We already know that the PS4 is in its final stages, though there's still much speculation over when PS5 will release. What we do know is that Sony appears to be working closely with chip manufacturer AMD as it did during the production of the PS4.
Following the leak of the PS5 specs, it's long been rumored that Sony will once again be using AMD to help power the PlayStation 5. According to Phoronix, Sony's “compiler experts” have been working closely with the AMD Ryzen processor, sparking speculation this will be used in the development of PS5.
PS4 Powered By AMD Ryzen
The programmer in question also works on the development of PlayStation hardware, as confirmed in his LinkedIn profile (via Eurogamer). What this means is that PS5 appears to be using the same x86 system architecture as PS4, and that could mean backwards compatibility - the PS5 may play PS4 games!
The latest speculation on the release of Sony's next generation console comes from NPD analyst, Mat Piscatella. We know for sure that the PS5 will not be revealed at E32018, so we can likely forget about a 2019 launch. Piscatella thinks we're looking at Fall 2020 at the earliest.
“I’m forecasting PS5 no earlier than fall 2020, which would mean at least 3 more holidays of big releases to enjoy on the platform, and a perfectly normal cycle length. Just because a next gen is mentioned is meaningless to the breadth and depth of content that is coming,” he said in a comment on Twitter.
What can we expect before that? Well, Sony plans to focus on multiple areas for the PlayStation brand in FY2018. This includes eSports, PSVR, PlayStation Vue, and exclusive games.
Already this year, PS4 has enjoyed many great exclusives, including Shadow of the Colossus, God of War and Yakuza 6: Song Of Life. There's plenty more to come too, with the likes of Detroit Become Human, Days Gone and Spider-Man! And we may be able to continue playing these great games on PS5 if backwards compatibility does happen.