At the tail end of 2019, Microsoft came out of nowhere with the reveal of their next-gen console: Xbox Series X. While there are still questions surrounding the machine, they revealed a lot of aspects including the look of the actual console. All eyes are on Sony now to properly reveal the PlayStation 5.
Many hoped that we’d get something out of CES today and for the most part, Sony just reiterated what we’ve already known. Head of PlayStation Jim Ryan came on stage to reveal the logo for the next-gen console (which is nothing short of groundbreaking) and talked about some features. The PlayStation 5 will include things like 3D Audio, hardware-based ray tracing, haptics/adaptive triggers, and an Ultra HD Blu-ray player.
The UHD player is something that Sony lacked in the PS4 Pro despite the Xbox One X including it, causing some initial backlash. Speaking of the PS4, Sony also dropped numbers and stats for the 2013 console.
As of January 2020, the PlayStation 4 has sold 106 million units and helped sell 1.15 billion PS4 games. As of March 31st, 2017, the PlayStation 3 had sold 87.4 million units and as of January 2013, the PS2 had sold 158 million units. The PS4 continues to be a force to be reckoned with and boasts an impressive 103 million active users with 38.8 million of those active PS Plus subscribers.
Sony is also managing to keep a firm grasp on the VR game with 5 million PlayStation VR units sold. Oculus founder Palmer Luckey noted that the Rift and GearVR had sold over 10 million units when combined in the summer of 2019, meaning Sony is right where they need to be with VR.
While the details we’re craving for PlayStation 5 (like games) are still scarce, Jim Ryan said we can expect to hear more in the coming months. The PS4 was revealed in February of 2013 but that may be too soon for a PS5 reveal given how the gaming giant is still keeping their cards close to the chest. A reveal event before E3 does seem highly likely, though.
The PlayStation 5 is officially slated for release during the 2020 holiday season.
