The next PlayStation and Xbox will launch three years from now, if Sony and Microsoft have their way. According to a Kotaku report, containing comments from an insider who has worked with first-party companies such as the pair, Sony and Microsoft are planning to launch next-generation consoles in 2014.
“Both MS and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they’re delaying, to milk the current [generation] and fill in previous craters better,” the anonymous source told the site.
Other sources speaking with the publication have also said that they’re hearing 2014, with a minority saying 2013 is a possibility if the two console manufacturers are pushed.
One insider said that any new Xbox released in 2013 would be a Kinect-upgraded Xbox 360, rather than the brand new system launching the following year. The same source said that Microsoft has still yet to figure out what parts will go in the next Xbox, and that they are nevertheless “wrestling with whether to be profitable on day one,” or take a loss and be profitable later on. Sony and Microsoft usually opt for the latter.
Recent rumors from multiple sources have said that Nintendo is preparing a high-definition console for an E3 reveal, following a late 2012 launch. If true, Nintendo will be the first to kick off the new generation, with their platform launching two years ahead of its competition.