Rumor | PlayStation 5 dev kits already tested by select third-party game devs

Sony’s PlayStation 4 console did not turn out as successful as the previous models, but as of right now, it still remains the best-selling console of this decade, with over 75 million systems sold since its launch in 2013 (these figures include the Pro version launched in 2016). Considering the fact that PS3 was launched 7 years before the PS4, and PS2 was launched 6 years before the PS3, it could be assumed that the PS5 may be released some time between 2019 and 2020. Latest rumors seem to be confirming this train of thought, as a tweet from Marcus Sellars points out that a few lucky game developers received PS5 dev kits earlier this year.

Salt disclaimer aside, Marcus Sellars turned out to be right on several occasion already, at least regarding early reveals of Nintendo Direct, CoD Black Ops 4 and Diablo 3 coming to Nintendo Switch, so there are decent chances that his PS5 tweet may turn out to be true. This is not really that far-fetched considering the release schedule of all previous PS versions. Dev kits usually consist of hardware prototypes that emulate the specs of the final product, and they are meant to help game developers adapt their software tools to the improved hardware. Another clue that present a possible PS5 launch in the next few years could be the recent Sony patent that grants backward compatibility for an upcoming system.

Since the PS 4 Pro is already outdated compared to the XBox One X, Sony is probably looking to release a more powerful console as soon as possible. It remains to be seen if this new console is the PS5 and if it would only integrate incremental improvements or a totally new architecture.

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