Despite having not so much as whispered the words PlayStation 4 Neo at their E3 conference this year, a new report suggests Sony plans to release the new console before the end of 2016.
The surprisingly close release date claim comes from an article published by Digital Foundry (via VideoGamer) concerning the future potential of 4K-enabled consoles, wherein the author states that “Several sources have indicated to me that PlayStation Neo launches this year, despite its E3 no-show.”
Assuming the sources are accurate, it would mean that – despite not being mentioned whatsoever during E3 – Sony’s so-called ‘mid-generation’ upgrade to the PlayStation 4 would actually hit retail potentially more than a year before Microsoft’s Xbox Scorpio, which the software giant is calling “the most powerful console ever made.”
According to comments made to Time (via VideoGamer) by SIE Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden though, power isn’t going to be “the end-all, be-all of the gaming experience,” believing that the “power of narrative” is what will “move the gaming business forward more than ever before.”
Is that going to be the end-all, be-all of the gaming experience? No. I think more than anything else today, we’re seeing the power of narrative move the gaming business forward more than ever before.
All we can really do now is wait and see if Sony makes an announcement in the near future, confirming the comments made by Digital Foundry. If we do see PlayStation 4 Neo release before the year’s end, Microsoft won’t be able to catch up for a whole 12 months.