The average lifespan of a video game console is generally considered to be about six years. Afterwards, new generation consoles are usually released and support for older systems begins to wane. However, PlayStation 4 seems to be an exception in this regard.
PS4 support still continues in 2023. Sony hasn’t started focusing entirely on the PS5 yet. What this means for games is a separate topic of discussion.
PlayStation 5 had a controversial start that was very difficult to find with supply problems, but now this problem seems to have disappeared. This may suggest that it’s time to give up on PS4. However, as in every subject, there are two different perspectives here, and in this article we will try to briefly explain both sides.
The global chip shortage has affected many industries, and the gaming industry has had its share of this trouble. This shortage resulted in Sony’s inability to produce enough consoles to meet demand when the PS5 was released. Perhaps even worse, the PS5 has been targeted by black marketers in a way that makes it even more difficult to reach.
PlayStation 5We can easily say that these two events contributed greatly to the survival of PS4 until today. Overall, there weren’t enough people using the PS5. Had PS4 support ended earlier, the limited number of PS5 owners would not have been enough for Sony to profit.
Relatedly, as the PS5’s growth was so slow at the start of its life, Sony almost necessarily made the decision to continue releasing games for both PS4 and PS5. However, the new generation consoles such as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are much more powerful than the previous generation, and the lack of focus on them has caused them to lag behind.
The PS5 has powerful features that make it worth the investment to give up on the PS4. The graphics that the console can offer are much higher than the previous generation game consoles. But for cross-gen games to run efficiently on PS4, features need to be weakened, causing players to not use all the power their PS5 can provide.
PlayStation 5 still cannot fully use its power
PS5 owners are forced to play PS4 games on their systems, from one point of view, as games are developed that will work on both generations, rather than developing next-generation games that take advantage of the powerful features of the PS5.
Unless Sony is making the switch entirely to the PlayStation 5, there’s no reason for players to make the switch, either.
Also, the significant price difference between PS5 and PS4 makes the PS4 the better choice, especially for gamers on a budget. Since the PS4 has been on the market for a long time, you’re more likely to find a clean used PS4 for a lot cheaper second-hand.
PlayStation 4Sony’s reluctance to move away from the past and into the future of next-gen gaming is one of the reasons the transition has been so difficult for gamers. Currently, the vast majority of games are offered with PS4 support, and PS5 owners are not getting the maximum output they can get from new games, as they need to be compressed in order to run efficiently on both systems.
Gamers won’t give up on PS4 until Sony gives up, and likewise, Sony won’t be able to focus on PS5 until they give up on PS4. There is an important cycle here, and it can be safely said that you can continue to buy good games for PS4 until this cycle is broken.
On the other side of the debate, the PS5’s powerful features stand out. While relatively few PS5 games currently take full advantage of these features, it can be safely said that games that make use of advanced features are impressive. In addition, the number of these games is increasing over time, albeit slowly.
Conclusion: Is the PS4 ending its lifespan?
Nevertheless, there is one thing that stands out: The PS4 has had a pretty impressive lifespan, but it’s fast approaching the end of its time. As more games are released that take advantage of PS5’s features, more players will switch to PS5, and as more players switch to PS5, the number of games that support PS4 will decrease.
In short, PS4 is a console that still manages to work with all its power today. But it should be said that the time to break the cycle is near. In other words, PS4 is now in its last days and if your budget is suitable, it would be better to turn to PS5 instead of investing money in PS4.
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