A possible release date and price for the PS5 has been leaked - but is it more than a rumour?
There is only one thing on the minds of gamers right now and that is the launch of the PS5 - and, less so, the Xbox Series X - this winter.
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Hide AdWell, we assume it will be winter. The fact is, we actually still don’t know for sure yet. It is widely accepted in video gaming circles that the PS5 will launch in November 2020.
But fans have been waiting patiently - for what seems like an eternity - for Sony to reveal the price, a precise release date and the usual pre-order dates and details for its next-gen console.
When might the PS5 be released?
Rumours are abound that people will be able to pre-order from as soon as next month. Within the next two weeks, in fact, with speculation that Sony will take your money for it’s shiny new white and black space age box from 9 September. That date also happens to be the official 25th anniversary of the PlayStation brand. But, of course, at the time of writing, nothing is official.
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Hide AdIt is being reported by Chinese website MyDrivers - via Push Square - that the PS5 is due to launch globally on 20 November, and going on sale in Japan a week earlier, on 14 November.
In terms of the Japan-first release, that is nothing unusual. After all, every PlayStation console before the PS4 was released in Japan prior to launching in other regions thereafter.
The only reason for the PS4 not following suit was because it lacked a game line-up to hang it on for Japanese audiences. The fact that Knack was one of the original bundle options is a prime example of this.
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Hide AdHow much could it cost?
So what about the price? There has been speculation that Sony and Xbox would aim for a higher price band, like tech companies do with smartphones. After all, if people are willing to shell out over £1,000 for a phone and pay it off monthly, why wouldn’t they with their beloved consoles?
But, according to MyDrivers, the PS5 console itself will be priced at a more reasonable £449, with the digital edition (with no blu-ray drive) coming in at £349.
Of course this is, at the moment, just a leak. And, as gamers have seen all too often down the years, leaks have a tendency to disappoint. It does, however, seem to be consistent with the rumours from elsewhere on launch date and pricing.
I guess we’ll all know if it is correct in two weeks’ time when the alleged pre-orders go live - or not - on 9 September. Until then, we’ll form an excited holding pattern in anticipation.