As the PlayStation 5’s prospective release date of holiday season 2020 approaches, speculation is rife as to what form the console will take, what its controller looks like, and many other things that remain unknown. There are, of course, details we do know about the console, but they’re pretty scant; all we know is that it’s called the PlayStation 5 and that it’ll probably be out around November-December time. Right now, everything else is up for grabs.
With that in mind, all eyes are on official sources for some news. Recently, Sony’s official PlayStation Europe Twitter handle changed its slogan to “It’s Time To Play”. While this doesn’t necessarily mean anything – the slogan is actually part of an advertising campaign for the PlayStation 4 used last year – it could show that Sony is gearing up to start advertising for the PS5, which would indicate an official reveal of the console sometime soon.
This information is also part of a 4chan leak (be careful, the link contains some less-than-savoury language) which purports to offer some new information about the PlayStation 5. While rumours should always be taken with a pinch of salt – especially those you’re likely to find on 4chan – we still think it’s worth taking a look at some of these rumours, as some of them look like they may well be credible. Let’s look at what the 4chan leak says and whether we think the information is legit.
Reveal event date – February 5th, 2020
This would be in line with the original PlayStation 4 release date, which happened way back in February 2013. Sony likes to unveil their consoles a fairly long way before the actual release date; this gives them some time to drum up hype and drip-feed more details about the console before it launches and can be bought by the general public. We think the reveal date is probably accurate here.
True or false? – TRUE
Release date – October 2020
This is the first piece of 4chan info in this leak that we would take with a rather large pinch of salt. Most PlayStation consoles tend to launch around November time if they launch in winter; this gives consumers time to decide whether they want to buy the console in time for Christmas or not. October simply feels a little too early for a major console release in our books.
True or false? – FALSE
Price – £449 (only one model)
This price might seem a little steep, but it would be in line with the kind of specs we’re expecting from the PlayStation 5. If Sony charges more than this, they’re liable to find consumers turning away from the console; conversely, if they charge less, they’ll be making such a massive loss that it won’t be worth selling the console at all. The single model strategy makes sense, too, as it’s less confusing.
True or false? – TRUE
Launch lineup – Gran Turismo 7, Demon’s Souls Remastered, and more
The PlayStation 5 launch lineup listed by the 4chan leak almost feels too good to be true, so we’re salivating over it. A new Gran Turismo game is always welcome and MLB The Show 21 is a shoo-in, but it’s Demon’s Souls Remastered we’re hyped for. Rounding off the lineup is Godfall and a new IP from Sony Santa Monica Studio titled Legendz. We’re not convinced, but we can dream.
True or false? – SADLY, FALSE
PS5 games teased at reveal – Final Fantasy XVI and more
Now this is a list that really makes us wonder whether this leak is legitimate or not. 4chan says the following games will be teased at the PS5 reveal event: a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel, Final Fantasy XVI, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, a new Naughty Dog IP, and more. Honestly, though, Sony will want to lead off with big names, especially given that Microsoft has only confirmed Halo: Infinite as a major system-seller so far.
True or false? – TRUE (hopefully)
Specs – better than base Xbox model, cheaper than higher-spec Xbox model
The 4chan link says that Sony’s new console will have better specs than the baseline Xbox “Lockhart” model, and while it won’t quite rival the higher-spec Series X offering, it’s almost as powerful and significantly cheaper into the bargain. It would make perfect sense for Sony to pitch its console in the middle of Microsoft’s two offerings so as to reduce confusion.
True or false? – TRUE
Slogan – “It’s time to play”
Again, we now know that Sony used this slogan last year as part of a PlayStation 4 marketing campaign, so it’s not likely this is the actual slogan for the PlayStation 5. However, Sony does like to keep it simple, especially when it comes to the focus of the PlayStation range; after all, it’s a gaming machine, so “it’s time to play” or something similar would certainly suit the console’s focus.
True or false? – FALSE (but expect a similar slogan)
Thus endeth our analysis of the latest 4chan PlayStation 5 leak. Some have discredited this information based solely on “it’s time to play” appearing in a PlayStation 4 campaign, but we’re not so sure. Some of this information seems legitimate, and we’d be surprised if Sony moved away from this, because it sounds like savvy business sense. We’re hoping at least some of it is true, because man, we’d love to play Final Fantasy XVI on our PlayStation 5 consoles.