While the PlayStation 5 is Sony'south latest console, the PlayStation 4 is even so on the marketplace, at least as a pre-endemic organisation. The question is: should y'all buy a PS4 in tardily 2021?

Permit'southward expect at some of the reasons why ownership a PS4 still might be worthwhile for you, along with some cautions about ownership the console so belatedly into its life.

PS4 and PS5 Pricing in 2021

Information technology's difficult to give an exact price for the PS4 at this time since the console is mostly being sold pre-owned and through bundles. However, in general, the manufacturer'due south fix 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 can play games at 4K resolution due to its more than powerful hardware. Unfortunately, Sony hasn't dropped the suggested price of either system afterwards the launch of the PS5.

In dissimilarity, the PS5 Digital Edition (which lacks a disc drive) is $400, while the standard PS5 is $500. Pricing aside, there are still reasons to consider a PS4 if y'all tin't observe a PS5 (or merely don't desire to get adjacent-gen however).

The PS4 Has an Splendid Library of Games...

It's no secret that owning a PS4 grants yous 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 classic PlayStation games.

If you don't already accept some other console or a gaming PC, the PS4 provides a great way to play tons of games. However, the PS4 is a harder sell in 2021 if yous're primarily looking for its exclusives.

...Only Many PS4 Games Are Playable Elsewhere

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

If you missed out on the PS4, the PlayStation Plus Drove is an fifty-fifty more attractive perk. This do good, available to all PS Plus subscribers who have a PS5, gives access to several elevation PS4 games like Persona five, Resident Evil 7, and Bloodborne at no additional charge.

PlayStation Plus costs $sixty per year, making it 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 buying them individually.

PS4 games run faster on PS5, thanks to its congenital-in SSD. Simply keep in mind that the PS5 comes with a limited 825GB of storage, so those PS4 games will add up chop-chop. If you lot need more space on your PS5, y'all can run PS4 games via an external USB drive or an M.2 SSD, but both of these incur an boosted cost.

As information technology turns out, PlayStation consoles aren't the only place to play PlayStation titles. A few games that were once exclusive to the PS4, such as Horizon Zero Dawn and God of State of war, are now available on PC via Steam. Additionally, PlayStation Now is available on PC, allowing y'all to stream many tiptop PS4 (and before) titles to your calculator, as long every bit you lot have a decent PC and internet connection.

And then if you already have a PC and but want to endeavour a few exclusive games, a PS4 might not be worth it for yous. And if you're by and large interested in multiplatform games, a PS4 doesn't offering the all-time value (more on this below).

How Long Volition the PS4 Receive Support?

In Jan 2021, Sony Japan confirmed that information technology was ceasing production of well-nigh all PS4 models. This was unexpected, since the company had earlier claimed it would back up the PS4 for several more years.

This means that if you lot desire to buy a new PS4, you should do so quickly. Once the existing supply dries upward, information technology will be hard to find i, and yous'll probable accept to pay more for it.

Sony dropping support for the console is a sign that y'all probably shouldn't buy it. A discontinued console volition soon finish receiving games, and Sony likely won't offer hardware support for it much longer either.

But if yous do get a PS4 in 2021, how long should you look game back up to final? To approximate, nosotros can look 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. It received cross-generation titles until the stop of its life. For example, 2015's Telephone call of Duty: Black Ops Three was the last Call of Duty title released for the system, though information technology was a watered-down version with no campaign fashion.

This was similar for exclusive games. MLB The Show 16 was the final PS3 version of the yearly serial published by Sony. Prior to this, 2014's LittleBigPlanet three was the concluding major Sony-published title on the system.

The PS4 arrived in 2013, when the PS3 was 7 years erstwhile. Since the PS5 launched in 2020, this puts the PS4 on the aforementioned timeline as the last generation—though the existence of the PS4 Pro (launched in 2016) complicates this a chip.

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

March 2022's Gran Turismo 5 volition be available on both PS4 and PS5, while God of War Ragnarök volition too be on both systems. Whether you'll need a PS5 to play the side by side big game is thus uncertain.

From these trends, we would expect the PS4 to receive cantankerous-platform titles into 2023, at the latest. The PS4 Pro may receive a dissimilar treatment, but Sony hasn't made a distinction between PS4 models for any 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 desire to play a lot of titles that are only available on PS4 and you don't have another game console, and then the PS4 is nevertheless a decent buy. The PS4 Pro is more futurity-proofed, simply since its price is close to a PS5, we'd recommend sticking to a PS4 Slim if you practise buy a PS4. Consider ownership a second-hand model from a reputable seller to bring the cost down (which will soon be your just option anyway).

With a PS4, yous tin nonetheless savor cross-play with PS5 players in many games. Plus, you tin can take most of your games with y'all when yous upgrade to a PS5 (either through astern compatibility or free upgrade offers). Merely you're mostly buying access to older titles with the PS4, equally few new games volition launch over the adjacent year or two.

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 at present, only to spend $500 on a PS5 shortly later on. In the meantime, you lot might consider trying a few games using PS Now on your PC.

We've compared the PS4 and PS5 in more than item if you need help making that decision.

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

The Switch volition likely receive back up for longer than the PS4; just go along in mind that information technology'due south not as powerful. As a effect, cantankerous-platform games like Doom Eternal and Overwatch are not every bit smoothen on Switch.

Another great option is the Xbox Series S, which sold well during Blackness Friday 2021 for a reason. That console is also $300, and while it has a modest 512GB of space and isn't equally powerful as the PS5, it's ultra-fast and has a huge library of Xbox games across generations. For a casual histrion, it'southward a much better investment than the aging PS4.

Yous won't get PlayStation exclusives, but the Series S tin play all multiplatform games like Battlefield and Madden.

The PS4'due south Legacy Lives On

Equally nosotros've seen, there are some situations where it could make sense to purchase a PS4 right now. Simply if you don't autumn into them, it'south smarter to wait for a PS5, become PlayStation exclusives on PC, or become another console instead of paying for an former system.

Buying a modern console, peculiarly once more than games go far for it, is a better investment of your money. It just requires a little patience for at present.

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About The Author

Ben Stegner (1808 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his IT task to write total-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He'south been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over eight years.

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