PlayStation 4 to be unveiled this summer

The successor to the Xbox 360 and a follow-up to the PlayStation 3 will be revealed this summer. Microsoft and Sony's new games consoles could be launched at this summer's E3 games show in Los Angeles, according to industry website MCV. This year's show, which takes place in June, will also see Nintendo confirm the details of its Wii U console - the successor to the highly popular Wii. It will mark the very first time in the show’s 17-year history that three fresh, rival console formats will be so directly comparable. The Xbox 360 launched in 2005, replacing the original Xbox, which was then four years old. Sony's PlayStation 3 was released a year later, in November 2006. According to MCV, Sony is keen to avoid being behind Microsoft in the release schedule again and so is planning an earlier than expected announcement. Another view of the future if the Techlabs website is to be believed The MCV report says: "Execs aren’t expecting price or launch details for the new Xbox or PlayStation. But their unveiling could be a perfect spoiler to the pre-Christmas launch date and price that will be revealed for Wii U in June." Online speculation around the claim is growing. According to The Telegraph, it is surprising because Sony, at least, is expected to have other priorities this year. The company released its PlayStation Vita handheld console in Japan before Christmas and is gearing up to release the device in Europe and the US next month. Industry sources had previously claimed that both Microsoft and Sony hoped to extend this generation of consoles so as to maximise their investment. Microsoft's now-retired gaming executive Shane Kim said in 2009 that the company "firmly" believed that the Xbox 360 had "a life cycle through 2015" or exactly ten years since it launched. Sony Computer Entertainment's Europe boss Andrew House said only seven months ago that PS3, which was launched in 2006, would have a "minimum" life cycle of ten years.