Everyone’s favorite Wedbush securities analyst, Michael Pachter, has predicted that the next PlayStation console will launch next fall.
During an interview with Play magazine, Pachter pointed out that Sony doesn’t want to get beat to the punch by Microsoft for a second time. The PlayStation 3 released a year after the Xbox 360, and while the sales figures have evened out quite a bit over the years, Pachter believes things will be different this time.
“I don’t think Sony wants to launch behind Microsoft again,” Pachter said. “So I’m confident we’ll see a PS4 in October or November 2013.”
Although he thinks Sony will be first out of the gate, the possibility of a new PlayStation hitting even earlier than the fall seems unlikely at best.
“It isn’t likely that they will launch earlier, as it doesn’t make sense to get out too far in front of software, and I’m pretty confident that few developers have been working on PS4 games for more than a year or so,” Pachter said. “Holiday 2013 will be a comfortable window for Sony, and will give them a chance to get a head start on Microsoft.”
Gamers still clinging to their guns and PlayStation 3 consoles shouldn’t be too afraid of being left behind, though. Sony has a history of supporting its devices, and Pachter believes that PlayStation 3 still has some solid years ahead of it.
“The PS3 probably has a solid three years left for sales, so it should make it comfortably to a 10-year life span,” he claimed. “There are a lot of people who are uncomfortable spending $250 for a console, so I think price cuts to the $199, $149 and $99 will extend the life of a console.”
As with all statements by analysts, don’t take any of this as fact. Anything could happen in the next few years, but it’s difficult to deny that change is coming in the near future.
Do you think we’ll see the PlayStation 4 next fall? What time do you think the next Xbox will launch? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below!