In the build-up to the recent E3 2016 event in Las Vegas, it became clear that Microsoft was planning on announcing the launch of two consoles at its keynote. When I first heard about this, I was in disbelief, as its current console, the Xbox One, has only been around for three years. However, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer did indeed announce two consoles: the Xbox One S and Xbox Project Scorpio. As for Sony at E3, it decided to pass up on the opportunity to launch the PlayStation Neo and instead focused on software.
The Tokyo Game Show
Sony could have deliberately kept the reveal of its new console away from E3 because it intends to announce it at the Tokyo Game Show in September. If you find this hard to believe, The Wall Street Journal has also claimed that Sony will introduce two new consoles on September 15: the Playstation Neo and the PS4 Slim.
The report, which was written by WSJ’s Tokyo-based tech reporter Takashi Mochizuki, has within it an interview with Damian Thong from Macquarie Securities. In the interview, he suggests that Sony could be about to choose the largest gaming show in Asia to launch its two new consoles.
PlayStation Neo
With regard to the console that everyone wants to know more about, Andrew House, Sony’s U.S. president and CEO, has confirmed that the console is indeed real. In a recent interview with the BBC, he suggested that the console should not be considered a new generation device. Instead, he suggested that the device was an iteration which would offer an improvement on the already-popular PS4 console and make it more capable of dealing with virtual reality gaming through Sony’s PlayStation VR headset.
PlayStation Slim
As for the actual purpose of a PlayStation Slim console, at this point, I can only guess, as Mochizuki’s source of information does not elaborate on what features the new console will have. However, it would be fair to speculate that it will be something similar in nature to Microsoft’s Xbox One S. What I mean by this is that it will probably offer no more than a reduction in size and probably a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray player.
Furthermore, if it can upgrade games to 4K like the Xbox One S is capable of doing, that would be great! However, nothing has been revealed, and I am left hoping and guessing. That being said, usually when one console has a certain piece of tech, its manufacturer’s competitors quickly follow suit.
PlayStation 4 supports Sony’s poor chip sales
In a recent report titled “Sony’s PlayStation 4 Sales Help Keep Profit Target Within Reach,” Mochizuki talks about how Sony has been experiencing a decline in smartphone sensors, which has had a serious impact on its profits this quarter. However, he goes on to say that the only part of the business that is helping keep the warning bells from ringing is the Video games side as it has seen dramatic and unprecedented growth in recent times.
PlayStation 4 sales
Even though Sony is planning on launching two new consoles this year, it still has big plans for the PlayStation 4. One of these plans is to sell another 20 million or more of the consoles during 2016 alone. According to Mochizuki, Sony plans to reach this huge sales figure with the help of some blockbuster game titles and the high-end Neo version of the console.
Chipping in
As if it isn’t enough for one Sony insider telling us about the new console releases, it looks as though more and more analysts are crawling out of the woodwork as Macquarie Securities employee and tech insider Damian Thong has had his say on the topic. However, he has only backed up what Mochizuki had to say in that Sony will for sure be introducing a PlayStation 4 Slim. He also corroborated that the only event Sony is interested in launching it at is the Tokyo Game Show on September 15.
As far as all of the above stands, it is all rumor. Sony has yet to officially confirm anything, but going back to what the WSJ reported on via Michozuki, he recently tweeted on his personal account:
“Sony analyst says “PlayStation 4 Slim,” not just “Neo,” due by Tokyo Game Show in Sept, report with @YukaKoshino”
What do you think? Will Sony reveal the PlayStation Neo and Slim consoles in September?
