Why I’m sticking with my PS4 and will never buy a PS5

A reader explains why he’s decided not to upgrade to a PS5 and how the increasing cost of console gaming is part of the problem.

Being a video game fan has been all very confusing recently. I’ve played some amazing games, including Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Unicorn Overlord, but all the news constantly seems to be bad, with layoffs, talk of endless live service games, and a general sense of doom and gloom. I’m not saying there isn’t reason to be worried, I would be if I was a developer, but it does get you down when you’re just trying to have some harmless fun for a few hours.

I don’t know how much Sony’s string of bad showcases is a part of this problem but they’re not exactly helping to lighten the mood or provide any sense that there’s a lot to look forward to. Even so I’ve been happy enjoying the games I’ve been playing, which is mainly a mix of new titles, ones from my backlog, and favourites I enjoy revisiting.

I probably already own more than enough games to last a lifetime but I’m still buying new ones as a good percentage are still coming out on PlayStation 4, which bring me to the point of this feature: I have no intention of buying a PlayStation 5 or any next gen console.

There’re multiple reasons for this, that aren’t really connected, which is why I want to write this and kind of explain it to myself. The first is obviously expense; everything’s feeling the pinch nowadays and a PlayStation 5 isn’t cheap, especially when the games are more expensive too.

I’d expect this is the main reason for sales starting to drop sooner than they thought: they’ve reached their limit of hardcore gamers and with no price drop, and the cost of living crisis, more casual gamers just don’t feel the urge to spend all that money.

The lack of new game announcements is also a factor but that’s not what’s actually putting me off, because less games would actually fit in with my lifestyle now – since as a new dad I have less time for gaming. That’s not ideal but I think it’d be common for anyone that was no longer in their 20s or below.

But that’s the other reason for not getting a PlayStation 5. As much as I hate to admit it, buying a new console would just be a waste of time. I could probably afford it and I can find some time for it, but the lack of games and the poor treatment of developers is draining my enthusiasm for gaming as a whole.

I have to make a big effort to fit gaming into my life now and it’s just not seeming like it’s worth it. The only thing I can think is that if Sony did release a new portable then I would consider that, but only if it was fully backwards compatible.

It’s not always one big event that makes you fall out of love with something, it’s just a constant stream of smaller problems and at this point I’ve just had enough of the console drama. I still enjoy video games but being a gamer nowadays seems to come with so many problems I think I’d just prefer to pretend this new generation never happened.