In a couple of posts yesterday, industry site Develop’s Rob Crossley has leaked information from Sony ‘sources’ that suggest several studios are working on PS4, and that Microsoft are readying their next Xbox for 2013.
Both stories will have struck fear into the respective PR departments, who are clearly still trying to sell this generation of consoles to a hungry public, but we heard on Twitter yesterday that Crossley had given each company plenty of time to respond before the articles were published.
The Sony one seems the most solid. “Preliminary work on PlayStation 4 games has begun at several internal Sony studios,” it begins, citing the usual ‘trusted source’ and being slightly vague on what that work may entail. “Various game projects are at very early stages,” it says.
It’s not known which of Sony’s studios has started the work.
The Xbox story, which calls the new machine ‘Xbox Next’, says that “Microsoft and industry partners are working towards a 2013 launch” and says that ‘multiple sources’ have told Develop they expect the console to be revealed at E3 2013, just months before its release.
Both Sony and Microsoft declined to comment on the reports.
corneliusw
I think it is nuts to think Sony will release the PS4 before Xbox 720. The company didn’t make a profit off the PS3 until last year, so why would they rush a new console out on the market? On top of that PS Vita is coming out in 2012, that would be a terrible business decision. PS4 http://playstation4.net reported that we won’t see the playstation 4 until 2016, with an announcement in 2015. I think that would be the best plan for Sony. Let developers continue exploring PS3, grow the sales and focus on making PS Vita successful. Let Microsoft rush their crap of a product out to the public yet again.
ljc1976
Coming first in the race to release next gen consoles will surely be a target for both companies. Most people can/will only purchase one console, so whichever company releases last will always be playing catch-up, as PS2/XBOX XBOX360/PS3 has proved.
What would be interesting is if both Sony & Microsoft released their next gen offerings at roughly the same time…