It has been reported in certain outlets that Taiwanese companies, including ASE Technology and Greatek Electronics have begun backend shipments for the PlayStation 5 console.
Sony noted that production of the console was progressing smoothly during an earnings call for the first quarter on Tuesday.
ASE Technology, one of the companies in question, provides semiconductor manufacturing services. The other company named in this report, Greatek Electronics, performs integrated circuit assembly and testing.
Two models are set to ship for the PlayStation 5 when it releases. One will feature a UHD Blu-ray disc drive while the other will play only digital titles with no slot for any physical media.
Sony has been tight lipped about pricing for this new console, with many industry insiders believing that the company will try to keep the disc-ready version somewhere in the range of $500. Still there are some who fear prices might climb as high as $600. The all digital console could cost $50-$100 less than its counterpart, according to some recent estimates.
Bloomberg had stated that Sony is expected to make a major PlayStation 5 announcement sometime in August. Many are waiting for news on the price, pre-order information, and a release date.
Since the announcement of this device, Sony has had a very vague “Holiday 2020” release window. Of course, that could mean many things. Most believe that it will come out sometime in October or November, before Black Friday.
Eyes have also turned toward Sony’s chief console rival, Microsoft. The Xbox Series X, based on everything we’ve learned thus far, appears as though it will have a number of features that will challenge the PlayStation 5.
For one, the Series X has full backwards compatibility dating back to the original Xbox. That means any game from Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One will work on the new system.
Additionally, Microsoft has announced that Xbox One controllers will work with the Xbox Series X.
On the other side of the coin, the PS5 will have backwards compatibility with certain PlayStation 4 titles, and that’s it. That means no support for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and the original Sony PlayStation.
PlayStation 4 Dualshock controllers will only work with certain PlayStation 4 games that are playable on the PlayStation 5.
Despite these differences, Sony is walking into this console generation as the undisputed king of the mountain. The PlayStation 4 has outsold the Xbox One by leaps and bounds, and only time will tell what the future has in store for the next generation of console wars.