Just yesterday we heard news from MCV that Sony and Microsoft will both be showing off their next-gen consoles at E3 this year. However, Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities and Nostradamus of the video game industry, is calling shenanigans.
“I think there’s zero chance of a tease from Sony for PlayStation 4 and only a 20 percent chance from Microsoft that they’ll tease the next Xbox,” said Pachter. “Neither console is launching in 2013, so there’s no reason to tease them in 2012.”
The cat is already out of the bag for Nintendo‘s Wii U, so we can safely assume some new pre-launch details at the Los Angeles tech exhibition. Nintendo will also be showing off their new console at CES in Las Vegas, on January 10-13.
As for Microsoft, while several developers have spoken of a 2014 launch date for the new Xbox, sources cited by Xbox World magazine are claiming a 2013 launch date, again at odds with Pachter’s predictions.
If 2014 is indeed the release window of the new consoles, it would make sense for Pachter to dismiss MCV’s claims – a two-year in advance tease does seem a bit excessive. However, Nintendo is getting a major head start on the competition with the Wii U, and if Sony and Microsoft are aiming for a release a little sooner than we may be expecting, it would make sense for them to want to steal a bit of Nintendo’s thunder.
But what Sony and Microsoft lack in timing, they make up for with an already established, pre-installed user base. After all, everybody knows the next-gen is coming; it’s just a matter of when, and loyal fans may be more than willing to hold out. Sony has said they wanted their PS3 to have a 10-year life cycle after all, and Microsoft is coming off of a very successful year for the Xbox. So perhaps there’s no need to rush just yet.
Source: Forbes
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