PARIS: The upcoming release of a ninth generation of video game consoles by Sony and Microsoft is set to be a sales slam dunk with consumers seeking entertainment during pandemic confinement, but could it also be their swansong as the habits of gamers change?
Both companies have been dripping out information for months about the PlayStation 5 (PS5) and the Xbox Series X to build excitement, and gamers will be able to start getting their hands on them next week.
In a sign of the keen anticipation of gamers, the alloted pre-orders for the consoles at major retailers were quickly snapped up and both companies expect high demand in the run-up to the end of the year.
Sony has said it expects to sell 7.6 million PS5 consoles through the end of March, beating the sales performance of the PS4.
And it will be a major upgrade in terms of hardware — the current generation of consoles were released back in 2013.
Both new consoles will offer much more powerful central and graphics processors, support 4K televisions, as well as offer ray tracing, which allows for better rendition of how light behaves.
“When one looks at the technical specifications of the new consoles, they are 10 times above the current generation. We’re going to have games that are more beautiful, more realistic, more immersive. People are going to be blown away,” said Charles-Louis Planade, a video game expert with Midcap Partners.
