Sony CEO Kaz Hirai Drops Hint That PS4 Will Release After New Xbox

Kaz Hirai, the global chief executive of Sony, has dropped a hint which suggests that the PlayStation 4 will only go on sale after Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox. Basically, Microsoft has to make the first move.

When The Times asked about the console release windows, Hirai said: “why go first when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?”.

Currently, we don’t know if Hirai’s view of it is shared by other executives at Sony. However, one would question this logic given that the PlayStation 3 greatly suffered for the first two years of its launch given that the Xbox 360 had a long head-start, effectively a year. Sure, it eventually did come good and it’s become an exceptional console with plenty of incredible games, but another launch like that is a worry.

I personally feel the consoles will launch within a few months of each other, if not at the same time. While I wouldn’t be surprised if the PS4 takes its time, I don’t think gamers could go through another launch like the PlayStation 3 and it could be really damaging for the brand.

Patience has become harder to come by in today’s world, and if Sony does decide to release the console that much later, one would hope they have strong reasons to purchase it once it’s out. A strong line-up of launch titles would be a start. And a price more in range with the Xbox 360, which would be possible if both consoles do end up using Blu-ray as recent rumours would have us believe, because then at least there won’t be that gigantic, rather awkward price gap between the two.

I have never regretted buying my PlayStation 3 as, aside from a PC, it was my first console that I owned and as I said it more than delivered in the end for me. But I don’t want to repeat those first two launch years again, and I don’t think any PlayStation fans would either.

The next-gen consoles are definitely stirring up big speculation and debate right now.