Sony has just revealed the PlaysStation 4 Slim as well as the powerful PS4 Pro. However, despite these updates, rumors continue to circulate around the Internet, suggesting that Sony may launch the PlayStation 5 sometime soon, presumably by 2018.
According to Tech Radar, the Playstation 5 may launch soon, given that even the PS4 Pro is not the most powerful kind of console that Sony can produce with the technology available in a few years. However, it is unlikely that the new console will be branded as the PlayStation 5.
The report explains that instead of an entirely new console, Sony may follow the same route as Apple and Samsung. This means that instead of a major hardware overhaul every six or seven years, Sony might release a more powerful PS4 in 2018 and then an even more updated one in 2020.
If Sony does this, it will mirror how Apple releases a new model of iPhone each year. The phones don't necessarily see a major improvement from the previous model, but they all include several new features that become the standard for the next iterations.
While physical disc drives are becoming less important, particularly now with the advent of digital downloads via the PlayStation Store and the success of Steam on PC, the report does point out that former editor of Official PlayStation Magazine Ben Wilson stated the PlayStation 5 will still feature one.
He explained that while digital purchases are becoming the norm, high-end AAA games are becoming larger in size. "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare," packaged with "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remaster" already requires 130 GB of hard drive space, and future games may be even larger.
This would mean that physical discs, such as the new Super HD Blu-Ray discs that can carry over 100 GB of data, will still be the preferred choice for major games. To cater to this, the PlayStation 5 may retain having a disc drive.
