Microsoft and Sony to Release Next System in 2013, Industry Analyst Believes

In an interview with GameStop investors, Sterne Agee rep Arvind Bhatia mentioned he believes the next systems will release this year.

[JoGam]

I say PS4 Spring 2014

[bicfitness]

If Sony misses Black Friday/ Xmas, with the Wii U and Xbox Next running around, they will cripple themselves this upcomming gen - perhaps irrevocably. I don't think that they would be that stupid.

[hazardman]

Black Friday sale on new consoles you just made me laugh out loud..fuck a LOL. When was last time you bought a new console on BF? Even if both consoles come in Nov. youd be hard press to find one til after Christmas. So I suggest you get your preorders in as soon as its available. XBOX360 wasnt available for about 2 months after it launched do to supposed shortages. Shit there was people who preordered that still had wait it out aswell. So thats why I disagreed with you. Nothing personal...

[bicfitness]

@ hazardman.

You realize that the Wii U launched before Black Friday, had minimal supply issues and made the bulk of its sales in that time-frame right?

Anyone who thinks that MS WON'T have a new Xbox out by next November, in time for ANOTHER CoD upscaled on the Nextbox is deluding themselves. Sony need to match that or they're in trouble. They can't do the same thing that they did with the Vita by giving their competitor a whole year's headstart to build up libraries and 3rd party support. They're not coming from the PS2 era, they don't have that sort of clout anymore.

I would like the successors to the HD twins to succeed, but only one of them will if Sony misses 2013.

[hazardman]

I'm sorry dude Wii U might be next gen to you but not for me. Next gen dont start til Xbox 720/PS4 launch,IMO. Also you just made my point for me again Oct 17-Thanksgiving is not Black Friday and is what you said. you should have just said Holidays and been better off. Anyway Ill get whichever launches 1st.

And I agree new Xbox will come out this yr. I hope they dont port COD and they make it from ground up with the newer console specs. Because if thats case I wont buy COD til next. Which is ok because I Like Treyarchs version better. Gamestrong!!

[bicfitness]

@hazard and the rest.

Pay attention please.

I never said that the Wii U "was next gen to me", in fact I think its a piece of crap and I have no intention of buying one. But the point remains that it is out, on the marketplace getting development support and sales. If MS launches and Sony just sits back, they'll be getting sloppy THIRDS, not even seconds, at best. I've been a PlayStation gamer since the SNES (that was my last, real Nintendo console that I enjoyed, though I still had from the GC to the Wii). I have stocks in Sony (as they were dirt cheap to buy), so I'm rooting for them to succeed next gen.

But honestly, the arm chair analysts on N4G have no idea how buisness works. If Sony go third they will suffer a devastating blow. Period. MS will take even more 3rd party partnerships and Nintendo will just do whatever it is they think they're doing. And no amount of fangirl cheerleading on N4G or elsewhere will help Sony's Gaming division.

You're also mincing words with the whole BF/ Holiday season thing. You knew what I meant, even enough to reiterate it to me afterwards. "THE HOLIDAY SEASON" then, is the most important time of the year for sales in America. If Sony misses that and Nintendo and MS each have their consoles out, its game over.

I don't know how any one with a brain can dispute that, but this is N4G, so go ahead.

[nukeitall]

@hazardman:

"I don't think that they [Sony] would be that stupid."

Sometimes it isn't up to Sony i.e. there could be shortages in parts, technology has serious bugs in software or even just completely lack of available tools etc.

So the real question is, who is well managed enough to come out first with a well thought out machine this coming year? Sony, or MS or both?

I would say, MS has proven they can start later and finish earlier with the Xbox 360 (although at a huge cost too brand name and financially). Sony has pretty much proven the opposite so far with PS3 and PS Vita.

Let's see if Sony has learned their lesson and if MS isn't resting on their laurels.

[rainslacker]

I don't know if black Friday has that much affect on sales, considering these devices and even their software aren't usually discounted. If there is any sort of discount it's usually on some sort of ridiculous bundle package, just look at Wal-Marts black Friday sale of the Wii U. It was mostly Wii accessories that have huge markups. Something a lot of retailers are still doing.

Now if you were talking about the entire holiday buying season, you are still wrong, as the PS3 wasn't necessarily irrevocably harmed by not being there with MS it's first year. People that want it will just go on to buy it the next holiday season. The same way it's always been. They lost some market share, but that wasn't due to the holiday season. It was due more to MS stellar marketing of the Xbox platform, and Nintendo's stellar marketing along with grabbing up a new casual market.

No doubt though they would want to have it out before a holiday season no more than a year apart from their competitors, as the holiday buying season is the busiest time for the game industry, and two holidays of separation is not something they can abide when it comes to 3rd party support.

[bicfitness]

Are you kidding rain? Where' do you think the PS3 would have been if it launched day and date with the 360? Certainly not last this gen, and everyone knows or can reasonably speculate to that end. They went from 120 million (or thereabouts - comparing 6-7 years, not where the PS2 stands currently) to 70 million. Sony doesn't have anywhere near the support that they did going into last generation. I'm not going to repeat myself, but leaving MS and Nintendo alone for 1 and 2 years, respectively, is suicide for the brand. How can you deny that in looking at how support, brand awareness and mindshare have shifted so dramatically since 2005?

Off to bed now. Here's hoping to a 2013 release.

[rainslacker]

I'm not exactly sure, but I think you just agreed with most of what I said. I said that they aren't in a position to release more than a year after their competition. MS is in the same boat if they come out last.

My only disagreement with you was on the power of the holiday buying season in relation to how well a console will do over it's lifetime, particularly black Friday. Typically, new consoles are picked up by people that would buy them anyways, regardless of season. The Wii was just an anomaly in that regard, but it still had staying power after that initial holiday frenzy.

I also believe coming out a year or so later wouldn't necessarily harm the PS brand name, as this generation has already shown. It affected it, certainly, but that wasn't the only factor at play. MS was Sony's first real competition in a long time, and MS played the marketing game better than Sony ever has. The year head start helped them gain momentum, but the PS brand itself is still going strong. Coming out 2+ years after however could cause them some of the problems you speak of, but that's not going to happen.

[B1663r]

I say neXBox September 2015. I can think of a couple of things that Microsoft could do to keep its sales above 12 million units a year for the next three years... If not well into 2017-2018 time frames...

Xbox 360 SSD edition, radically improved load times for apps.

Xbox ultra slim + Blu-ray, although I continue to be a Blu-ray skeptic.

Then one of two possibilities...

Free Xbox with 2 year XBL commitment.

or alternatively, and the final nail in the coffin of the Sony brand

Free XBL, with XBL+ for 20ish dollars a month and bundles in all the premium services, plus some games to borrow each month.

[m23]

2015? No, it will have to be this year. We only know of one exclusive from MS this year and that comes out in March. Along with that, Major Nelson has posted a countdown to e3 on his blog which means big things are coming.

360 will still sell even after the next xbox releases, much like ps2 did after ps3 came out. The difference this time is that MS won't completely ditch the 360 like they did the original xbox.

It's time for a new console, 2015 is way too far.

[FarCryLover182]

DAFUQ??

Want to keep it going until 2017-2018? That is crazy talk.

[madjedi]

You sure your not a sony fanboy trolling 360 gamers, because that is one of the stupidest post i have read in a while.

Brillant an ssd lower capacity and a higher price point to boot, nevermind that the 7-8 hardware wasn't designed to run ssd at it's maximum potential.

"and the final nail in the coffin of the Sony brand" If sony made it through this gen, with media bias, the highest launch price and coming back from ms having a years head start. You fools had your best chance to "kill" sony, that opportunity disappeared early - late 2009.

No ms needs to bring out the 720 in either holiday 2013 or 2014, or whenever they decide the system is ready for mass production and will have a strong enough line up for launch.

Sony is very likely to do a holiday 2014 release, because the ps3 doesn't look to be running out of steam anytime soon.

As far as nintendo having a 1 or 2 yr lead on the competition, isn't really relevant since nintendo isn't even trying to compete with the ps4/720.

Which is obvious on the wiiu's specs alone, nintendo is pulling another in between generation or a generation behind console with more ram, take your pick.

[americanGTA]

I'll take 10 of whatever you are on

[hazardman]

I dont know why you got disagrees, even if that is the case with an expected lower price point lower than PS3 it wouldnt take long for PS4 to make ground on Xbox. Also we really dont know. From all the rumours it seemed as if the PS4 was still behind Xbox in development. Ive been ban for several days before for saying this a pro Sony site and I still have that belief. Either way cant wait to get my hands on both.

[Man-E-Faces]

I really don't think it matters when Sony releases their next console if someone wants a PS4 they will get one, if someone wants the next Xbox they will get that. But with that being said the thing that worries me a bit for Sony if they launch say early 2014 is that damn COD I would bet money that Microsoft will make some exclusive deal with Activision to launch the next Xbox with the newest COD leaving Sony's PS4 out of the picture, other than this I wouldn't be worried about the PS4 launching a little later especially if it's better than the next Xbox.

[Knight_Crawler]

Well said - the same thing happened this gen with MS getting a bunch of exclusive games for free, I remember playing Saints Row, Dead Raising , Bioshock and Mass Effect on the 360.

Who release first is a smart move because it will get free time exclusives and also if a new ip becomes popular it will be associated with that console brand.

[JoGam]

The funny thing is the next gen cod probrobly will play like any other COD.

[DivineAssault]

I really hope so.. I cant wait for my next gen PS machine.. maybe ill get a 720 if it has good exclusives that dont involve aliens n guns

[sandman224]

I hope they're right. I'm looking toward to a new era of gaming. I've waited long enough. Imagine how great it would be for the gaming industry when new consoles arrive. It will bring back all excitement to us deleted gamers. Also can anyone tell me how to get more bubbles. Thank you.

[_LarZen_]

Its so easy to use a PC on a tv today that I wonder if people wil jump the console ship and go PC?

[Kurisu]

I will never move to PC gaming. For me its always been about consoles. I look forward to the PS4 and all that it brings but honestly I don't see it releasing in 2013.

[_LarZen_]

For me it has always been about the games, not a name on a box.

The reason why im wondering if more people will go from a console over to pc is because the people that have had a PS3 or a X360 since day 1 now have mostly gone from a casual gamer to more a dedicated/hardcore gamer.

And most people that has a special interest in something usaly want to experience it as good as possible?

It's like someone who likes to listen to music, they usaly start out with a ok stereo but as the interest grows and they know this is something they love.

They go buy a high-end stereo for some hifi fidelity.

Mayby this is how it's with gamers also? If you had a PS3/X360 a entire generation and know that games is something you love, why dont go for a system that delivers the best experience?

It is the gaming experience that counts and not a name on a box aint it?

And now that it's more easy then ever before to Connect a PC to a tv and still use a Controller if you want I would belive some would pick a PC as their next gaming system and Beyond.

[StrongMan]

Sounds good to me. Sony will dominate seeing as how Nintendo an Microsoft turned their backs on the hardcore in favor of the casuals. Nintendo and Microsoft lost the hardcore so it looks like Sony has a monopoly on the hardcore market. Casuals don't spend hundreds on new hardware. Just look at the WiiU. Mario isn't enough for the core front Nintendo. As for Microsoft, Fable and Forza don't sell anymore so it's just Halo and Gears and that's not enough.

[hazardman]

Your avatar says it all dude. How about we wait and see what happens.

[Belking]

yep, wait and see. I remember people(analysts included) counted Nintendo out when this gen was startingand look what happened. The consumer will decide who will "dominate".

[madjedi]

@belking If nintendo was "dominating", i hope sony never dominants, because sony's 3rd place lineup is vastly more appealing than nintendo's 1st place lineup to me.

Since i don't own shares in either company who's dominating is irrelevant to me, who has the better lineup is far more important to me.

For console to be dominating to me it's userbase, shouldn't be complaining about waiting 6 months to a year, to find a game that makes them want to turn the system on to play it. Thats either dead or on life support to a gamer, if you want to see a nintendo console dominating go back to the nes/snes.

[rainslacker]

MS will probably have a pretty strong hardcore showing for the release of their next console. Between whatever their 1st parties are working on, and 3rd party support, they will have the hardcore covered, of this I have no doubt. Whether they maintain that support in their 1st party for the long term one could only speculate given how this gen has gone.

All consoles of this gen are at a point where it's going to be the casual or occasional gamer who are picking up new systems(for the most part). Some may be buying their 2nd console, replacing it for newer models, etc, but the bulk of sales are to the consumers who aren't going to spend $500 on a new console. While I don't like the heavy focus MS has taken to this market, it makes sense for them to do so.

I'm not a huge fan of MS, but they aren't stupid.

[Belking]

I say MS will release later on this year and Sony will be next year. It's possible they both could release this year but I don't see it happening.

[Ryo-Hazuki]

If Sony and MS come out around the same time and will most likely will have some sort of the same price. MS will have no chance beating Sony next-gen in world wide numbers. Even this gen with Sony releasing a year late in the U.S and Japan and a year and half late in Europe while being the most expensive system this whole gen yet PS3 is on pace to surpass 360's total numbers in 2013.

[dirthurts]

I would LOVE to see Microsoft and Sony release consoles back to back. Such an epic winter for gamers that would be.
The competition alone would really push the console makers to give us something great.

[sway_z]

Even if Sony release after MS ...

I will still wait for PSNEXT...purely because I'm already invested heavily in PS3 (over 100 games) and Sony's excellent software portfolio is second only to PS2's amazing game library!

I hope all 3 consoles are/will be successful because that is very important to the Games Industry.

[Reaper9937]

In 2011 I said that Sony would release the PS4 in March 2014 and I received a numerous amount of disagrees and today I will say...IMO Sony will release the PS4 in March 2014.

[BladerunnerZX]

Im staying with my trusty PS3 for the long run.
I was an early adopter this gen and that cost me a lot money (two red ringed 360s) and frustration as a gamer that I never had to endure in the previous generations of gaming , I never even had problems with early model PSones , PS2 or Xbox.

Once there is a new Zelda officially announced for the Wii u Ill pick one up. If a new Battlefield Bad Company 3 is announced for PS4 then I would get a PS4 .. if its not too much $$$.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Nope.

[Npugz7]

I can see the 720 this fall but I don't think we will see the PS4 til 2014 unfortunately. It would be a stupid move by sony but I don't think they are ready to release in 2013.

[Hicken]

I wonder why it's so hard for people to believe that both system will be out late this year?

[V0LT]

Since the 360 has been selling so well there is a part of me that says it won't be out this year. That would be a lot of ppl they stiffed.

[BladerunnerZX]

Why ? because those people bought a great game system with many great games like Halo 4 that have large dedicated gaming communities that took years to build ?