Gaming consoles don't last forever, but the Sony PlayStation 5 isn't your average gaming console. When it was released in 2020, there was so much demand that it took the Japanese gaming giant three years to finally have enough consoles for all the eager buyers.
However, every game console has a limited lifespan. Sony announced Wednesday that it has missed sales targets for the PlayStation 5, four years after its release, and is likely to struggle even more this year. The company lowered its forecast for PS5 unit sales for the fiscal year ending March to 21 million units from 25 million units, as sales during the year-end sales season were lower than expected. The company also said it expects sales to decline gradually next fiscal year, partly because it does not plan to release any of its major franchise titles next fiscal year.
As Bloomberg previously reported, Sony senior vice president Naomi Matsuoka said on a conference call that “in the future, PS5 will be in the later stages of its life cycle.”
Every time game company executives talk about the future of consoles like PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, consumers pay attention. These machines cost a few hundred dollars, and a game costs about $70 to run. To make these purchases feel worthwhile, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony aim to deliver major upgrades to their consoles approximately every seven years.
Sony's PS5 plans
Sony's statement did not specifically define what it meant for the PS5 to enter a “late stage of its lifecycle,” saying it would “place greater emphasis on the balance between profitability and sales.” . And the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The good news is that Sony has provided years of support for older consoles. For example, the PS5 can play the “vast majority” of PS4 games, whether purchased on disc or digitally. It remains to be seen if the PlayStation 6 will inevitably offer the same functionality, but perhaps Sony wants to keep it there.
It's also not clear why Sony decided to share this news without going into too much detail, as Sony surely knows that gamers will grab even the tiniest bit of information about their console of choice. .
buy or not buy
If you're considering buying a PlayStation 5, now might be the best time to buy, or at least consider it.
The main reason is that if you don't already own a PlayStation 5, you probably won't buy a PlayStation 6 every time it comes out. The only reason to wait at this point would be to wait for the inevitable holiday sales. Alternatively, you can buy a used PlayStation 5 from someone who is upgrading. That's what you can do.
When you purchase a PlayStation 5, you get access to a wide range of highly regarded titles, including exclusive titles such as Spider-Man games, The Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War, Horizon, and more. .
PlayStation 6 and other upcoming consoles
If the PlayStation 5 is reaching the end of its lifecycle, that would seem to indicate that the PlayStation 6 is on its way. There was so much concern about this that Snopes, an internet fact-checking site, weighed in on the discussion. So it may seem ironic that when faced with the question of whether a PS6 is imminent, the best answer Snopes came up with was “probably not.”
As Snopes points out, Microsoft and Nintendo are both rumored to be releasing new gaming products this year. If those rumors are true, Sony may feel the need to try and release something to counter them.
Microsoft: X marks a spot
Microsoft accidentally leaked Xbox plans in a cache of legal documents. That includes news of a cylindrical (not trash) diskless Xbox (codenamed “Brooklyn”). It should have more storage and consume less energy.
Nintendo: Switching to Switch 2
Meanwhile, Nintendo is doing great with its popular Switch console, having sold more than 130 million units and over 1 billion games since its launch seven years ago (Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the most popular game in 2020 for many people). saved my sanity during the pandemic.) Rumors primarily revolve around the Switch 2, an enhanced version of the current handheld gaming console.
PlayStation 5 games in 2024
Sony also said it has no plans for any major games produced by its in-house development studios this year. But let's be clear: there are still some big games coming to PlayStation 5. Its biggest game is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment of his epic remake of one of the video game industry's most beloved titles.
Sony also plans to release a remastered version of The Last of Us Part 2. This comes in the planned second season of HBO's hit show The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal (of The Mandalorian fame) and Vera Ramsey (of The Mandalorian fame). It will conveniently be released ahead of time. (prominently featured in Game of Thrones).
That said, 2023 was considered one of the best years for game releases in history, with hits like Sony's Spider-Man 2, Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: The Legend of Zelda, and Microsoft's Starfield. is a slow pace.
