PlayStation 5 Release Window Reportedly Revealed

Sony has yet to announce when the PlayStation 5 will release. In fact, it hasn't even teased a release window for the PS5. That said, we do know the Xbox Scarlett will arrive sometime Holiday 2020, likely in November, and so presumably the PS5 will also release during this window. And this is what a new report claims. And as you will know, many industry analysts are also guessing the system will release then as well, though one or two have suggested the system won't arrive until 2021.

Unfortunately, the report doesn't divulge any further details about the system's release date, but given that Scarlett is arriving holiday 2020, it's not very surprising to hear the PS5 could arrive then as well.

As you will know, the PS4 and Xbox One released very closely to each other. The former arrive on November 15, 2013 -- in North America -- and then seven days latter hit on November 22. However, the PS3 and Xbox 360 released nowhere near each other. The latter arrived on November 22, 2005. Meanwhile, the former didn't arrive on the scene until a year later on November 17, 2006. In other words, there's precedence of the systems releasing very closely to each other, but there's always precedence -- slightly more removed precedence -- of both releasing nowhere near each other.

That all said, there's a good chance the next-gen consoles will launch in the same window this time, and probably within the same month. The question is: who will arrive first? Well, who knows. I don't think either even have a date in mind. They may have a target, but the two certainly don't have a release date already planned out.

The longer Sony goes without saying a release window for the PS5, the more people may think it will arrive in 2021, but this seems unlikely. For one, neither system will break the holiday release tradition. That's just a bad business decision. So, why would Sony announce the PS5 this year if it didn't plan on bringing it to market until holiday 2021? Some may note that Sony surely wouldn't mind the current generation to last a bit longer given the massive success the PS4 has been, but sometimes you force the market to react to you, and other times you just have to react to the market. And with a Switch revision likely coming soon, Stadia launching this year, and Xbox Scarlett next year, Sony really has no choice but to get the PS5 out.

Thanks, Wall Street Journal.