The PS5 reveal has got to be soon. Surely. Now the Xbox Series X has been formally unveiled and its specs explained in a recent blog post, all PlayStation fans have to go on is a GameSpot listing.
However, there have been whispers as far back as September last year of not one, but two consoles from both Sony and Microsoft. This report has remained unconfirmed, but a recent unearthing has added fresh fuel to the rumour fire.
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Noted Japanese games journalist Zenji Nishikawa claimed Sony is set to release a more powerful PS5 Pro alongside a "standard" PS5 model, with both consoles said to be available at the same time.
A verified source on gaming forum NeoGAF, attributed to Nishikawa via Reddit, revealed the following:
"Alright people. One last time.. I heard that there are 2 consoles per company. The mid-gen refreshes are going to be introduced at release so that these consoles can run the entire 7yr cycle.
"XSX that was released yesterday is the top end one. 12TFLOPS. There will be a base Xbox Series X that is slower than that one. Sony is releasing 2 PS models. The base PS5 is 9TFLOPs . Their other one is also top of the line to compete with XSX top dog.
"This all makes sense now as to why people are getting mixed numbers for each of the platforms. I also heard that the top of the line models will be expensive. No pricing but I would guess around $600.
"Also no dates on when the top models will come out for PS5. My guess is that they are going to release both models at the same time. This is ALL I know and won't be fishing for anymore info."
Despite the rumours, Microsoft is likely to launch the Xbox Series X alone
As with any PS5 rumours, it's best to take this with several large pinches of salt. But Nishikawa, who received "special thanks" on the credits of Sony Interactive Entertainment's The Last Guardian, is a reputed games industry name. This is not the first time Nishikawa has stuck his neck out and insisted this would be the case, so you have to wonder what he knows – and who his source is.
Nishikawa's claims there would be two new Xbox consoles calls to mind the original rumours circulating before the Xbox Series X was revealed: it was formerly called the Xbox Scarlett, but a second console known as the Xbox Lockhart was reportedly in development.
If Zenji Nishikawa is correct, Microsoft has only shown us one half of its Xbox plan. However, it could have the cheaper Xbox (Series Y, perhaps?) waiting in the wings for a later launch, just as the original Xbox One split into the Xbox One S and Xbox One Xhalfway through its lifespan. As the Xbox Series X has already been revealed, it's likely we'll only be seeing the one console from Microsoft this year.
Will a PS5 Pro launch alongside the standard model?
The PS5 hasn't been revealed yet, so anything's a possibility, but GameSpot has revealed some vague specs on the PS5's pre-order signup page. With only one set of specs and two rumoured consoles, there's a disconnect there, but we'll have to wait and see what the PS5 reveal brings. Surely that's won't be far away...
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