Sony is gearing up for the launch of its next gen console along with Microsoft, with both the PS5 and Xbox Series X set to release this holiday season. So far, the strategy of the two tech giants seems to differ pretty drastically; Sony is focusing on nabbing platform exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7, and ushering players into upgrading from the PS4, while Microsoft is going the opposite route, and making sure its games are backwards compatible, and telling players there's no rush to upgrade to the new console (despite seemingly doing a U-turn on that front.)
Now it seems that more of Sony's plans have come to light, and reports suggest that it's cutting short the life cycle of the PS5 but plans to ship double that of the Xbox Series X, and maybe even more units than the PS4.
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According to Digitimes, sources from Sony's backend supply chain in Taiwan told the outlet that the PS5 console life cycle won't be six or seven years - as was the case with the PS4, PS3, and PS2. Instead, the PS5 console cycle will span just five years, which is the shortest life cycle for a Sony console since the original PlayStation, which lasted just over five years.
During that time, the sources add, Sony expects to ship a whopping 120 million units - possibly even 170 million. That's hugely ambitious, given the PS4 has sold 110 million units (as of May 2020) over almost seven years.
The PS2 is the best-selling console of all time, and sold over 155 million units worldwide over the course of around six and a half years, and while shipment numbers aren't the same as units sold, it's still a bold move.
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Sony recently increased production of the PS5 from just five or six million units to 10 million units; the PS4 sold 7.5 million units in its first two quarters, so upping the ante to 10 million for the same period of time is indicative of it's confidence about the start of this upcoming console cycle.
Shipping at least 120 million units over the next five years will be approximately double the figures of the Xbox Series X, add the same sources.
Things are certainly going to be heating up as we gear up for launch, but we'll have to wait and see whether Microsoft or Sony has the best next-gen strategy.
Source: Digitimes
