Sony's fiscal year 2016 was the best one for the PlayStation 4. Separate reports, however, believe that the company has big plans in store for the video game console.
The next PlayStation console — likely to be named the PlayStation 5 — could be launched as early as next year. The PlayStation 4, meanwhile, may soon receive a significant price cut.
PlayStation 5 Coming Next Year?
Sony released the PlayStation 4 in 2013. According to Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Capital Securities, the company may release the next-generation PlayStation by the second half of next year.
The report is not based on information that was leaked from Sony, but rather on a prediction made by Thong. However, it should be noted that this is the same analyst who correctly guessed that Sony would release the PlayStation 4 Slim and the PlayStation 4 Pro.
If the prediction will turn out to be true, Sony might not announce the PlayStation 5 anytime soon. The company only announced the PlayStation 4 nine months before it was released, and the PlayStation 4 Slim and PlayStation 4 Pro were announced one week and two months, respectively, before they were launched. If Sony's timeline for the announcement of the PlayStation 5 would follow that of the PlayStation 4, then gamers should expect the unveiling of the next-generation console to be between late this year until early next year.
PlayStation 4 Price Cut On Its Way?
While waiting for an official announcement from Sony regarding the PlayStation 5, gamers would be able to enjoy a price cut for the PlayStation 4.
After releasing its results for fiscal year 2016, which ended March 31, Sony said that it is targeting to sell 18 million units more of the PlayStation 4 for fiscal year 2017. According to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, the company may be able to achieve this if they price the console correctly, which means that Sony is likely going to apply a price cut to the PlayStation 4.
Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at Niko Partners, shared a graph that tracked the sales performance of PlayStation 4 and compared to other modern video game consoles, including Sony's best-selling console ever — the PlayStation 2. If Sony is able to achieve its sales target for the PlayStation 4 this current fiscal year, it will be able to do better than the PlayStation 2 over the same period since it was launched. However, both Pachter and Ahmad believe that the PlayStation 4 will not be able to beat the lifetime sales of the PlayStation 2.
Sony Responds To Microsoft's Xbox Project Scorpio
The predictions on the launch of the PlayStation 5 and the price cut for the PlayStation 4 are hinged on the likelihood that Sony will respond to Microsoft's upcoming Xbox Project Scorpio, which is said to be more powerful than the PlayStation 4 Pro.
Microsoft will fully unveil the Xbox Project Scorpio at this year's E3, including its complete specifications, price, and release date. It is expected to be released in this year's holiday season, but it seems that Sony will look to drive down hype for the console by slashing the price of the PlayStation 4 while preparing to launch the PlayStation 5 the following year.
