According to speculations, with the recent trend of mobile tech becoming gaming devices, the current PlayStation 4 will be the last dedicated gaming console to be made by Sony. Reportedly, the follow-up will instead be a set-top box, with the PlayStation 5 coming out in 2020 with a full streaming feature.
Reports have underscored the continuing evolution of the mobile industry, saying that this may mean that upcoming consoles will have to be specialized devices in order to compete with mobile gaming. Specifically, next-gen systems such as PlayStation 5, when it comes out by 2020, will have to offer much more than being a gaming system.
The industry follower also mentioned that some of these new features will have to be streaming media directly to players. While the current-gen PlayStation 4 does this to some extent, the current system is still gaming-centric. The upcoming PlayStation 5 is rumored to expand its range to not only allow playing games with top-tier specs but also streaming movies and shows while taking advantage of the same premium specs such as integrated 4K graphics and even outright support for the PlayStation VR.
This dovetails with speculations that the next-gen console will encompass a wide rage of media while staying true to its gaming roots. N4BB mentioned rumors of Sony coming out with two versions of the PlayStation 5. Each model will address dedicated player concerns such as high graphics quality and speed/performance. One version will do away with gaming discs altogether, becoming a streaming console with emphasis on SSD storage for speed and performance boosts. The other model will still have the physical disc option, with an HD BluRay disc and 4K graphics support. Reportedly, these two versions will have PlayStation VR support, with the headset an optional accessory for the console.
