In recent weeks there has been plenty of rumors of when the PlayStation 4 may be revealed and what it may feature. According to a report on CVG though PlayStation France CEO, Philippe Cardone, says that the company will “probably be the last to announce something” about the next round of consoles.

Cardone added that Sony is probably the least under pressure to provide new hardware, especially compared to Nintendo that in Cardone’s eyes “pressed for time” as sales for the original Wii fall away. He continued that even though there are a number of rumors surrounding the next PlayStation but couldn’t say anything about it.

He pointed out that Sony was the last with the PS3, so claims it will probably be the same with the next model. Recently there have been some suggestions that the PS4 could be officially announced at this year’s E3 event in June, and coincides with the same claims about Microsoft and the next Xbox.

Numerous rumors have suggested the Xbox 720 could be revealed at this year’s show ahead of a release later next year. Earlier this month Sony Computer Entertainment chairman, Kaz Hirai, refuted claims of a PS4 announcement at E3, and continued with the talk of a PS3 ten year shelve life.

There are some that feel Sony slipped up though last time round allowing Microsoft getting a head start on it with the Xbox 360. So it remains to be seen if history will repeat itself this time round. Do you think Sony will be the last out of the blocks regarding next gen hardware?

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Despite all the recent speculation respected analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, believes there will be no big reveal at this year’s show. He claims there is no chance that Sony will reveal the next PlayStation, and only a twenty chance of a new Xbox showcase according to Forbes.

Pachter added that because “Neither console is launching in 2013, so there’s no reason to tease them in 2012.” When Nintendo first revealed the Wii they waited until last year’s E3 event before revealing their new device, and they will also have it at CES 2012.

Out of the three companies Nintendo is set to offer more launch information for the next gen console, and is set to allow developers the chance to provide apps for the console and wireless tablet controller.

Sony will also be showing the PS Vita at CES and has often stated the PS3 will have a ten year life span, which it is repeating for the Vita. Sony has kept the PS3 updated with regular firmware upgrades that has brought new features such as 3D compatibility.

If Sony is to launch the PS4 in around two years time, announcing a new console this coming June doesn’t make sense. The company has some big new titles upcoming for the current system, so to start promoting new hardware could affect sales of these.

The Xbox 360 is still doing really well and also has some great titles in the pipeline, and many developers believe the next version will arrive in 2014. The console has also seen new features added since it was first released, and Kinect has really helped the device to evolve.

Would 2014 be a good year for the next gen consoles to be release, or do you think it will be sooner?

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Only a couple of days ago we heard of a patent that Microsoft had won that would allow a gaming console to have a digital video recorder built in. This would allow owners to record content while playing games, and even record gaming content as well.

Now MCV are reporting both Microsoft and Sony will showcase their new gaming consoles at the event in Los Angeles in June. Both companies keep on saying that both the current consoles have plenty of life in them yet, but there have been numerous rumors in recent times that new hardware was being worked on.

Sources are now claiming that Microsoft will reveal what it is planning with the next Xbox at E3, and with previous comments from Sony suggesting they won’t be left behind with the release of the next generation, it is thought Sony will also be showing off new hardware. This will probably mean that the new consoles get released sometime in 2013.

If Sony and Microsoft do reveal new equipment at this year’s E3 it will certainly still the limelight away from Nintendo and the launch of the Wii U. Do you think we will see new consoles from the two companies at this year’s E3?

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Sony’s Europe chief Jim Ryan has offered some words of encouragement for PlayStation fans, by basically saying that it would be a bad idea to release the next PlayStation console, aka the PS4 after Microsoft’s next Xbox. If you remember back to when the Xbox 360 and PS3 first launched, Microsoft had a free run for a year before Sony launched the PS3 and it looks like the company are keen to make sure this doesn’t happen for their next generation console.

Here is what Ryan had to say in a recent interview with Eurogamer: ”I think we would consider it undesirable to be significantly later than the competition. [But] There’s still a lot of unfinished business on PS3. If you look at PlayStation 2, now in excess of 150m units installed globally, a huge majority of that was done at price points of £120 or lower. [With PS3] We’ve only just hit £199 in the UK, so clearly there’s a considerable untapped part of the market there.”

So what does he mean exactly by saying ‘undesirable’ you wonder? To us it looks like Sony are making preparations to make sure that the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 launch around the same period this time around – i.e no headstart for Microsoft. This would be great news for gamers as a whole of course, as it would give the added option of choice, whereas back then many gamers may have opted for the Xbox 360 simply because it was the best available at the time.

The Nintendo Wii U is launching sometime in 2012, but will the Xbox 720 join it or is it a bit too early? Our predictions is that we’ll see an announcement for Microsoft’s next console next year, but it could be 2013 when the console actually releases to the public. If you are paying close attention to the next-gen console whispers, let us know your thoughts on Sony’s comments. Do you think it would be a good idea to have both consoles launch at the exact same time or not?

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This will be welcome news for those of you who have had enough of current generation graphics featured on the PS3 or Xbox 360 and the idea of Treyarch getting the nod ahead of Infinity Ward will be seen as a victory for both the developers themselves and fans who loved their last game, Black Ops.

A new job listing by Treyarch has given away the hints about this possibility, as the company are looking for a new senior software engineer who will aid Treyarch in ”bringing our hugely successful game to a new console”, as reported from Eurogamer.

Further hints can also be seen in the listing as further responsibilities in this role specifically mention that candidates should be able to ”Adapt graphics and other major systems in our engine to a new platform.” – check out the listing in full here if you’re interested.

Considering that we usually get a new Call of Duty game each year, it would be safe to assume that the next game from Treyarch will be out in 2012. Could it be far too early to think they have a new game already in development for next generation consoles? The obvious answer would be yes, but the listing clearly states that Treyarch are looking for a recruit to bring Call of Duty to a ‘new console‘.

Of course, this could mean the likes of the PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS or even the recently announced Apple iPhone 4S. However, it could also be a huge bombshell and a early hint from Treyarch that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 is very close to an unveiling, the elusive Nintendo Wii U shouldn’t be ruled out either. What are your thoughts on this – is it too early to start thinking about COD on the PS4 and Xbox 720?

More About: call of duty, PlayStation 4, Sony PS4, Treyarch

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The director of the game Todd Howard was talking to PSM3 magazine, and was asked how long he thought it would be before the next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony would see the light of day. According to an article on CVG, he answered that they won’t become available in 2012 “or the year after“. His reasons for the time scale for the new consoles too arrive was down to the fact that gamers were still happy with the current models.

He added “I think it’s going to be a while still, I really do”, and besides consumers being happy with the current generation of consoles a lot can still be done with them. He was also asked whether Bethesda were considering waiting for the next generation of home consoles to be available before releasing Skyrim. He replied that there were conversations which were “very serious”

Howard added that they wanted to keep the franchise fresh and not to feel like Fallout 3 or Oblivion, either technically of visually. There have been many rumors that both company’s were indeed working on the next generation of consoles, and looking how to further support Kinect and Move. AMD recently said that the next Xbox console will have graphics similar to the movie Avatar.

Many gamers are indeed happy with the standard of graphics currently being enjoyed on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The quality of graphics is not always the most important part of a game, with game play ranking high in most people’s thoughts. A lot of the latest games which are coming to the market are sequels to older titles, and not exactly something unique which is not down to the age of the hardware.

We reported recently that in some people’s eyes the shelf life of the current generation of consoles may be coming to an end. In most gamers eyes this is not the case and certainly don’t want to have to start thinking of paying out for more new hardware.

Do you hope it is a good couple of years yet before the next generation of consoles makes an appearance?

More About: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, PlayStation 4, Xbox 720

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Although this information obviously isn’t official yet, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give you some fresh release rumors regarding the new consoles and interestingly, the source of the information comes courtesy of some GameStop executives.

Recent information from US research group Baird claims that these GameStop executives have discussed a launch for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox 720 sometime in 2014, meaning that consumers are potentially three years away from owning a new console – perhaps too late for some of you.

Considering that we’ve heard continued speculation that Sony and Microsoft will be releasing their next consoles sometime in 2012, this is the first time that figures with a ‘hint’ of authority has stated that the year for the next-generation consoles could be 2014 – perhaps way too late for many gamers.

If you are planning to pick up the Nintendo Wii U, then you’ll be interested to know that its launch in 2012 could also bear some significance to the PS4 and Xbox 720 launches according to the GameStop executives. They have stated that the release of Nintendo’s new console will put pressure on Sony and Microsoft to push their consoles out onto the market, but rather than a release in 2013, consumers will be left to wait another year.

Would it really be the end of the world if the PS4 and Xbox 720 did come out in three years time? From our point of view, the Xbox 360 and PS3 definitely do not feel outdated to us, and they still won’t at the same point next year, as there are plenty of first-party titles for each respective console to keep gamers busy for months, then of course you have Move and Kinect which will reach the next step with more responsive titles to get to grips with.

If you were expecting both consoles to drop next year or even in 2013 alongside the Nintendo Wii U, tell us this – Would you still be willing to buy either console if they came out in 2014, or do you believe it’s too late. At the end of the day, its only an extra year on top of ‘expected’ launch periods so this shouldn’t really be an issue to some of you.

Is a 2014 release date for next-generation consoles too late for you or not?

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We have already reported on director Tetsuya Nomura’s recent interview with Famitsu, but courtesy of tech site AndriaSang who usually provide us with trustyworthy translations, new details have emerged from him.

According to the site, Final Fantasy Versus XIII is yet to go into full production, despite being in development for six years, seemingly evident in the fact that gamers are yet to see any solid gameplay footage for Versus XIII – just what is going on down at Square-Enix HQ we wonder?

As we informed you earlier this week, Nomura also unveiled details on player-controlled cutscenes that will be featured in Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but the possible bombshell suggesting that the game isnt even in prototype stage is worrying to say the least – or is it?

If you look at Square-Enix’ upcoming schedule, you’ll probably be well aware that they are now focusing their efforts entirely on Final Fantasy XIII-2, despite stating that new information on Versus XIII would definitely be coming soon. It really makes you wonder if the game will actually come out at all, which brings us nicely onto our next insight.

Considering all the countless delays on the game so far and blatent confirmation that the development status on Final Fantasy Versus XIII is non-existant at the moment, is it really so farfetched to consider FFVXIII as a PlayStation 4 title instead of a PlayStation 3 game? It’s probably pretty accurate that the PS4 isn’t coming for another few years yet, but it’s clear that neither is Final Fantasy Versus XIII unfortunately.

A PlayStation 4 release wouldn’t be such a bad idea to some perhaps, it all depends on whether gamers would be satisfied seeing an ‘old-gen’ game on a next-gen games console. We say this, because based on screenshots already released for the game, it definitely looks like a title that is very much within the graphical capabilities of the PS3, rather than a title which has been maxed out to the limit.

Going back to the production issue regarding the game though, and correct us if we’re wrong on this one, but if it’s not even in prototype stage yet, does that mean they won’t have a playable version to show everyone at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show in September? That would be very disappointing for fans if that turns out to be true.

Give us your thoughts on this, both on the alarming production status on the game so far, and also the possibility of Final Fantasy Versus XIII appearing on the PlayStation 4 instead.

More About: Final Fantasy Versus XIII, PlayStation 4, Square-Enix

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As you may have guessed, this news is by no means official yet, but the folks over at HardOCP have apparently gained some inside information from industry sources whilst attending this year’s E3 event in back in June.

According to their article, all next-generation consoles will be using AMD graphics chipsets of some sort although if the news turned out to be true, it’s likely that all three respective consoles from Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony will all use different variants of AMD graphics components. We already know that the Wii U will utilize a custom AMD RV770 Radeon HD chipset, so it will be interesting to see what Sony and Microsoft use in comparison.

If this becomes a confirmed fact, then you have to ask the question about where NVIDIA fits into all this. The company is just putting the finishing touches on their quad-core Kal-El mobile graphics processor, and it would seem strange if the company didn’t have some sort of part to play in any of the next-generation console plans. Not that AMD will be bothered, as it will be a huge coup for them from a business perspective if they can boast that they will supply graphics for the Wii U, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s next Xbox console.

On the other hand, NVIDIA has more than enough business to keep them busy for years, especially since they are now a superpower in the smartphone market with many Android devices utilizing their dual-core Tegra 2 processor which seems to be equipped in pretty much every device at the moment.

From a gamers perspective though, we wouldn’t have a big problem if AMD did step up to the plate to deliver next-generation console graphics for the PS4 and Xbox 720. There is always a lively debate over which is better between AMD and NVIDIA, but as long as they keep costs down and deliver graphics significantly better than we have seen in current consoles, we don’t think anyone will bother about which company is chosen out of the two. If you are a PC gamer and are a regular buyer of AMD and NVIDIA chipsets, we’d also like to get your opinions on this one. Are the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 in safe hands with AMD graphics or not?

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Let’s take a look at some of the Sony PS4 rumors and discussions of this week. It’s now known that Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s next console are officially in development, with this in mind popular magazine and blog “T3” thought they’d run a poll to find out what their readers want the most out of the next-gen systems. This included Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo (Wii U) options. The results, discussed here, showed that the PlayStation 4 was most wanted by their readers. Do you feel the same?

PR’s very own Gary Johnson looked at the possible PS4 release and unveil, which points to some solid details coming in 2012 with a release 12-24 months after that. These rumors are a little hard to swallow considering its very likely Sony and Microsoft will be watching how the Wii U does, this may shape what the competitors do next. Nintendo should not be underestimated considering their success with the Wii.

The biggest PS4 news over the last week has been the dissecting of what Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan analyst, really meant in his comments. At first glance its pretty straight forward, Pachter thinks we’ll get no official details on the PS4 in 2012 and the Wii U will not pressure Microsoft or Sony to release details earlier than they originally plan to. The debate starts when people have their own take on Pachter’s comment of it’s “unlikely” we’ll see a PS4 announcement next year, as this gives PS3 gamers hope.

One thing most of us will agree on is it makes sense for Sony and Microsoft to watch the Wii U sales, and consumer reaction to the tablet integration. If this works for Nintendo then we could see the PS4 and Xbox 720 possibly doing their own version, which will likely be more high tech, especially with another year or two of development. Our bet is 2014 release for PS4 (not sure on Xbox 720) and the unveiling would be in 2013.

Adding to the confusion is Sony’s Andrew House, CEO of PlayStation worldwide, who points out that the PS3 has years left. When he said this is still an “early period for PS3”, you can take this as spot on with the 2014 release or even worry that we could be looking at 2015 or 2016, lets hope that’s not possible. When would you like to see the PS4?

You may also find an article on Gaming Bolt an interesting read, which asks if we need a PS4 after a Crysis 2 test on PS3 vs. a PC with DX 11. They were astonished by the results found.

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