Jen Glennon for Kotaku: Bummer: PS5 Entering 'The Latter Stage of Its Life Cycle,' Sony Says

Sony execs also said that its current-gen hardware, the PlayStation 5, is nearing the end of its life cycle.

I think the PS5 and Xbox Series console generation will go down as one of the most anonymous gaming generations ever. Not to say it’s been bad, just that it’s a generation that seems like it still hasn’t gotten off the ground, even in it’s 4th year. Launching in the height of the pandemic didn’t help, extreme stock shortages for over a year made it worse, and we were coming off maybe the most successful generation (sale-wise) of consoles ever so the installed base on PS4/XBO hardware was too big to ignore for game developers (even today, many games from big publishers are still releasing on PS4 and Xbox One). Sony’s done alright with getting some exclusives on their console, although again most of those released on PS4 as well, but we’re also dealing with a Microsoft who despite buying up as many game studios as they legally can, seem to not be able to put out an interesting exclusive game to save their lives.

Oh, and Nintendo is on a different schedule (Switch launched in 2017) and has smoked both of these guys in terms of unit sales, and it wasn’t until last year that Sony finally overtook them.

Console generations have gotten longer over time, in large part because the tech has advanced slower than in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, and recently it’s been year 3-4 where consoles really start to hit their stride with tons of new games, most gamers having upgraded to the new tech, and developers comfortable with and exploiting the hardware to its fullest potential. That’s why Sony saying the PS5 is nearing the end of its life cycle just after its 3rd anniversary on the market is a bit surprising.