Do You Think PS5/Series X Will Come Out This Year?

[Moonface]

We all know this year is supposed to be the launch of the PS5 and the Xbox Series X, but with Covid-19 bringing a lot of things to a halt, including game releases and game production, do you think those systems are still going to release this year in any capacity? A recent rumour has been circulating that Sony will still launch the PS5 this year, but with a reduced number of units compared to the launch of the PS4.

I don't expect both systems to launch this year properly, if at all. Even if production of the systems was somehow done, the next problem is producing the games. Final Fantasy VII Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake both managed to squeeze out the door before Covid-19 managed to be taken seriously enough to disrupt production entirely (although distribution was still affected to an extent), as has been the case with The Last of Us Part II. Later releases like Ghost of Tsushima are still on track, but that may be because their releases are far away enough that the publishers are waiting to see how things play out; it would be bad to state a delay only for production to get back on track in 2 or 3 months from now wherever it takes place. If those games are also delayed though because the virus is still disrupting production facilities or developers, then the large amount of games that will be produced for a console launch doesn't look feasible. Sure, there's digital, but that relies on the developers actually being able to work on their games properly and have them finished in time, which seems like a hard target to reach. Death Stranding for PC had to be delayed for that exact reason, and that's just a port. A game that's in actual production as a fresh project would probably see a bigger delay because there's significantly more work involved compared to a port.

If I had to pick, I'd rather have the systems launch properly even if it means delaying them to 2021. Excluding the most hardcore buyers, if there isn't enough incentive to buy a PS5 or an Xbox Series X at launch or near it then people will just wait for more games and/or a price drop. Considering how many people are out of work and probably needing to dip into their savings to get by (especially in the US with that absolutely abysmal $1200 stimulus package) it's not even like the holiday season would be a good reason to get them out this year. The last thing people who have taken a hit to their savings and seen the economy dive are going to look for is a $500+ games console for their kids or even themselves if they need that cash for bills and other necessary spending.

What do you guys think?

[Dragon Lord]

Sony has already said that the PS5 will launch this year, but it will see a limited production, so I don't see any reason why that would change (although what I posted in the Coronavirus topic could eventually cause things to change).

Microsoft will be forced to launch along with the PS5 because they already know they're fighting a near-impossible battle against it, and won't be able to afford to delay the console's release. Not that it should matter much regardless, the PS5 will end up slaughtering the XSX no matter what happens.

[Moonface]

Sony has already said that the PS5 will launch this year, but it will see a limited production, so I don't see any reason why that would change (although what I posted in the Coronavirus topic could eventually cause things to change).

I don't recall seeing Sony themselves make that claim officially; just people reporting their plans as a rumour. Sony couldn't even get one of their biggest first party games out as planned and so far there is nothing to indicate when it will actually release, which makes it hard for me to believe that they can make a system and first party launch day games on schedule when all of those elements need to be produced at the same time, whereas TLOU2 is a single game and that couldn't be produced as intended either.

[Dragon Lord]

I don't really see the delay of TLOU2 being an indication of anything. There hasn't been any signs of Ghost of Tsushima being delayed, and with other large AAA games not receiving delays, it's looking more and more like TLOU2 being delayed is more of a scheme on the part of Sony/Naughty Dog than it was a requirement. Either the game wasn't nearly as far along as they claimed it was (perhaps due to ND not being able to force their workers into an extreme crunch like usual to finish things off) or because they want to hold it back as a PS5 launch title.

Though knowing ND's scummy reputation for having one of the worst crunch cultures in the industry, I would lean more towards the game not being as done as they said, intending to do said crunch in the final stretch, only to have the shutdowns in California completely derail those plans.

[Moonface]

You make a good point about the crunch. ND said the game was in the final stages, but that is probably when the most crunch is going to happen and even if those same hours were put in at their homes it would be less effective compared to doing that same work at the office because the team would be fragmented, similar to the team working on the Death Stranding port (except they're not crunching to finish that).

If Ghost doesn't get delayed at all, or by only a very minor amount of time, then I'd definitely view TLOU2 as an outlying case rather than a sign of what future projects for Sony could turn out like. Part of me wonders if nothing has been said about Ghost yet because the date is still a way away and so they're waiting to see how much impact the release will actually take, or they're using this time to formulate a solid plan before announcing it rather than just saying it'll be delayed but with no further information. Given ND's problem of knowing when to draw a line in the sand though, I could see Ghost actually being in a better position to be finished on time or very close to it compared to TLOU2 because that team might not be finalising what the game will and won't have at the eleventh hour.

[Dragon Lord]

I feel like if Ghost was going to be delayed, they would have announced it by now since it's one of the more highly anticipated PS4 games this year. As I said in my last post, a big part of me feels like TLOU2 happened because of ND's crunch culture and the pandemic came around and bit them in the ass and cost them the ability to finish the game.

If that is what happened, I can't really feel that bad for ND. With the terrible things I've read about their crunch culture, and more importantly how poorly they treat employees (especially those who are leaving the company), this is a bit of karma hitting them. Sucks for the fans who were looking forward to the game though.

But I digress, that's a discussion for a different day. As for the topic at hand, I still feel that Sony is going to make sure they have at least some units to push out this holiday season just so they don't risk letting Microsoft get an advantage on them (unless MS delays as well, in which I would imagine Sony would want to jump on the chance to release before the XSX). Although I imagine Nintendo would love nothing more than to see both the PS5 and XSX get delayed and have the holiday season all to themselves, pending that they can get the stock of the Switch back up fast enough after the pandemic is over, and barring a re-emergence of the virus knocking them right back down on their butts.