When Sony’s E3 2016 press conference came and went without a single mention of the PlayStation Neo, the company’s upcoming gaming console, many assumed that they were saving the official announcement for the Tokyo Game Show in September. However, according to French gaming news website Gameblog, who are known for leaking insider information, Sony is planning to host an event on September 7th to reveal the PlayStation Neo, as well as the PlayStation 4 Slim.
According to Gameblog, the PlayStation Neo will be announced sooner than the Tokyo Game Show at a special PlayStation event in New York City on September 7th. Sony has yet to make any official announcements regarding the event, however, so this information should be taken with a grain of salt.
PlayStation Neo available this holiday season?
Gameblog has in the past proved itself to be a mostly reliable source for gaming leaks, so one can only hope that this information proves to be accurate. For example, the website was correct in predicting that Resident Evil VII would be at E3, and that the game would be able to support Sony’s upcoming PlayStation VR headset.
A rough translation of the report says that “while all indications pointed to an announcement of the PS4 Neo at the Tokyo Game Show in September, our sources tell us an announcement on 7 September in New York…Our sources are clear: Sony [is] planning an event next Wednesday, September 7 in New York. An event that we mentioned large enough to house a major announcement: the PS4 Neo.”
While the Tokyo Game Show seemed to be the more sensible location and time for a PlayStation Neo unveiling, Sony has seemingly opted to host their own event, which allows the company more flexibility on what it wants to do within the event.
Additionally, a September 7th announcement could mean that the PlayStation Neo could potentially be available at some time this holiday season, which has been something that has been heavily rumored in the past. Previous rumors claimed that the PlayStation Neo would be released sometime in October, which would be more likely if the company choses to unveil the console at the beginning of September as opposed to later in the month during the Tokyo Game Show.
Sony to also reveal the PlayStation 4 Slim?
Besides revealing the PlayStation Neo, Sony is also reportedly planning on using the event to reveal the PlayStation 4 Slim as well. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the existence of a PlayStation 4 Slim, and if such a console does in fact exist, it would seem probable that Sony would use this rumored special event on September 7th to simultaneously announce both consoles.
If Sony does in fact decide to unveil both the PlayStation Neo and the PlayStation 4 Slim at the same time, it would be a similar strategy as to what Microsoft did at E3 earlier this year. At their E3 2016 press conference, Microsoft announced not only the Xbox One S, but it also teased specific details regarding Project Scorpio, the company’s console set to be a significantly upgraded Xbox One to be released sometime next year.
By unveiling both consoles at the simultaneously, Sony seems to be matching Microsoft’s upcoming consoles’ announcements in an attempt to demonstrate that it too is moving towards a future of incremental console upgrades instead of massive generational leaps.
