How much did the PS4 cost at launch?

Can a PS4 last 10 years?

A tech journalist asks me if my PS4 will last 10 years, and my instinctual response is to smile and nod.

The PS4 won't be obsolete for quite a while longer because it is just one platform of many, but I still want it to last. As a gamer - someone who likes to be able to play games long after the novelty of their respective systems wears off - I want a reliable, affordable system that delivers its promised performance.

For a long time, Sony has been on the right track with the PS4. It has a great lineup of game titles (just check out our PS4 vs Xbox One: Which Console Wins Most?), and those game titles consistently look good. I know how to upgrade and what needs to be done to keep it updated with software and hardware, and, as my friends can attest, I enjoy installing the updates and tinkering with it myself.

It is very likely that Sony already knows what the final version of the PS4 software will look like when it launches in November, and with any luck, it will have more content ready to roll out post-launch (hopefully). What about after launch? How does a company get its products to the market and ready to sell before launching? Well, if you were wondering, they do it exactly the same way Nintendo has for the Nintendo Switch, which goes on sale this week: with a staggered start.

I've been testing out the system for months, and the good news is that the system is ready to go whenever I choose to play it. The bad news is that there isn't much I would actually want to play on it. I don't have the same level of dedication or desire to upgrade as I do with the Xbox One or the Xbox 360, so I haven't explored every aspect of the system (and honestly, at the end of this review, I want to sell it so I can buy an XBox One S). What this means is that some things aren't perfect and some features I think we should all have but might not be able to experience until later in 2026 simply aren't available yet.

Let's start with some of the positives first: there are many options available when it comes to upgrading the PS4.

Is it worth buying a PS4 in 2024?

Here's what to expect

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Twitter. LinkedIn. According to a new analysis, the PS4 is predicted to outlive its closest rival at the same point in time. It's been four years since Sony first launched the PS4, and it's been four years since its rival, Microsoft's Xbox One, has come out. When the next gen consoles are inevitably expected to launch in 2026, that means we'll have been spending four years on a gaming revolution which isn't even yet finished.

But will any of the current generation of consoles be around by then? Will there be any need to buy new hardware? If you look at the data, you can pretty much guarantee that the PS4 is set to outlive the Xbox One. But what will happen in 2024? What we know so far. Here's what we know about what comes next. It's worth keeping in mind that this data and predictions could all change once we get closer to the actual date.

The PS4 may be the current generation's longest living console. According to this data from Wargaming.net, the most recent generation's consoles were expected to live for three to four years each, meaning the PS4 could see eight years or more of use. The prediction from Wargaming.net says:

"Despite Xbox One's popularity, console sales have been on a decline since 2026. For the first time in PlayStation's history, they may not be able to maintain the lead for their rival."

But these forecasts aren't finalised, as Wargaming notes that they're still theoretical. The data also says that the Wii U should outlive the Xbox 360, but this isn't a prediction.

What it says. Wargaming's data suggests that the PS4 is likely to outlive the Xbox One at the same point in time, though it's worth noting that both console lifespans are estimated rather than predicted. It's worth pointing out that this particular data is based on a survey taken before E3 2026, and so a lot of gaming news over the past few years will have affected its results.

When was the PS4 released in the USA?

PS4 was the first console to have this issue where it gets delayed and is released all at once, not a month before it actually got out.

Do I understand it correctly that only Canada will get the PS4 on day one? Why does Europe is getting the PS4 2 weeks earlier? Are European PS3s already obsolete or something? I'm asking this in light of our friend who doesn't seem to understand why we didn't get the 4S on day one instead of having to wait for the "day one release" announcement. Canada can order PS4 a full month before it's made available to retailers in other regions. That includes the North American continent. So, you can order it with the assurance that it'll be in your hands when you walk into a store next Tuesday.

Europe also received early shipments; that gives retailers time to order it, test it and stock it so they're ready to go when you want to buy one. (Europe's PS3 was a bit different. It didn't ship on the launch date, it began shipping later in November. They had to send PS3 units for final testing and stocking up until the official launch a few weeks after Thanksgiving.)

So if I understood well, the main difference is that US and Canada can get their consoles a month ahead, while Europe has to wait for a few weeks. We only have one friend who doesn't get the reason of me going to the PS4 on day one instead of the X1 or PS3, but he's a very good friend so not many things about him are wrong. But it's like the one who ordered a laptop on Amazon but then they told him it'll be a week later. He started getting mad that he can't read books and use his computer right now. So that's how I have to explain to people that the reason I can't just get an X1 or PS3 is because I wanted to wait for the PS4 (the day one). I don't understand why some still believe the "X1 is so slow" and "why do I need the PS4 for movies"?

And of course, this is what it all comes from, the fact that we only get ONE console, and so there's only ONE X1 or ONE PS4 for everyone!