A next generation Sony gaming console which will be most likely the PlayStation 5 will launch in 2018. This is according to an analyst.

Damian Thong of Macquarie Capital Securities shared that he believes a new Sony PlayStation will be unveiled next year and that it will be the key to the company's future strategy. The PlayStation 5 will bring a noteworthy increase in the company's overall operating profits which are expected to reach up to $4.5 billion.

Thong said that the PS5 will come sometime during the second half of 2018. He also mentioned that Sony will be aiming to have 10 teraflops of power in the console. If Sony succeeds, it can lay claim to having the "world's most powerful console" title which is currently held by Microsoft's Xbox Scorpio. A recent review on the so-called Project Scorpio revealed that the console, which will be available late in 2017, indeed has six teraflops of power as previously promised by Microsoft bigwigs such as Phil Spencer.

As Gamerant pointed out, Sony just released the PlayStation 4 Pro in late 2016 which means it is rather too early to entertain such rumors of a PlayStation 5. However, Thong is known for successfully predicted details surrounding previous Sony products such as the PlayStation 4 Slim and the aforementioned PS4 Pro. Thong predicted the right release dates of both devices in 2016.

Sony has yet to release an official statement regarding a new PlayStation console, which is just right. Gamestop pointed out that making the PS5 official would not just take some of the thunder of the Xbox Scorpio but may also affect other Sony gaming consoles especially the PlayStation 4 Pro. The PS4 Pro is just around five months out of the oven. Fans and prospective buyers could decide not to purchase a PS4 Pro if they know that a more powerful PlayStation 5 will be coming real soon.