PlayStation 5 release date, specs update: Two-console strategy, 4K resolution?

The PlayStation 5 might come out some time in 2020, and there could be two versions. 

Sony released its first PlayStation in December 1994, the second one in March 2000, the third in November 2006, and the PlayStation 4 in November 2013. With the trend of a new PlayStation being released between five to seven years, as presented in an organized timeline by PS5Playstation5, the PlayStation 5 is estimated to be released sometime in 2020.  

With the speculated four more years to wait, there are rumors that the Japanese electronics giant might feature 4K resolution gaming on the PlayStation 5. This can probably be considered a valid speculation since Sony Pictures was one of the first studios that had 4K Blu-ray format. If the PlayStation 5 is to be released in a few more years, then 4K resolution will likely be mainstream by then. However, given the advances in technology at present, there are also a lot of rumors of the PS5 having an earlier release. 

As far as specs rumors go, a two-console strategy is currently the most promising, given the success of online gaming community Steam and the overwhelming outcome of mobile gaming. With this, Sony might release one with a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray drive and another one for downloadable games. 

There are also predictions in the gaming community that the new console will get rid of using discs altogether, even though there are still a lot of gamers who prefer having a physical product.

During the Changing Media Summit in London, Emmett Shear, CEO/founder of social video platform Twitch, talked about his idea on the future of game consoles.

"The problem is, the seven-year upgrade lifecycle doesn't work in the face of the two-year upgrade cycles for every other hardware platform," he said, as reported by The Guardian. "It's so intrinsically built into how consoles get manufactured and made and the full business model, that I'd be surprised to see another generation."  

In the same interview, Shear said that consoles are a big part of the gaming industry: "We've seen the rise of a few games that have done very well because of consoles, notably Fifa and Call of Duty."