Research analyst predicts PlayStation 5 release date, launch price, and first two years of sales

Japanese research analyst Hideki Yasuda has put together a report outlining Sony’s financial health, especially in regard to PlayStation. There is mention of some of the expected PlayStation 5 hardware, such as the ultra-fast SSD and the custom AMD APU based on Zen 2 microarchitecture, and there are also forecasts for launch date, price and year one/two sales. Yasuda expects the PS5 to be made available in November 2020 for a price of ¥49,980/US$499.

It’s already been speculated that this could mean a price of around €499 for the PlayStation 5 in the European market. The PlayStation 4 had a launch price of US$399.99/€399.99, so Yasuda’s prediction seems reasonable considering inflation and the fact the PS5 is expected to pack a considerable punch in terms of computing power. With its ray-tracing ability and PS4 backwards compatibility, the next-generation console is already being touted as a winning device.

This is reflected in the forecast sales for the PlayStation 5. Yasuda has plumped for six million units sold in the first year, which seems a safe and conservative bet. The PS4 enjoyed sales of around 15 million units in its first year. However, the analyst believes sales will really ramp up in year two, with 15 million PS5 consoles sold in the second year, for a total of 21 million in the first two years. This would still put it way behind the PS4, but it is likely Sony would be content with those figures.

As for Google Stadia, Yasuda reckons the PlayStation 5 doesn’t need to worry about the cloud gaming threat from the search engine giant. Problems with Internet connection delays will lead to unequal levels of play, whereas the PS5’s SSD will offer immediate gaming to those who demand it. Clearly there is still a huge market waiting for Sony’s next console.