plateaued simply due to the fact that crypto currency mining has made the idea of building an upgraded gaming computer far less affordable, so console manufacturers don't have nearly as much of a gap in performance or appearance between console and pc. Even if console makers can technically release a new console, there isn't as much push for better and better hardware, and most console players are much more concerned about the size of the game library available for that console than anything. This is why PS2's and 3's are still popular among gamers. PS4 is only, just now, getting a large enough library of hits to make owning the console worthwhile to most.

 

[MarkDarkness]

The cost of developing a AAA will become absurd soon... developers will have to settle for (even more) safe bets and ploys like loot boxes and in-game ads will take the forefront. Eh... strange days for gaming.

 

[FAST6191]

I too find the PS4 and xbone libraries rather underwhelming, and had a great time on the PS360. One thread we had on the matter a little while back https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-games-you-will-keep-for-your-ps4-and-xbox-one.499105/

As far as "get much better whilst remaining viable" then at the high end then sure, equally it might be time to start investing more in procedural generation and other such asset creation pipelines. If by default you can give some of the unreal engine set the sorts of draw distances, enemy/item counts, texture abilities and physics that today takes a Rockstar/EA flagship/Ubisoft flagship level of team then I will be happy. The high end stuff will still be safe, predictable and boring but if the mid range peeps can do the sorts of things I see in high end games today and not have to massively refine and optimise things (a serious cost) to allow it to run then please do give me.

 

[Foxi4]

PS4 has a good 12-15 games worth playing I find, a few of them remakes. By the end of year two it seems like it'll be about the same for Switch. XB1 has nada for worthwhile exclusives, but that's why their numbers are way behind Sony's.

In hindsight that cell processor in the PS3 really wasn't worth it. They took a huge loss on sales and customers lost backward compatibility just because Sony had to be special last gen.

That's debatable. I basically stopped playing on my PS4 right now and switched to the XBO for State of Decay 2 alone, but to be fair, that will probably reverse again once Detroit comes out. I know what you're going to say - it's also on PC. That's Microsoft's current strategy with Play Anywhere, so I don't see an issue here.

 

[ieatyoshis]

I fully expect a backwards-compatible PS5 to be announced 2019, showcased in 2020 and released Holiday 2020/early 2021 - I have for a long time. The PS4 had a great run, but the race for native 4K requires new hardware, hence the PS4 Pro/Xbox One X. People forget that the PS4 was released in 2013 - it's 5 years old now, by that time it'll reach its 7-8th birthday which is the perfect point for a nextgen to enter the scene.
The PS4 is a stopgap for 2-4K/higher framerate VR users, there's no dedicated software, so effectively all software is coded for the baseline PS4 by design. There's a successor coming, make no mistake.

Sony announced the PS4 and released it in the same year, a matter of months apart.

They're not going to announce the PS5 two years before release...

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if we stop to think the last games of this generation are in development years ago they are

1-Shenmue III
2-Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
3-Final Fantasy vii Remake

etc

I bet that after these games are released there will be nothing more relevant in ps4 in my opinion, I'll buy a ps4 to play these 3 games

The Last Of Us 2 is, most likely, being released on the PS4.

That's a huge game.

 

[Solitario]

Sony announced the PS4 and released it in the same year, a matter of months apart.

They're not going to announce the PS5 two years before release...

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



The Last Of Us 2 is, most likely, being released on the PS4.

That's a huge game.

yeah

 

[Foxi4]

Sony announced the PS4 and released it in the same year, a matter of months apart.

There's a difference between an official reveal of the system, which is hardware that's gone Gold and is in the process of manufacture before shipping and release, and industry announcements/murmurs. We've heard about the PS4 as early as 2012, a full year prior to the release. We're already hearing about PS5 devkits being distributed, so Sony is likely in the process of gathering feedback from developers before assembling final Gold hardware - this process takes time, even up to a year given the recent GPU shortage and the new AMD microarchitecture being developed simultaneously. There's a lot of environmental factors that come into play - the PS3 for instance was first announced to the public in May 2005 and released in November 2006, well over a year later, in no small part due to the boomerang controller being poorly-received and in need of a complete redesign, as well as the whole SIXAXIS legal debacle. Sony won't kill their golden hen early, but I have no doubt the successor is already in development, and in the later stages of development at that. Like I said, my money is on a 2019 reveal and a 2020 release which is consistent with their past behaviour, but I won't be surprised if they stretch it out.

 

[ken28]

Development is slow, but it is not getting cancelled.

https://gamingbolt.com/final-fantas...nch-it-before-final-fantasys-35th-anniversary

Will be out 2023 at the latest. With this timeframe PS5 is looking more likely tho.

It will become ff16