The PS5 is almost impossible to find. This was the case during pre-orders; that was the case at launch; and I predict that it will be well after Christmas. Although stocks may stabilize as early as the end of January, there is a good chance that we will have to wait a few more months before you can walk into any electronics store and buy Sony’s newest console.
The good news is that you don’t really need a PS5 right now, at least if you have a PS4 or comparable game system. However, although I do not recommend abandoning everything for a PS5 just yet, the fact is that the PS4 is down and console players will have to update sooner rather than later. If now is not the right time to buy a PS5, when will it be?
Although each individual’s case varies slightly, we can try to find the “best” time to buy a PS5 based on three main factors: game selection, hardware and price. And, of course, if you really want a PS5, then the best time to buy one is “as soon as you can find a refueling. ”
Selection of PS5 games: what comes when
Everyone has a different limit when it comes to “how many games make a system worthwhile?” For some people, a system vendor is sufficient (that system vendor is Demon’s Souls, by the way); for others, a dozen exclusive titles may be the limit, because why upgrade any other way?
I don’t think there is a right or wrong approach here, but I will say that my own rule is “three games that I can’t play on any other system”. At the moment, the PS5 does not meet this criterion. It has only two truly exclusive titles – Astro’s Playroom and Demon’s Souls – and one of them was technically released for PS3 over a decade ago.
My own rule for buying a new console is that it needs “three games that I can’t get on any other system”. At the moment, the PS5 does not meet this criterion.
Looking ahead to the next few months, we are scheduled to get Returnal, Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in the first half of 2021. We have more nebulous release dates for other exclusives, like God of War Ragnarok, Ghostwire: Tokyo and Final Fantasy XVI, but it is at least possible that they will be launched in 2021.
Then there is the question of cross-generation games, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. While these games work well on PS4, there is a good chance that cross-generation games will start to favor next-generation consoles sooner rather than later. We have already started to see this disparity with titles like Cyberpunk 2077, and the performance differences are likely to become even more noticeable over time.
Based on the PS5 exclusives that we have now, as well as those that we should have in the coming months, it looks like March 2021 would be the time to start seriously considering a purchase; in June, there should be no real reason to postpone.
PS5 bugs and problems
One reason I advise against buying consoles at launch is because of hardware problems. They are not always present, but when they are, they are often extremely difficult to repair. Think of the Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death – or, even more recently, the flood of PS5s with uncorrectable sleep mode problems.
Even if a problem does not interrupt your system, previous versions of the console are generally not optimized. Consider Nintendo Switch’s low battery at launch, or on PS5 considerable variation in fans and, consequently, fan noise.
These problems are resolved over time, although it is difficult to say exactly how long this can take – mainly because new hardware problems may arise over the months. Remember: the problem with the Red Ring of Death has not worsened until almost two years after its initial release.
So, you should wait two full years before buying a PS5 – when can there be a minor and / or cheaper redesign? Well, maybe – I’m not a big fan of the PS5’s current look and feel. But it is also worth remembering that the Red Ring was an anomaly among game consoles, and these systems are generally quite solid.
My recommendation would be to give six months to see if any additional problems arise and how Sony handles those problems. While there is nothing intrinsically instructive about this period, it is at least long enough to assess the system’s performance in the real world and see if something happens. This would be the “ideal” time to buy a PS5 in May 2021 – just when your game library is getting more robust.
PS5 price: will it go down?
If you are delaying the purchase of the PS5 because you are expecting a price reduction, I have bad news: consoles very rarely decrease in price during the first year on the market. Maybe if you wait until next Christmas, you can get some kind of discounted package, but that would probably be a pack-in game or an extra controller – not a decisive price difference.
As such, the standard PS5 is likely to be $ 500 in 2021, and the PS5 Digital Edition is likely to be $ 400. (It is possible, of course, that digital edition will prove to be much less popular than its version enabled for disk, in which case Sony could further discount the smaller device. But at least for now, it’s impossible to keep any of the models in stock.)
While it is a bit of a sneaky answer, it is also true: the PS5 price is unlikely to change in 2021, so that shouldn’t really influence your decision in one way or another. If you want a more substantial price reduction, you will have to wait until 2022 or later.
When to buy PS5: Outlook
Since price is not an issue and game selection depends largely on personal taste, I would say that the first time to buy a PS5 is March 2021 – and you can wait until May or June if you really want to start racing . Sure, you can try to find one earlier, but you can just climb up a wall dealing with inconsistent refills and greedy money changers.
Alternatively, you can wait another year and see if the price drops. If 2022 arrives and you still can’t find a PS5, something will have gone terribly wrong.