Microsoft took everyone by surprise by revealing the specifications of Project Scorpio, and how its performance compares with the current console lineup. That immediately puts the ball in Sony's court and raises the question: when will the PlayStation 5 arrive? While some analysts suggest the end of consoles as a gaming platform, Damian Thong of Macquarie Capital Securities, who accurately predicted the PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim launches, says he expects the next generation of Sony consoles in the second half of 2018.
The PlayStation 4 has sold just over 60 million units since its launch in November 2013, and the ratio of games to consoles is estimated at 7.5 to 1. In other words, its success is impressive, even if it hasn't yet reached the PS3's numbers (84 million). It still has time, since the PS4 Pro has been on the market for five months and the PS4 Slim for seven. Meanwhile, the competition isn't exactly sleeping. The best available numbers for the Xbox One (because Microsoft refuses to publish them) give the PS4 a 2-to-1 advantage, but we already have a very good idea of what Scorpio can do. On another front, the Nintendo Switch will see its production doubled for the rest of the year. Although there's no rush, it wouldn't hurt for Sony to start thinking about an upgrade, right?
Basically, we're talking about the PlayStation 5. Sony's latest financial report says nothing about it (and we didn't expect it to), but considering the company's performance (projecting profits of $4.5 billion for the rest of its fiscal year), some analysts have begun to speculate about a possible launch. One of them is Damian Thong of Macquarie Capital Securities, who predicted with great accuracy the debut of the Pro and Slim variants. His theory is that the PlayStation 5 will hit the shelves in the second half of 2018, which makes us think of November as a likely launch month, repeating the cycle of the PS3 and PS4.
If his information turns out to be true, we are a year and a half away from the new console. If we think about it for a moment, the second half of 2018 also sounds very good for Scorpio, and the E3 of that year would become a media frenzy, unless... Sony decides to kick the board and show something this year. Unlikely, but we've seen stranger things.
