It’s the worst time to buy a PlayStation 4

But if you haven't already bought one, there's at least one very good reason to wait for the PlayStation 5: It's going to run PlayStation 4 games as well.
And the next PlayStation is coming soon it's expected to launch in 2020.
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With somewhere around 7 billion people on the planet, there's still a decent chance you're part of the 6.9 billion who don't own a PlayStation 4 yet. But perhaps you were thinking about getting one?

Admittedly, it's very tempting: At this point in the PlayStation 4's life, there are dozens of excellent games. And the console is less expensive than ever before a used PS4 can go for $200 or less.

But maybe, just maybe, you should wait for the PlayStation 5 .

Sony's next PlayStation console the successor to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro is expected to arrive next year, in 2020. That alone shouldn't give you pause on your potential PlayStation 4 purchase.

But there's another, even more pragmatic reason to hold out: The PlayStation 5 will run PlayStation 4 games. Games like the gorgeous and thrilling "Marvel's Spider-Man," seen here:

Spider-Man (PS4) Sony/Marvel

Sony confirmed as much in a recent interview with Wired , among other details about the upcoming PlayStation console .

That's good news for both existing PlayStation 4 owners and potential ones:

If you already own a PS4, your game library will transfer over to Sony's next PlayStation console.
If you don't already own a PS4, the next PlayStation comes built-in with a massive library of excellent PS4 games. Win-win!

But for anyone who doesn't already own a PlayStation console, getting the newest version will let you play the most games. The PlayStation 4 can only play PlayStation 4 games, but the PlayStation 5 will play PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games!

Death Stranding Golden Mask

There's another financial argument to point out here: The PlayStation 5 might be a more expensive console than usual. "I believe that we will be able to release it at an SRP [suggested retail price] that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set," lead architect Mark Cerny told Wired's Peter Rubin .

When Rubin pushed on what that meant, Cerny demurred. "That's about all I can say about it," he said.

Given that the PlayStation 5 is running on brand new, yet-to-be-released processors and uses more expensive solid-state storage, it's likely to land on the higher side in terms of price. For context, the nearly three-year-old PlayStation 4 Pro model still costs $400 the PlayStation 5 could cost even more.

So, instead of buying a PS4 now, why not save that money and put it toward a PlayStation 5 next year?

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