PS4 Deals

Development begins

Just two years into the PS3’s lifecycle, work quietly began on what Sony would look to include in their next console. The PS3 had got off to a slow start due to production issues, and was significantly lagging behind the Xbox 360. The aim was to ensure that the next PlayStation was launched firing on all cylinders.

All aboard the hype train!

Sony’s PS4 is rumoured to begin production at the end of the year ready for a Christmas 2012 release.

If these rumours, plus those of a reworked Playstation network prove true, the PS4 looks set to get a big jump on their main competitors Microsoft.

PS4 Revealed

Following months of the usual speculation, Sony announces the PS4 console at the PlayStation Meeting 2013 event in New York. Rough specs and game footage are also shown.

PS4 undercuts XB1 at E3

At their E3 conference, Sony announces the PS4 price – and it’s almost £100 cheaper than Xbox One. It’s another battle won for Sony, following Xbox One’s always-online controversy.

Time to mark those calendars

The PS4 console’s UK release date is revealed at Gamescom in Germany. The next PlayStation is only a few months away!

The UK goes PS4 crazy

PS4 launches in the UK with incredible success. Over 250,000 PS4 consoles are sold in the opening weekend – 100,000 more than Wii U had sold in its first year on sale.

First limited edition PS4 is Foxy

The PS4 “Fox Edition” is announced, featuring a console bearing the “Force Operation X” emblem and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes packed in. It’s the first of many special PS4 bundles to come.

PS4's virtual reality future

Sony announces Project Morpheus, a virtual reality (VR) headset for PS4, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2014. Their own effort to take on the industry dominating Occulus Rift.

PlayStation Now launches

Cloud gaming service PS Now, which allows PS4 players to stream classic games via the Internet, launches in the US. A UK beta test of the service is also underway.

Worldwide PS4 sales pass 20m

Sony says PS4 is showing “the strongest and fastest growth in PlayStation history” as the number of PS4 consoles sold to players exceeds 20.2 million worldwide.

1TB PlayStation 4 announced

With downloads a necessity on PS4, even just for game updates, Sony announces a new console with 1 terabyte of storage – double what was available previously.

Project Morpheus gets inspired new name...

Project Morpheus is renamed to PlayStation VR! Give that man a raise.

Uncharted deal territory

To mark the launch of a new hard bundle of the PS4 along with Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Sony drops the price of the 500GB console with a game to an RRP of £299.99. This is down from a retail price of £350 for just the console when it first launched. This move kickstarts a slew of new PS4 deals just in time for the holiday season.

Project Morpheus first look

We get a first look at the consumer version of Project Morpheus, now better known as Playstation VR. The unit has a 5.7-inch OLED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution split across both eyes, and nine LEDs that let the PlayStation camera provide positional tracking.

Playstation Neo

Rumours are surfacing about a new Playstation, going by the name of Playstation Neo or PS4.5/PS4K. It’s speculated that the PS4.5 will be an upgraded PS4 with better graphic performance, support for Playstation VR and 4k resolution support. Current generation games will work on the console, although a boost in performance can be expected.

PS4 Slim Leak: Real or Fake?

The first sighting of the PS4 slim, the console to rival the Xbox One S has been spotted online. Seen by Twitter user @shortmaneighty2, the console was found on Gumtree, the free UK classified ads site.

Sony had called a PlayStation Meeting for early September where the announcement of PS4 Neo was expected. Now, with the arrival of a PS4 slim, it seems like there will be two consoles announced.

Confirmed: Leaked PS4 Slim is real

We now have concrete evidence that the leaked PS4 slim is real. An unboxing video surfaces of the new console, which retains a similar look to the original console but with a – yep, you guessed it – more slimline profile. The Slim goes on to effectively replace the original ‘fat’ console.

PS4 Slim and Pro officially announced

Sony officially announce a revamp to their PlayStation 4 offering, with the original PS4 console being replaced with a more slimline version with the same specs and the Pro becoming the new top of the range model, thanks to its upgraded internals and ability to play certain games in stunning 4K resolution.

External hard drive support added

The biggest upgrade found in the system software 4.50 update is the ability to expand your PS4’s internal memory through an external hard drive of up to 8TB, meaning plenty of additional space for those avid gamers out there.

Horizon Zero Dawn showcases Pro power

PS4-exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn launches, establishing itself as an early front-runner for the game of the year title, and also doing much to showcase exactly how powerful the PS4 Pro is.

Surpassing the 60 million mark

Sales figures released in June confirm that the PS4 has surpassed the 60 million consoles sold mark. Although still a long way behind the estimated 155 million PS2’s sold, the fourth version of Sony’s evergreen console is well on track to beat the PS3, which managed just more than 80 million. It also means that the PS4 is well ahead of its generational rival the Xbox One.

Cross-play capabilities mooted

Demand for cross-play between consoles increases, as several titles that combine player bases between the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One are announced, including Rocket League. However, there are no plans for cross-play between PS4 and any other consoles. Later in the year, in September, the game Fortnite accidentally enabled PS4 and Xbox One owners to play one another for a short period of time before disabling the feature.

Pro performance

Just prior to Microsoft’s anticipated announcement of their souped up version of the Xbox One, which will rival the PS4 Pro, Sony Entertainment Europe’s CEO Jim Ryan discloses that since launching last November, the Pro has accounted for one of every five PlayStations sold. This is extremely impressive given the price of the Pro, which typically sits around £130 more than than Slim.

FIFA and Destiny 2 bundles launch

Sony launch a white version of the PS4 Pro to coincide with the release of Destiny 2. They also take full advantage of winning the marketing rights to FIFA 18 from Microsoft by launching eight separate hard bundles. These bundles span the two versions of the Slim and the Pro, and come with different versions of the game and, in some cases, an additional gamepad for local multiplayer.

In the driving seat

Another month, another bundle – three, in fact. A special Gran Turismo version of the PS4 Slim launches in October with two more announced for November. Sony flex their muscles by showcasing two cross-party IPs they own the marketing rights for, a camo-designed number to coincide with the release of Call of Duty: WWII, and two models with decals celebrating Star Wars to tie in with Battlefront II’s release.

PS4 Pro receives its first major discount

In anticipation of Black Friday, the PS4 Pro receives a major price cut. From a £350 RRP that has been consistent since it launched over a year ago, the price of the Pro falls to £300 – with two AAA titles thrown in for good measure. Xbox One X beware!

PS VR Price Drop

As Black Friday looms, Sony make a significant move to tempt users to the PS4 Pro instead of the Xbox One X, slashing the price of the PS VR. With VR becoming a more and more common topic within gaming circles, Sony’s dedicated VR solution for the PS4 is now one of the most affordable – and best equipped in terms of software – available.

Console battle commences

After a year in which the PS4 Pro has stood unchallenged in its dominance of the console gaming world in terms of technical specs, a challenger emerges from Microsoft. The Xbox One X launches amidst much fanfare, with Microsoft boasting that the X outstrips the Pro in just about every department.

The big unknown in the lead up to the X’s release from Sony’s perspective is whether they’ll keep the Pro’s price relatively static or seek to undercut the significantly more expensive Xbox even further by offering price reductions. The possible cost of such a move would be perception, as it would look like an admission that the X is the more powerful console.

PS4 continues to sell strongly

Despite passing its fourth birthday, the PS4 continues to put up impressive sales numbers. Sony reveal that during the 2017 holiday season, almost six million consoles were sold, putting the PS4 within ten million sales of the 83 million that the PS3 in total managed. With the Slim model still in high demand in the UK and the Pro now boasting a much more affordable RRP, the PS4 has both the PS3 and even the original PlayStation (which sold just over 100 million) in its sights.

Three more years! Three more years!

In a call to investors, Sony’s John Kodera states that although the PS4 is “entering the final phase of its life cycle,” the company have pencilled in three more years before they make their next significant move in the console market. This means the PS4 would have lasted eight years, longer than most consoles. However, with a mid-generation reboot, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if the PS4 outlasts its predecessors.

God of War causes Pro shortage

The Pro model continues to sell well as relatively low prices on the premium model (and relatively high ones on the Slim) means there’s not many reasons not to buy one over the Slim. However, this trend goes into overdrive with God of War. Yet another superb PlayStation exclusive leads to so many Pros flying off the shelves that, for a couple of weeks, there’s a nationwide shortage!

A historic landmark

Sony announce that the total sales of all PlayStation hardware worldwide since the original PlayStation console has topped 500 million, an extraordinary milestone that only Nintendo can rival. To celebrate, they launch an extremely limited edition PS4 Pro, called the ‘500 million’ version, that is translucent blue and comes with a 2TB hard drive and a PlayStation camera. The console is hugely popular, selling out worldwide almost instantly.

Spider-Man swings into action

September sees the launch of another brilliant PS4 exclusive, Marvel’s Spider-Man. The game rockets to the top of the charts and becomes one of the best selling games of recent times, as well as earning critical acclaim. Sony commemorates the game’s launch with special red versions of the Slim and the Pro.

Back to the future

The PS4 has ruled supreme over its own console generation, but Sony announce it will soon have company. The PlayStation Classic, launching in December, will follow the example set by Nintendo’s NES and SNES Classics, coming pre-loaded with 20 classic games that are played directly from the console. Beloved titles such as Metal Gear Solid and Tekken 3 will make an appearance.

Red Dead Revamp for the Pro

The limited edition Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Pro bundles ship with a slightly revised version of the console inside, with the hardware revamps aimed at tackling some of the issues associated with launch units, particularly noisy fans.

Celebrating 5 years of PS4

Sony celebrates the PS4’s fifth birthday. As well as shifting more than 86 million consoles, which puts it fourth in the list of best selling home consoles, almost 800 million units of software have been sold. The five best selling titles are Call of Duty Black Ops 3, Call of Duty WWII, FIFA 17, FIFA 18 and Grand Theft Auto 5. Sony also go on the record to announce that the 500 million limited edition console is the rarest PS4 model of all, which will do their value on the secondary market no harm at all.

The beginning of the end?

While Sony sit out E3, shocking the gaming world, Microsoft use their conference to announce their family of Scarlett consoles. Despite not committing to a firm timeframe, it seems like a Q4 2020 release is likely, and past generations of consoles have suggested that Sony won’t want to risk being much later to market than Microsoft. Does Microsoft’s announcement put a countdown timer on the PS4? We will wait and see.

100 million

The PS4 has swatted aside countless memorable milestones, and this month sees another comprehensively overcome, as the console (across the original, Slim and Pro chassis) is confirmed to have surpassed 100 million units sold worldwide. The 100 million units means that the PS4 is now in sole possession of the 6th best selling console ever slot, and will almost certainly surpass both the Nintendo Wii and the original PlayStation by the end of 2019.