GoPro has been the camera brand largely associated with taking high-quality action shots and videos, and that's probably a big reason behind why so many people have been anticipating the launch of the company's Hero 5.

Unfortunately, GoPro has been mostly silent when it comes to the matter of the Hero 5, and there's no official word as of yet for when it might be released.

Earlier rumors had the GoPro Hero 5 pegged to be unveiled sometime in October, but with that month having come and gone, the more reasonable estimates now have it arriving sometime next year. 

It's unclear why GoPro has continued to hold off on releasing, or at the very least announcing a new camera, especially given how much the company's market shares have struggled recently.

According to Motley Fool, one reason behind why the company has struggled as of late has most likely been he inactivity of their customer base. The same people who purchase GoPro's cameras are not likely to get a new model unless the ones they are currently using no longer work, and that presents a real issue for the company.

One possible solution to this is to release a new camera, such as the GoPro Hero 5, with significantly enhanced offerings, though it's unclear if the company is capable of delivering that as of now.

That puts even more stakes on the GoPro Hero 5 being a success, and probably also a reason behind why the company has revealed so little about it up to this point.

Still, scattered rumors have revealed some semblance of what the new camera might actually be like.

According to Neurogadget, the GoPro Hero 5 is expected to be even more compact than its predecessor, making it an even more suitable tool for action photos and videos.

The new camera is also rumored to feature waterproof capabilities that should allow it to function even down to nearly 200 feet under the surface.