While the PlayStation 5 is Sony's latest console, the PlayStation 4 is all the same on the marketplace, at least as a pre-endemic system. The question is: should yous purchase a PS4 in belatedly 2021?

Allow's wait at some of the reasons why buying a PS4 nonetheless might be worthwhile for y'all, along with some cautions near ownership the console so tardily into its life.

PS4 and PS5 Pricing in 2021

It'due south hard to give an exact price for the PS4 at this time since the console is mostly existence sold pre-endemic and through bundles. Notwithstanding, in full general, the manufacturer's ready price of the PS4 Slim is $300, while the PS4 Pro is $400.

PS4 Slim Sony Store 2021

The major difference between these is that the PS4 Pro tin can play games at 4K resolution due to its more powerful hardware. Unfortunately, Sony hasn't dropped the suggested price of either organisation after the launch of the PS5.

In contrast, the PS5 Digital Edition (which lacks a disc bulldoze) is $400, while the standard PS5 is $500. Pricing aside, at that place are still reasons to consider a PS4 if you tin can't discover a PS5 (or just don't want to become next-gen yet).

The PS4 Has an Excellent Library of Games...

It'southward no secret that owning a PS4 grants you access to a vast catalog of games. This includes the best PS4 exclusives similar God of War and Ratchet & Clank, third-party titans like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, indie games, and remasters of archetype PlayStation games.

If you don't already take another console or a gaming PC, the PS4 provides a nifty way to play tons of games. Withal, the PS4 is a harder sell in 2021 if yous're primarily looking for its exclusives.

...But Many PS4 Games Are Playable Elsewhere

Thankfully, the PS5 is backward-compatible and thus able to play most every PS4 title. This means if you own a digital game on PS4 (or a PS4 disc and the standard PS5), you tin play it on your PS5 while taking advantage of the more powerful hardware.

If y'all missed out on the PS4, the PlayStation Plus Drove is an even more attractive perk. This benefit, available to all PS Plus subscribers who have a PS5, gives access to several top PS4 games like Persona 5, Resident Evil 7, and Bloodborne at no additional accuse.

PlayStation Plus costs $60 per twelvemonth, making information technology an additional cost to consider. But if you want to play a lot of these titles, waiting for a PS5 and subscribing to Plus is more than cost-effective than getting a PS4 and ownership them individually.

PS4 games run faster on PS5, thanks to its built-in SSD. Only keep in mind that the PS5 comes with a express 825GB of storage, so those PS4 games will add up rapidly. If you lot need more space on your PS5, you lot tin run PS4 games via an external USB drive or an 1000.ii SSD, but both of these incur an boosted cost.

Equally it turns out, PlayStation consoles aren't the but identify to play PlayStation titles. A few games that were once exclusive to the PS4, such equally Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War, are now available on PC via Steam. Additionally, PlayStation Now is available on PC, allowing you lot to stream many top PS4 (and before) titles to your computer, as long as yous have a decent PC and net connexion.

So if you already take a PC and simply want to try a few exclusive games, a PS4 might not exist worth information technology for you. And if you're mostly interested in multiplatform games, a PS4 doesn't offer the best value (more on this beneath).

How Long Will the PS4 Receive Support?

In January 2021, Sony Japan confirmed that it was ceasing product of almost all PS4 models. This was unexpected, since the company had earlier claimed information technology would support the PS4 for several more than years.

This means that if yous want to buy a new PS4, y'all should do so quickly. Once the existing supply dries upwardly, information technology volition be hard to find 1, and you'll likely have to pay more for information technology.

Sony dropping support for the panel is a sign that you probably shouldn't buy it. A discontinued console will soon stop receiving games, and Sony likely won't offer hardware support for it much longer either.

But if yous practice go a PS4 in 2021, how long should y'all expect game support to last? To estimate, we can wait back at the last console generation.

The PS4's Expected Game Lifetime

The PlayStation 3 was released in 2006 and discontinued in 2016 in North America. Information technology received cantankerous-generation titles until the end of its life. For case, 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops III was the terminal Call of Duty title released for the organization, though it was a watered-down version with no campaign mode.

This was similar for exclusive games. MLB The Bear witness sixteen was the final PS3 version of the yearly series published by Sony. Prior to this, 2014's LittleBigPlanet 3 was the concluding major Sony-published title on the system.

The PS4 arrived in 2013, when the PS3 was vii years onetime. Since the PS5 launched in 2020, this puts the PS4 on the aforementioned timeline every bit the last generation—though the existence of the PS4 Pro (launched in 2016) complicates this a bit.

Horizon Forbidden West will release on both PS5 and PS4 in Feb 2022 (subsequently being delayed from its planned 2021 release date). In contrast, 2021'southward Ratchet & Clank: Rift Autonomously, a major PlayStation exclusive, is PS5-simply.

March 2022's Gran Turismo 5 will exist available on both PS4 and PS5, while God of War Ragnarök volition also exist on both systems. Whether yous'll demand a PS5 to play the next big game is thus uncertain.

From these trends, we would wait the PS4 to receive cross-platform titles into 2023, at the latest. The PS4 Pro may receive a different treatment, simply Sony hasn't fabricated a distinction betwixt PS4 models for whatsoever releases since the PS5 came out.

Should You Buy a PS4 in 2021?

Looking at all these considerations, is the PS4 worth buying in late 2021? Probably not, but it depends on your situation.

If you want to play a lot of titles that are only available on PS4 and you don't take another game console, then the PS4 is even so a decent buy. The PS4 Pro is more than future-proofed, but since its price is close to a PS5, we'd recommend sticking to a PS4 Slim if you do buy a PS4. Consider buying a second-hand model from a reputable seller to bring the cost down (which will presently be your just option anyway).

With a PS4, you can nevertheless enjoy cantankerous-play with PS5 players in many games. Plus, you tin can take virtually of your games with y'all when you upgrade to a PS5 (either through backward compatibility or free upgrade offers). But you're mostly buying access to older titles with the PS4, every bit few new games will launch over the next yr or 2.

If you see yourself buying a PS5 in the next year, we'd recommend waiting for that instead. Information technology doesn't brand much sense to spend $300 on a PS4 now, only to spend $500 on a PS5 shortly afterward. In the meantime, yous might consider trying a few games using PS Now on your PC.

Nosotros've compared the PS4 and PS5 in more than detail if you lot need help making that determination.

If you're non interested in PlayStation exclusives at all, consider a Nintendo Switch instead. That panel launched in 2017, but offers a lot for the toll. You get a organization that y'all can play at home or on the go with a wide variety of first-party Nintendo titles, plus third-party ports and indie games.

The Switch will likely receive back up for longer than the PS4; just proceed in mind that it's not every bit powerful. As a issue, cross-platform games like Doom Eternal and Overwatch are not as smoothen on Switch.

Another groovy option is the Xbox Series Due south, which sold well during Black Friday 2021 for a reason. That panel is likewise $300, and while it has a small-scale 512GB of infinite and isn't equally powerful as the PS5, it'due south ultra-fast and has a huge library of Xbox games across generations. For a coincidental histrion, it's a much better investment than the aging PS4.

You won't become PlayStation exclusives, only the Series S can play all multiplatform games like Battlefield and Madden.

The PS4's Legacy Lives On

As we've seen, there are some situations where it could make sense to purchase a PS4 correct now. Just if you don't autumn into them, it'southward smarter to wait for a PS5, get PlayStation exclusives on PC, or get another panel instead of paying for an old system.

Ownership a modern console, specially once more games arrive for it, is a better investment of your coin. It just requires a niggling patience for now.

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About The Author

Ben Stegner (1803 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his It job to write full-fourth dimension in 2016 and has never looked dorsum. He's been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over eight years.

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