Speculation is growing that Sony Corp. plans to release a new version of its PlayStation game console in early summer following a recent remark by senior official Hiroshi Sakamoto during an interview with Chilean website emol.com.
In an article posted by emol.com on Jan. 12, Sakamoto, who heads Sony's marketing and sales operations in South and Central America, is quoted as saying that though "it is still a secret," Sony's PlayStation development team is focused on preparing something new at this June's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.
Sony is likely to make an announcement in either May or at the annual expo, Sakamoto said.
If true, it would be the first time in more than six years that Sony has released a new stationary game console since the PlayStation 3 debuted. Some versions of the PS3, which hit the market in November 2006, have been released in the past few years but only with minor upgrades, while the PlayStation Vita handheld game device was unveiled in December 2011.
Based on emol.com's report, online media organizations around the world started speculating that Sony will unveil a PlayStation 4 at the L.A. expo.
A Sony spokesman refused to say whether Sony is planning to release a next-generation PlayStation in May or June or to comment on the veracity of Sakamoto's remarks, confirming only that he was indeed interviewed by emol.com.
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