While the current console hardware cycle is still going strong, many gamers have been speculating as to when Sony Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft could finally announce the release of its next generation of systems. Now, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst Lewis Ward, the two tech titans could very well wind up unveiling the PS5 and the newest iteration of Xbox during press conferences at E3 2020.

According to comments made in a recent interview, Ward believes there is a chance for both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One to get “modest hardware refreshes” at some point in 2019. The IDC analyst thinks that this, coupled with “a slate of AAA exclusives” for both systems, will wind up causing the consoles to remain active for about another two years in the marketplace. Should this occur, then he maintains that E3 2020 would be the proper time for Sony and Microsoft to reveal the PS5 and next Xbox, with their releases being the following year in 2021.

“If the plan is to give this assumed hardware refresh two years of runway before next-gen systems arrive, then 2020’s E3 is when Sony and Microsoft will be unveiling their new systems.”

When it comes to the actual hardware players should expect from the PS5 and next Xbox, Ward has declared that Sony and Microsoft will most likely release the consoles as traditional systems instead of trying to adopt a more unconventional design akin to the Nintendo Switch. Regarding this matter, the IDC analyst stated, “I’m thinking PS5 and the next-gen Xbox won’t have built-in screens and will have disc drives.”

Bearing everything here in mind, should Sony and Microsoft decide that E3 2020 reveals for the PS5 and next Xbox are in order, it's safe to presume that many fans will rejoice due to the fact that it means an extended shelf life for their current consoles, and that they won't have to shell out more money for new systems just yet. That said, though, other analysts have surmised the next hardware cycle could start as soon as this year, with the next Xbox and PlayStation 5 possibly coming toward the end of 2019. Of course, we will simply have to wait and see what's on the horizon.

The PS5 and next Xbox have yet to be officially announced.

Source: GamingBolt