Sony PlayStation 4 May Be Unveiled Sooner Than Expected

PlayStation 4

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Specs of the Sony PlayStation 4 were revealed in an event last February where the controller of the PS4 was unveiled by the company. The company also revealed the stereo camera that features motion-capture functionalities. However it did not unveil the console itself.

But a source that had some knowledge about the marketing strategy of the company revealed that the next model of the game console from Sony may be launched by the end of this month or at the start of next month. The source added that the company is trying to increase the hype for the device as it released information about the console on a piecemeal basis.

A number of industry watchers were expecting more news about the PlayStation 4 during the Game Developers Conference recently, but apparently the company only disclosed some of the hardware used for the PS4.

Since the game console was not unveiled at the Game Developers Conference, it may be possible for Sony to organize an event that will launch the PlayStation 4 unless it will make the big reveal at the E3 gaming conference, which is scheduled to be held in June. The source indicated that Sony is aiming to do this for the PS4 and the event is set to be held around April or May.

On the other hand, the supposed Xbox 720 of Microsoft will reportedly be unveiled before the end of the month. However, it remains uncertain if this will indeed happen since the company typically makes a big reveal of major gaming products during the E3 event as shown with the Kinect and the Xbox 360.

A countdown was also posted by Microsoft on its blog to the upcoming E3 event this year. Some industry watchers indicated that this may countdown to the reported Xbox720.

However, Microsoft has not given hints about its supposed game console, it did not even give any indications that it was working on a game console. This is in contrast to Sony, which gave out some tidbits of information about the PlayStation 4. At present, only the Nintendo Wii U is the latest iteration of the game consoles in the market.  The PS4 and the supposed Xbox 720 are expected to be unveiled before the end of the year.

Since the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox 720 were not unveiled at the Game Developers Conference, Ouya and Oculus VR were highlighted at the event as the two Kickstarter-funded companies unveiled some products that they aim to release this year.

Microsoft May Be Working On Xbox Mini

Xbox

A number of reports have hinted at the possibility that Microsoft may be planning to expand its share of the game console market by offering the Xbox Mini. This upcoming device is supposed to allow the company to enter the set-top niche of the game console market.

The Xbox Mini will reportedly be offered as a cheaper alternative to the game consoles that are currently available in the market. It is aimed at competing with the set-top offerings of Roku and Apple. Microsoft will reportedly attempt to expand its market with the Xbox Mini to include casual gamers who are satisfied with casual game titles.

A number of anonymous sources provided the basis for the report, according to the Verge. However the price range for the supposed Xbox Mini was not stated in the report. As a point of comparison, the set-top unit of Roku has a base price tag of $50 while the Set-top unit of Apple is priced at $99.

The Xbox Mini will reportedly be a smaller model of the upcoming model of the Xbox game console. Industry watchers have indicated that the strategy used by the company of the upcoming set-top product offering is similar to what its strategy with the Windows 8, which is to enter a number of niches in the market at the same time.

However some questions were raised on what are being referred to with the casual game titles. It is logical that the Xbox Mini will not be compatible to graphics-heavy game titles such as Halo although it remains uncertain whet casual game titles mean.

Although no details were released on the specs of the reported Xbox Mini, leaked documents have given industry watchers an idea of what to look out for when the set-top product will be released into the market. Among the features of the upcoming Xbox Mini include four hardware cores, a standard 8GB RAM, removable hard drive and four USB ports. The reported Xbox Mini is also expected to come with a pair of augmented reality glasses, 3D sound, Blu-ray video support, and a controller that features a touchscreen.

Aside from the reported Xbox Mini, the company may also unveil a cloud gaming service that supports game streaming across platforms.

Leaked Document Hints At Upcoming Xbox 720

Xbox

Although the Xbox 720 never made an appearance at the E3 event, a recently leaked document reportedly provides more evidence about the upcoming successor to the Xbox 360 of Microsoft.

A 56-page document reportedly gives the details of the upcoming Xbox 720 game console along with the successor to the Kinect and add-on glasses that was called Project Fortaleza. According to The Verge, the document was dated on August 2010 and makes references that are consistent with the Metro dashboard and SmartGlass.

The document makes references to the Xbox 720, which may just be a working title for the upcoming game console although it may be possible for the device to use it as its final name. The reported Xbox 720 will reportedly come with a Blu-ray feature that will offer the playing of 1080pHD videos. The upcoming device will also offer 3D movie-playing capabilities.

The leaked document also gives indications that the upcoming Xbox 720 will feature a massive increase in power compared to the present version of the game console. It ‘always on’ state will also give indications that the upcoming Xbox 720 will feature fast start-up speeds.

The full features of the upcoming Xbox 720 were not revealed in the document although it make likely come with eight x86 or ARM cores and may be clocked at 2GHz each as well as feature a 4GB memory.

Using the Windows 8 OS, the upcoming Xbox 720 will likely offer users with the capability of recording television shows and it will facilitate the developments of applications that will be compatible with a number of devices including mobile devices and PCs. The price tag of the reported successor to the Xbox 360 is around $299 and may be on the market for around a decade with sales projected to reach 100 million units.

In addition to references to the upcoming Xbox 720, the leaked document also offers a look at the upcoming Kinect 2. The upcoming device will reportedly be more accurate, have an enhanced voice recognition feature, offers stereo imaging, player tracking support, dedicated hardware processor and an enhanced camera. Dedicated controllers will reportedly be offered as well.

Project Fortaleza is a pair of glasses that will function over 4G or Wi-Fi and will include augmented reality into the gaming experience. However the glasses will not be unveiled before 2014 although they can also be used far from the upcoming Xbox 720 game console.

Nintendo Wii U GamePad Introduced By Nintendo

Nintendo Wii U Gamepad

(Image Credit: cnet.com)

The latest Nintendo Wii U GamePad that comes with a 6.2-inch display that is touch-sensitive and features an NFC reader was introduced recently by Nintendo. The tablet controller can reportedly be used as a remote control for a television.

The Nintendo Wii U Gamepad was unveiled by Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo through a steamed presentation prior to the opening of the Electronic Entertainment Expo or the E3 event.

The NFC technology on the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad will allow the tablet controller to read as well as write data from cards. The technology is normally used for mobile payment systems.

According to Iwata, the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad is not just a simple evolution of the Nintendo Wii since it is also considered as a different product entirely. The gyro and motion sensors on the tablet controller allow it to sense movements. Players who have different skill levels will also be able to play well together with the intuitive motions that are used to control games.

Two stick controllers are also featured on the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad instead of the circle pads that are found on the 3DS since the latter is designed more for use on mobile game consoles.

The ‘Miiverse’ was also emphasized by Iwata since it gives players the opportunity to make their own Mii avatars. The Miiverse is the online social network of the Wii U. The Mii and the universe will reportedly be created with the list of Mii avatars and games being displayed on the television screen while the screen of the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad will show the games and applications lineup.

Text messaging will be available to allow Miis to communicate with each other although players can also write the text using their hands. In addition to the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad, the Wii U Pro was also unveiled to offer a traditional gaming experience for some users who prefer it.

The release schedule and the pricing of the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad and the Wii U Pro have yet to be revealed by the company, most likely during the E3 event.