Sony would very much like you to buy a PS5 console, assuming you can actually get your hands on one. But just because there’s a new console on the way doesn’t mean it’s going to forget the PS4 exists.
Sony has announced that the PS4 will be living on until at least 2022, meaning you have plenty of time to pick up a PS5 before you'll stop being able to get the latest games.
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This news was confirmed by Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. He noted that the PS4 is still quite an important system for gamers, and over the next couple of years that will be the system the majority of people will be playing on.
"Obviously, our eyes and our horizons have lifted with regards to what's possible with that PS4 community, based on what we've observed over the last six months. That can be quite powerful, because in 2021, 2022... that PS4 community that we've spoken about, they will be the vast majority of people on PlayStations during that time. It is crucial that we keep them engaged and happy," said Ryan.
"And the last six months have demonstrated that we could do that to an extent that we didn't think possible when we were setting our minds pre-COVID."
The obvious piece to take away from this is that the PS4 will live on until 2022 at the very earliest, and probably later. That’s a good thing for a number of reasons, the most important being that at $499 the PS5 is an expensive piece of kit and not everyone will be able to pick one up until the price drops. Likewise they’ve proven quite hard to come by, and Sony has already admitted that delays may continue post-launch.
The question now is how Sony is going to handle the transitional period between both consoles. Normally there’s a grace period where you can get games on both platforms, though how long varies from console launch to console launch. It could be a while this time, as Ryan said, especially since Sony’s biggest rival Microsoft has doubled making its games available on both Xbox Series X and the ageing Xbox One.
But the most important thing to remember here is that you don’t need to feel pressured to upgrade if you’re not quite there yet. The PS4 clearly still has plenty of life left in it, so if you’re happy with your console as it is then stick with it. If you do feel like an upgrade, though, there’s always the PS4 Pro.
And don't forget, the PS5 won't play every single PS4 game, so even if you do have a shiny new PS5 there's a good reason to keep your console around.
