PlayStation 4 sales will reach 100 million units in 2019, and the PlayStation 5 will be released in 2021, according to predictions made by IDC research director for gaming and VR/AR Lewis Ward.
The two claims are certainly within the realm of possibility, as the PlayStation 4 remains on top of the video game industry despite the arrival of the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One X.
PlayStation 4 Sales To Reach 100 Million Units By 2019
In an interview with Gaming Bolt, Ward revealed his prediction that the PlayStation 4 will reach the milestone of 100 million units sold in 2019.
Ward's prediction has a significant chance of coming true. In early December, Sony revealed that PlayStation 4 sales have exceeded 70 million units. Microsoft, meanwhile, remained silent on how many Xbox One units have been sold. According to analysts Xbox One sales are less than half compared to PlayStation 4 sales, after the two consoles were launched in the same year in 2013.
The NPD Group then released its report that Sony broke the record for PlayStation 4 units sold in a month in November, breaking the four-month streak of the Nintendo Switch in topping hardware sales. Nintendo's hybrid console had the momentum heading into the holiday season, but the PlayStation 4 exceeded expectations.
With the PlayStation 4 showing that it can repel the charge of the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One X, it is definitely possible that about 30 million more units of the console will be sold in less than two years.
PlayStation 5 Launch Date Set For 2021
The second part of Ward's prediction is that the PlayStation 5, along with the Xbox One successor, will be launched in 2021. The analyst noted that the year was a tentative placeholder in his forecast, but it joins a long list of rumors on when the PlayStation 5 will arrive.
In April, Macquarie Capital Securities analyst Damian Thong predicted that the PlayStation 5 will be launched in the second half of 2018 after an incoming PlayStation 4 price cut. That timeline, however, no longer appears likely, as Sony has not made any announcements on a PlayStation 4 successor.
In July, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter predicted that the PlayStation 5 will be released in 2019. Pachter believes that the PlayStation 4 Pro is half a step toward the PlayStation 5, which will support 4K gaming. In addition, he thinks that the PlayStation 5 will be backward compatible with PlayStation 4 Pro titles.
The rumors and predictions surrounding the PlayStation 5 should be taken with a grain of salt, though, and PlayStation 4 owners should focus on enjoying the popular video game console.