Sony’s next showpiece PlayStation console will be revealed in early September, with the company announcing plans for a ‘PlayStation Meeting’ on 7 September.
September will be a big month for Sony, with an IFA appearance on the opening day of the month, followed by a 7 September event destined to reveal the company’s latest Xperia smartphone and PlayStation, respectively.
Smartphones and consoles
Supposed images of the Xperia XR have been leaked ahead of the IFA show in Berlin, with it expected to feature a 5.1in screen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor, and 4K video recording. Given the general make-up of Sony’s smartphones, a superior camera won’t be a surprise.
However, the PlayStation is the real cash cow for the company, and this new version is one of the most anticipated releases of the year – perhaps tying with the iPhone, another September-based reveal.
The PlayStation Neo is expected to be an enhanced PlayStation 4, which will do all the things that the 4 can do, along with the added capability to support 4K games, movies and TV shows.
Why would Sony bother including that? The answer is most likely virtual reality. The PlayStation VR headset will be released in October and it makes sense for the company to have a decent ecosystem to host the platform’s wares.
Competing and changing
Microsoft has already gone down this route with its Xbox One S plans, another upgrade on an already-successful product. Though given the immense popularity of PlayStations, bringing out an upgrade of the 4 may prove more successful than many thought.
Sony is realigning its business proposition, selling off some of its battery operations to Murata Manufacturing in recent weeks, in response to slowing demand for smartphones globally.
One of Apple’s suppliers, Murata will acquire various arms of Sony’s battery operations as part of the new agreement.
A Sony subsidiary in Japan and manufacturing operations in China and Singapore, as well as “assets and personnel” from the overall Sony group (sales and R&D staff) will make the move to Murata.
Main PlayStation image via Peter Kotoff/Shutterstock
*This article was corrected on 10 August at 10.30 to explain the reveal is likely four weeks away
