A new PS5 rumor hints that a major Sony announcement is imminent
The curtain on Sony's next-gen console could soon be pulled back, but is this latest sketchy "leak" accurate?
Sony’s PlayStation 5 is set to launch during the 2020 holidays, but the company has yet to unveil what its next-generation console will look like or how much it will cost. A new sketchy rumor purports that a major PS5 reveal could be just over the horizon, and the sketchiest thing is that it just might be right.
Sony has confirmed it won’t be attending E3 2020, PAX East, or GDC, which are the biggest game industry events during the first half of the year. That means the PlayStation-maker will need to host its own event to show off the PS5. A sketchy tidbit of information posted on a Russian Pastebin (website that shares plain text information) might have tipped off gamers when Sony plans to announce its big unveiling.
Redditor u/BorisBritva666 posted a screenshot of a Google search result for a now-deleted Pastebin post that alleged Sony would announced the date, time, and location for the PS5 reveal event on February 27 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Inverse was able to find the same Google result, but there’s no way verify any of these claims. Will Sony actually announce the PS5 reveal event on Thursday? We have to wait only 48 hours to find out.
Either way, an introduction to the PS5 should happen sooner rather than later, especially when we look at the company's history with video game consoles.
The deleted Pastebin post that allegedly revealed when Sony will invite people to the PS5 unveiling event.
When will PS5 be revealed?
On February 1, 2013 Sony invited developers, investors, and journalists to an announcement event for the PlayStation 4 that was hosted on February 20. That’s a little over two weeks after the company sent out invites.
If the Pastebin post proves accurate, then the PS5 event could happen somewhere between the second or third week of March — that is, assuming the announcement and invites happen on February 27 and Sony sticks to a similar roadmap. Depending on whether Sony adheres to the PS4 precedent, gamers could be in store for some big console news very soon.
The company will have to do something soon because it's already lagging behind its biggest competitors.
For Sony's sake, the PS5 event better be soon.
A lot is on the line for the PS5
Sony’s long-time console rival, Microsoft, has already revealed everything about the Xbox Series X aside from its price. The ball is now squarely in Sony’s court to prove to gamers how it’ll compete with the new Xbox’s backward compatibility while keeping the price for the PS5 reasonable.
A recent supply chain report revealed that the PS5 could be the most expensive Sony console in history. That’s because a shortage of materials needed for internal components has raised its manufacturing cost to around $450, which might force Sony to set its price tag closer to $500.
Sony has typically won over gamers with its top-notch selection of console exclusives like God of War, The Last of Us, and Marvel’s Spider-man. But if the PS5 turns out to be eye-wateringly more expensive compared to the Series X, Sony might lose out on some customers who are hunting for a bargain.
As February comes to an end, gamers will be expecting some kind of signal from Sony to assure them the PS5 is coming along smoothly. One thing's for sure: It feels like a certainty that we'll learn something more about the PS5 by the end of March. Whether or not a prelude announcement happens before the end of February remains to be seen.
Both next-generation consoles will launch during the holidays in 2020.
