Sony would love you to buy a PS5 console if you can actually afford one. But just because a new console is on the way doesn't mean you can forget about the PS4.

Sony has announced that the PS4 will live on until at least 2022, which means there is plenty of time to get a PS5 before the latest games become unavailable.

This news was confirmed by Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. He stated that the PS4 remains a very important system for gamers and will be the system that the majority of people will play for the next few years.

"It is clear that our observations over the past six months have broadened our eyes and perspective on what is possible in the PS4 community. This is because in 2021 and 2022 ...... the PS4 community we have been talking about will make up the majority of PlayStation users during that time. It's very important to keep them engaged and satisfied," Ryan said.

"And the last six months have demonstrated to us that it's possible to do that to a degree we never thought possible when we were setting our minds before COVID.

The obvious takeaway from this is that the PS4 will live on until 2022 at the earliest, and probably beyond. Most importantly, the $499 PS5 is an expensive piece of kit, and not everyone will be able to afford it until the price comes down. Likewise, the PS5 has proven to be quite difficult to obtain, and Sony has already acknowledged that delays may continue after launch.

The question is how Sony intends to handle the transition period between the two consoles. Typically, there is a grace period during which games are available on both platforms, but that period varies depending on the launch of the console. This time, as Ryan said, may take a while, especially since Sony's biggest rival, Microsoft, has doubled down on making games available on both the Xbox Series X and the aging Xbox One.

But the most important thing to remember here is that there's no need to feel pressured to upgrade if you're not there yet, as the PS4 clearly has plenty of life left in it, if you're happy with your current console, If you are happy with your current console, keep using it. If you feel the urge to upgrade, there is always the PS4 Pro.

And remember, the PS5 won't be able to play all the games on the PS4, so even if you have the shiny new PS5, you still have ample reason to keep the console on hand.