Sony may be set to launch a PlayStation 4 console, with anticipation sparked by invites to a press conference to be held on February 20.
The topic of the conference – the first to be held by Sony in over two years – is vague, namely “the future of PlayStation” – fuelling expectations that a new console may be unveiled.
However, the company has declined to confirm rumours of a new PlayStation, with Masaki Tsukakoshi, a Sony spokesperson, telling Reuters: “We will be talking about the PlayStation business.”
Expectations that a new device will be launched soon by Sony have been growing following a number of developments by market rivals. Nintendo unveiled its new Wii U console in November, and hopes are high that Microsoft will roll-out a next-generation Xbox at the E3 expo in June.
It was revealed in January that Sony has discontinued production of the PlayStation 2 worldwide after 12 years and 150 million unit sales, while the PlayStation 3 has turned into a profit-making profit after years of losses.
The Wall Street Journal also claims that sources have confirmed that Sony will be announcing a PlayStation 4 within the month, with the release date set to be before the end of 2013.
Historically, Sony has tended to use press conferences to introduce new devices to the public, using conferences in 1999 and 2005 to launch PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 respectively. A 2011 conference also saw the company show off its PlayStation Vita handheld unit.
However, the design of a new PlayStation may be key to the success of such a console, the gaming environment having changed significantly over the past years with the rise of smartphones and tablets in the market enabling consumers to access portable round-the-clock gaming.
In this vein, Nintendo has already announced a revision of its sales targets for the Wii U, from 5.5 million devices down to 4 million units by the end of the financial year ending March, as the company sees smaller uptake than it had hoped.
