One day the time of the PlayStation 4 will end. It has to happen! But earlier this week Bloomberg claims that Sony was apparently planning to discontinue the PS4 at the end of 2021. Sony has again denied this claim. When does the console end of life?
To make our best, most educated guess, let’s take a look back at the lifespans of previous PlayStations. But first, here’s Sony’s recent denial of Bloomberg’s claim that the PS4 was scheduled to go out of production last year.
“It is not true that plans to end PS4 production have been withdrawn due to PS5 shortages,” a Sony spokesman recently told the Japanese side mesh lab. “There were no plans to halt PS4 production late last year (2021). The PS4 is one of SIE’s best-selling consoles, and as with previous hardware, new and old hardware will be made and sold side-by-side as we transition to the next-gen.”
This is true! but how true? Fountain…
- The PlayStation 1 was first launched and produced in December 1994 completed in March 2006. However, the console and its games were still available after the last PlayStation 1 rolled off the assembly line. Overall, the original PlayStation had a 12-year console lifespan.
- The PlayStation 2 was released in March 2000. That means the PS1 was made for six years after the PS2 debuted. PlayStation 2 Deliveries ended in Japan in 2012 and worldwide broadcasts ended the following year. Overall, the PlayStation 2 had a lifespan of over 12 years.
There’s definitely a pattern here, but…
- The PlayStation 3 went on sale in November 2006, six years after the launch of the PlayStation 2. Console shipments ended in the US in October 2016 and in Japan the following March. Overall, the lifespan of the PlayStation 3 was just over ten years.
- The PS4 was first launched in November 2013, meaning the PS3 was available for three and a half years in the life of the new console. Supplies for the PlayStation 4 Pro completed in Japan in January 2021. At the time, Sony said it was shifting its focus to PS5 production but would continue to put its energy into the PS4 platform business. The Jet Black 500GB PlayStation 4 will continue to be manufactured and sold. Overall, the lifespan of the console is over eight years.
- The PS5 was launched in November 2020 and hence the PS4 has outlived the lifespan of its predecessor over a year.
Hopefully if we make a safe guess, the PlayStation 4 can look forward to another two and a half years of manufacturing and shipping. But of course it can also take longer, depending on how the turnover is.
Considering how well the PS4 performed, how many games the console has, and how hard it still is to get hold of a PS5, it would be surprising to see Sony drop the PlayStation 4 any time soon. It’s certainly possible, but merging the console would create an even shorter runtime for Sony’s gaming machines.
The past is prologue – except when it isn’t.
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