Will the new PlayStation and Xbox hit in 2012?
As we coast along the current console hardware generation, attention invariably turns to when the next systems will debut. Sony has promised a ten-year lifespan for both the PS3 and PSP, and Microsoft has hinted at a similar timeline for the Xbox 360. However, many people are questioning these claims, including developers and publishers within the industry itself.

Among these detractors is Crytek, who believe that the next generation of consoles will be out in 2-4 years. Cevat Yerli, the company’s president and CEO, had the following to say at a keynote session at the GC Developers Conference in Leipzig:

"The PlayStation 4 and Xbox ’720’ will arrive in 2011 or 2012, we think. But this is just our estimate - we don’t know, and even if Microsoft and Sony told us, I couldn’t say because it would be under NDA. “

"But we think in three to four years’ time, although there are good reasons why it should be 2010 already... but we’ll see."

At first, the rumors of the next console generation debuting so soon seemed like pure bunk, but as more and more developers and publishers start to speak out suggesting that the next generation may come sooner than we think, you can’t help but wonder if we’re in store for a big surprise sometime in the next 12 months. If I had to put my money on any company acting first in the next generation, it would be Microsoft. Given the original Xbox’s relatively short lifespan, coupled with the early mover advantage the company received by releasing the 360 a full year ahead of the PS3 and the Wii, it would make sense for them to do it again with their next console. Also, with Sony surging and closing the gap on Microsoft in terms of sales, it would be an interesting ploy for the company to release a new console which could then possibly stymie PS3 sales once more.

While the lack of any info coming out of the console manufacturers themselves makes us hesitant to believe Yerli, we can’t simply ignore the parade of developers coming forward with suspicions that the next console generation will appear in the next 2-4 years. While we can’t confirm this rumor, it is definitely far from dead.

TGR Verdict: Possible and looking more and more likely