The PlayStation Neo (the new console coming from Sony to compete with the Xbox One S) still hasn’t been officially revealed despite its vague confirmation that came in an interview with Financial Times. We knew Sony wasn’t going to give us a reveal at this year’s E3, so when is it coming? It seems like Sony doesn’t even know.
In an interview with Gamereactor, Jim Ryan was asked several questions regarding Sony’s plans moving forward post-E3. Ryan is head of global sales and marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment. When questioned about when Sony will be making a certain announcement, Ryan replied with “Honestly, we haven’t decided yet.”
The major game conferences remaining in 2016 are gamescom in August, Tokyo Game Show in September and Paris Games Week in October. During the interview with Gamereactor, Ryan mentioned an announcement wouldn’t necessarily be coming from one of the big conferences, and might show up at other events in Madrid or Milan. Remember, Sony also pretty much skipped gamescom last year. Obviously, no Neo announcement will come from a show Sony isn’t even attending.
It’s also possible Sony goes independent of the whole conference schedule, instead hosting an event solely for a PlayStation Neo announcement. This could be a great option, depending on how big of an improvement the Neo proves to be. If it’s more of a minor upgrade like the Xbox One S is compared to the Xbox One, it would seem a little foolish to go all out. If rumors are true, the Neo will only feature an improved graphics card, hardly the massive upgrade Microsoft’s Project Scorpio is boasting.
With more and more rumors coming in that the Neo will be releasing before the end of 2016, the longer Sony waits to announce the new console, the harder it will be to sell it. Given your average consumer’s confusion over the difference between the Wii and Wii U at launch, I’m sure bringing in a “new PS4” will also create some questions at the check-out counter. The faster Sony can get across the message of what a PS4 Neo is, the more educated consumers will be about it. That should hopefully translate into more sales for Sony.
So what do you think? Are you interested in getting an upgraded PS4? When do you think Sony will announce the Neo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
