COVID-19 Might Have Swayed For Earlier Reveals Of New Consoles, Analyst Reports

With 2020 marking the upcoming inauguration of the next-generation Xbox and PlayStation, fans are eager to continue learning more in the coming months before the system’s launch. However, due to the swelling circumstance that has been inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, the initially scheduled releases for both the Xbox Series X alongside PlayStation 5 for the end of this year was presumed to be pushed as more of the world is in current lockdown to combat the virus.

But despite the assumptions that users online have swiftly adopted, both Microsoft alongside Sony has disclosed that both consoles are still slated to arrive in holiday 2020. And now according to a recent report, it looks that instead of a later reveal for the new hardware, fans could possibly expect an earlier reveal than planned by the console giants.

According to a tweet issued by Niko Partners’ David Ahmad, he tells that announcements initially scheduled for the now-cancelled E3 has been shifted to different segments of the year; some earlier and some later. Ahmad adds that reveals for next-gen systems are to be “much earlier too.”

Reflecting on previously made reports, Sony discussed potentially doing a showcase for the approaching PlayStation 5 to disclose information like the price range of the console and the expected release. In the discussion with Bloomberg, developers familiar with the hardware project the pricing to be around $499 – $549 at launch. Additionally, fans could also expect to also get a first look at the system itself since that is still an enigma to most.

As for Microsoft, a rumor surfaced the same week which disclosed that company actually has two planned showcases for the new hardware. One being set in May which would reveal more details on the Xbox Series X alongside potential software for the console. The second being a more expected Inside Xbox presentation which would convey more games for the overall platform. The same claim also issued that fans would also learn more about the reported Project Lockhart as well.

Ultimately these potential shows for both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 has already been reported earlier on, but now with Ahmad’s recent statement, that only supports the claims to be more tangible to occur in the coming weeks. Ahmad has done quite a lot of unraveling for the industry ahead of their proper reveals; one being the scheduled announcement for games like Skellboy and Creature in the Well prior to Gamescom’s Indie World last year.

In a subtweet, Ahmad does clarify that while COVID-19 does influence an earlier showcase for both systems, the situation can also do the same to prolong the reveals as well. So it is urged that those reading should take that into consideration as well.

Are you excited to see more of the new consoles in the close future?