PS4 release date, news and rumours

UPDATED Is the Sony PlayStation 4 destined for a Christmas 2013 release date?

Sony is yet to confirm the existence of the PS4 games console, but it exists out there somewhere.

The real questions are; when will the PS4 hit the shelves? What sort of hardware will it pack? And will it even be calledthe PlayStation 4?

There have been rumours doing the rounds suggesting that Sony is calling the PS4 'Orbis'. This comes from a source speaking to Kotaku "who is not authorised to talk publicly about next-gen hardware but has shared correct information" with them before.

Assuming the Orbis name is in some way accurate, it's still unclear whether the name is a codename like Durango or whether the console will literally be called the Sony PlayStation Orbis instead of the Sony PS4.

The name does make some kind of sense if you combine it with the word 'Vitae' (or Vita). Orbis Vitae translates from Latin as 'circle of life' and hints at some serious synergy between the PS4 and the PS Vita.

PS4 release date

Latest  rumours suggest that the PS4 will launch in time for Christmas 2013, though Sony are remaining quiet on the issue.VG247 is quoting an anonymous source (always a bad start to a rumour) as saying that Sony believes it is in a position to get the PS4 out of the door before the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 720.We remember, of course, how Microsoft managed to launch the 360 a full year before the PS3 went on sale and that enabled it to gain a huge headstart, despite all sorts of technical faults and expensive repair bills.

So it's a no-brainer that Sony will be looking to make sure that doesn't happen this time. How it can be so sure of beating Microsoft to the punch is another matter though, and as usual we'd take these anonymous comments with a glass of salty water.

Meanwhile, if you side with the likes of ITProPortal, you might believe that "the whole concept of a single lounge-bound gaming device may become obsolete". The future of gaming may well lie in a more portable device/controller that you can play on the move or plug into your TV. Epic's Mark Rein has some interesting thoughts on this here.

Senior execs for a big US retailer told their shareholders that they don't expect the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 til 2014. That seems like a good guess to us, even though Sony has always said the PS3 will have a 10-year life cycle (which began in 2006).

Bethesda's Todd Howard, game director for the blockbuster Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, also says that gamers should not expect follow-ups to the PS3 and Xbox 360 until 2014, at the very earliest.

Speaking to PSM3 magazine, the Bethesda exec said that gamers were happy with the current generation of console tech and that he didn't expect to see an Xbox 720 or a PS4 before 2014.

Long live PlayStation 3!