Update:
Rumors are now suggesting we may have a price point for the PlayStation 5 Pro. Could we be getting a new Pro model now that we’re in the latter half of the console cycle?
Original Story…
It might surprise some of you, but Sony admits that we’re now at the point where the PlayStation 5 will soon enter the latter half of the console life cycle. For some, it feels like we just got the new console, and it was tough just landing a unit in the wild initially. Due to the worldwide pandemic, shipments were challenging to get out, and units were quickly bought up. But despite those initial woes, the PlayStation 5 will soon see the second half of its life cycle next fiscal year.
Sony recently released a presentation to look at some of the plans for the next fiscal year. A portion of the presentation offered their views on the PlayStation 5, which will enter its fifth year. In the presentation slides, Sony highlights that they expect sales to actually gradually decline next fiscal year, and there are a couple of reasons why that will be. For starters, the main focus in Sony’s eyes is just the age of the console.
Because we’re entering the latter half of the console cycle, Sony will feel fewer sales will be made on actual PlayStation 5 hardware. You can pair that with the fact that there won’t be any first-party software releases that connect to established franchises. As we reported earlier, don’t expect new installments to franchises like the ones we saw with God of War Ragnarok and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. That will be another reason Sony feels software sales could also take a hit within the next fiscal year.
Meanwhile, this presentation has some positives, as it’s not all doom and gloom. Sony does feel like there will be a gradual expansion in sales when it comes to third-party software. Additionally, there is the expectation that network services revenue could rise. But it does look like even with this being factored in, Sony is preparing for a decline.
Of course, some fans are looking towards Microsoft when it comes to third-party software sales. Several rumors flooded the web that suggested some of their first-party exclusives might launch on competitive platforms. These are just rumors right now, but it did spark a business update for Microsoft. Tomorrow, we should learn the future plans for Xbox and if we might see some of their first-party games come to the PlayStation 5.
