PS5 life cycle could be reduced to 5 years, claim supply sources

The PlayStation 5 life cycle could be shorter than previous console generations, supply sources have reportedly claimed.

Sony has traditionally launched consoles six or seven years apart from each other, with PSOne arriving in 1994, PS2 in 2000, PS3 in 2006, PS4 in 2013, and PS5 scheduled to launch during the 2020 holiday season.

But speaking to DigiTimes, sources of Sony’s backend supply chain in Taiwan claimed the PS5 life cycle could be reduced to five years.

During that period, they estimate shipments of the console to reach at least 120 million units—approximately double those of Microsoft‘s rival next-gen system, Xbox Series X, which also launches later this year—and perhaps as high as 170 million.

Sony said in May that PlayStation 4 has shipped over 110 million units.

The report also backs up a recent claim that Sony has doubled its PS5 shipment estimate for 2020 to some 10 million units.

Sony had previously set a production target between five and six million by March 2021, according to a Bloomberg report. However, the new stock still might not be able to satisfy demand this year due to shipping constraints, it’s claimed.

Two PS5 models are scheduled to launch this holiday. While one will have an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, the other will sacrifice the feature, likely for a lower price point. According to recent analysis, the PS5 Digital Edition could cost $50 less than the disc version.

During the current generation, Sony and Microsoft also launched more powerful versions of PS4 and Xbox One mid-cycle, in the form of PS4 Pro in 2016 and Xbox One X in 2017.

An unverified image claiming to show a PS5 console in a factory setting appeared online in June.

More recently, Sony shot down rumours that it was about to open PS5 pre-orders, telling players it would provide advance notice when it plans to do so.

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