When is the PlayStation 5 coming out?
That’s the question that seemingly the entire gaming world has been asking for well over a year now. We’re headed into the holiday season with no official release date from Sony other than a vague “Holiday 2020” window that has been floating around since the console was first revealed.
Obviously, there are a lot of circumstances that could be contributing to the delay in release information. Chief among them would be the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has thrown a monkey wrench into production and distribution efforts for the console.
A recent update to a UK website has now cast a cloud of doubt around the system’s release outside the United States and Canada.
First off, a Twitter user named Riaan van Wyk noted that a trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which was uploaded by PlayStation, stated that the PlayStation 5 would release in the United States and Canada for “Holiday 2020” but that it would be “late 2020” for the rest of the world.
That version of the trailer has since been removed with the new version making no mention of the PlayStation 5’s release.
[embed]https://twitter.com/Riaanvanwyk/status/1300506023661375489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]On top of that, the UK version of the PlayStation 5 site was recently updated to state that the console is due out in “late 2020” instead of the previously announced “Holiday 2020.”
However, this is far from a confirmation that the worldwide release of the PlayStation 5 has been delayed. Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, so what might be considered the holiday season in the United States would be late 2020 to the rest of the world.
A staggered launch might be the best bet for both Sony and its chief rival Microsoft. Logistical challenges are mounting due to COVID-19, and it might be more feasible to stagger the release of these consoles in the wake of such difficulty.
Of course, the release date is not the only bit of information we’re missing regarding both the PlayStation 5 and the upcoming Xbox Series X. We still don’t know what either console is going to cost, which is throwing many a holiday shopping budget into disarray.
Fears are also mounting that with the global economy (particularly the US economy) still reeling from the pandemic, most families won’t be able to afford an expensive new piece of gaming hardware this Christmas.
Recent rumors have estimated that the PlayStation 5 might cost as much as $599, though that is far from confirmed.
Many believe that both Sony and Microsoft will make an announcement as to the release and cost of these consoles sometime this month.