Sony PlayStation 5 release date, specs & features rumors update: Console could be unveiled in 2020

Sony has yet to confirm its plans for the PlayStation console after the launch of the PlayStation 4 Pro in 2016. Nevertheless, it is widely speculated that the company is already working on a next-generation console to permanently replace the PS4 series. For now, there is no certainty if the PlayStation 5 will see the light of day very soon as tech analysts are expecting the upgraded console to arrive no earlier than 2020.

A man plays a video game on Sony Corp's PlayStation 4 console at its showroom in Tokyo July 16, 2014.REUTERS/Yuya Shino

According to the latest scoop regarding the Sony PlayStation 5, it is unlikely that the PS4 successor will be released as early as 2018 or 2019. To note, Sony just released the PS4 Pro two years ago, and it will take another long period for the company to come up with a brand new gaming machine. NPD Group's analyst, Mat Piscatella, believes that the earliest possible appearance of the PlayStation 5 could happen in 2020.

Still, Pescatella is not discounting the possibility that the PlayStation 5 will be announced sooner, given that the competition among the electronic gaming companies has become more intense. With Nintendo introducing the Switch to the world last year, Sony must think of ways to make the PS5 more marketable. but still keeping it unique. Of course, there is Microsoft's Xbox One X, which is the first console to deliver a true immersive 4K graphics viewing.

Interestingly, a development kit for the rumored Sony PlayStation 5 was spotted recently. According to the ever-reliable gaming tipster, Marcus Sellars, the PS5 dev kit is already in the hands of Sony's third-party developers for further testing. Many people tend to believe Sellars' latest update, considering that he correctly predicted "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4," as well as the next Nintendo Direct release date. 

While it is not guaranteed, Sony could make the announcement for a next-gen PlayStation console in the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018, or perhaps in the next year.