Highlights
- Sony's recent statement suggests that the PlayStation 5 may be nearing the end of its life, which is concerning for the console generation as a whole.
- The ninth console generation, which began in 2020, may be coming to an end sooner than expected, possibly as early as 2026, based on Sony's sales forecast and the generational release schedules of Microsoft and Sony.
- The shortening of console generations is a trend seen in recent years, with the seventh generation lasting 11 years, the eighth generation lasting 8 years, and the ninth generation already showing signs of coming to an early end. This could result in an expensive future for players if they have to keep upgrading to new consoles.
Sony's making some concerning statements about the PlayStation 5, casting a light on the industry's generational cycle as a whole. The news that the PS5 might be nearing the end of its life is devastating for a console generation that still feels like it has barely started.
Sony recently slashed its PS5 sales forecast for the 2023 fiscal year (which will end in March 2024) from 25 million to 21 million. This was due to the console's declining sales, something Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki attributed to the machine being in the 'latter half' of its life. Given the relative unity between Microsoft and Sony in regard to generational release schedules, this could mean the ninth generation is ending sooner than most thought—possibly as early as 2026.
Sony Addresses Possibility of PS5 Price Drop
Sony explains why the PlayStation 5 price is still as high as it is over three years following the release of its latest console.
Sony's Statements On The PS5's Future Are Bad News For The Industry
Despite having a far better 2023 than the Xbox Series X/S, the PS5 is already looking toward retirement. If Sony's already looking to throw out the PS5, then Microsoft's unlikely to be far behind given the latter's lead. It's very early for the ninth generation to already be looking toward its end, and that's a bad omen for the industry. With the shortening of a generation that barely feels like it's gotten started, players may be facing an expensive future.
Console Generations Keep Getting Shorter
Microsoft and Sony have been setting the console generation standard in recent years, with Nintendo off in its own world after ditching the Wii U for the Switch—not to mention how the Switch still uses seventh-gen components. Generation seven consoles lasted a whopping 11 years before discontinuation, from 2006-2017. Generation eight started in 2012 and still has its older consoles going strong, while ninth generation consoles took to the stage in 2020 and have been running for just over three years. Even if ninth generation consoles continue after their new counterparts are released, which they likely will, it'll only have been a 6 year timespan if the current year is a 'latter half'.
This is strange considering how many thought that the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S would spawn a longer generation, especially given the supply issues at the beginning of their tenure. With how incredible graphics have gotten on modern hardware, paywalling software behind another new console will likely be seen as a particularly egregious bout of penny-pinching. Calculating with inflation in mind, the PS5 was about $50 more expensive on its launch compared to the PS4's on its drop. This makes sense for the better hardware, but consumers definitely won't be ready for a charge in the ballpark of $600 so soon.
Pandemic Shortages Slowed Down This Generation's Start
On that subject, the ninth generation really got off to a rough start. It began in 2020, at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft and Sony's consoles were hit by shortages in a big way, with chip shortages accelerated by COVID-19 leading to a hugely limited supply. In addition, an epidemic of scalping reduced supply and drove up prices even more. Therefore, many players simply stayed in the eighth generation—something that still continues, with numerous games remaining available for hardware now a decade old.
The PS5 shortages only really ended in 2023, with the three years beforehand being filled with difficulties for those wishing to get one. As well as this, only now are games available for eighth-gen devices being scarcely released. These factors combined have made the generation seem relatively young to many gamers, so talk of a tenth generation so soon seems to be jumping the gun somewhat. While the next generation is still, at a minimum, a good few years out, there's a chance that if it comes too early there will still be many players who haven't moved on from eighth-gen consoles. That's without mentioning the difficulty in getting those invested in ninth-gen machines onboard.
PS5
Sony's PlayStation 5 ninth console generation and debuted with a launch lineup that included Demon's Souls and Astro's Playroom. The console comes with a Blu-ray disc, although a digital-only edition is also available for a cheaper price.
- Brand
- Sony
- Original Release Date
- November 12, 2020
- Hardware Versions
- PS5
- Original MSRP (USD)
- Disc Edition: $499.99; Digital Edition: $399.99
- Weight
- Disc Edition: 9.9 LBS; Digital Edition: 8.6 LBS
