Sony's PlayStation 5 is launching next year, with CEO Jim Ryan confirming a holiday season 2020 release. While narrowing down the window of when the hotly anticipated console will hit the market was appreciated, it's still pretty vague, but according to a leaker with a proven track record, we're looking at a surprisingly late launch of December 2020.
The leaker in this instance is the very same website that reported that AMD would be supplying Sony with the semi-custom chips for the console before it was announced. The site suggests that the delay could be down to the wait on the chips, especially as Microsoft is also using an AMD chip in the Xbox Scarlett.
A holiday season debut usually means that a product will release between November and January, and considering that the PS4 first hit the market in mid-November in North America, and came to Europe before the end of the month, we were generally expecting the new console to follow suit, but the latest leak suggests that it won't be available to purchase until December.
Industry sources have apparently divulged a "firm December 2020 release," which is surprising as it means that Sony will miss riding the wave of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales , that would no doubt ensure a big push in launch sales in the run up to Christmas.
On the other hand, gamers are eagerly awaiting the PS5's release - especially given the recent news that it might be backwards compatible with PS4 game discs - so Sony shouldn't have to worry too much about experiencing a detrimental side effect as a result. The PS4 players who are desperately waiting to upgrade, and consumers looking for a new machine are both no doubt excited about the powerful hardware and the fantastic lineup of games, meaning they'll most likely pick up a PS5 whether it launches during a big sale or not.
Sony may also reap additional benefits with the PS5 launch since expanding its storefront to include hardware like consoles, controllers, headphones, and PSVR headsets. Either way, there's still a while to go between now and the console launch, and if the AMD chip supply is the culprit, who knows - a Christmas miracle might see things ushered along and bring the date forward again. For now, take this news with a sprinkle of salt.
Source: Comic Book
