Despite the console having not yet been officially announced by Sony, rumors of a PlayStation 5 have dealt their first blow to the sales of the tentative PS5's predecessor.
The current generation of consoles has treated us well, and the ride is not over yet. That being said, we have more happy years with our PlayStation 4's and Xbox One's behind us than we do ahead. Talk of the PlayStation 5 and Project Scarlett continues to ramp up, and by the end of 2020, we could have those consoles in our homes.
Sony hasn't actually officially announced the PS5 yet, and that might not even be the next-generation console's name. However, we're going to assume that it will be considering the four consoles that have come before it. Even though Sony hasn't announced the PS5, it has already been showing off what gamers can expect from its next console.
As exciting as those revelations have been, it turns out that they weren't great for sales of the PS4. GameSpot reports that during the second quarter of 2019, the 3.2 million PS4's shipped fell below what Sony had expected. It seems as if, even though potential customers don't know when Sony's next offering is coming, or even its name, many are willing to hold off on buying a new PS4 and wait it out.
Even without the leaked news regarding the PS5's load times and capabilities, this shouldn't have come as too big a surprise to Sony. Customers know that new consoles are coming, so if they haven't bought a PS4 or Xbox One by now, chances are that they're not going to. With only a little more than a year to wait for the next generation (we hope) the waiting game has begun for those sitting on the fence. Potential PS4 price cuts off the back of these Q2 numbers might change that, though.
It wasn't all bad news from Q2 for Sony and the PS4. It also revealed that it has finally surpassed the 100 million mark for units sold worldwide since launch. That's quite the accomplishment, and it is only the sixth console ever to have surpassed it. By the end of the year, the PS4 will likely surpass the Wii and PS1's lifetime sales, moving it into fourth place, even according to Sony's revised predictions.