What Is Sony Hiding From Us?

Sony sent shock waves across the gaming world yesterday by uploading a mysterious YouTube video simply named #Playstation2013. The video shows an elaborate yet abstract animation, familiar to anyone who has seen their TV advertisements, based around their iconic X O ☐ △ controller symbols, ending with the PlayStation logo and a date. Feb 20th 2013.

See the video below!


This has left gamers salivating over what the gaming giants will be revealing, with most guesses pointing towards the unveiling of their long-awaited PS4. Considering Nintendo's Wii U has been out since the latter end of 2012, it's no surprise the other big games companies would want to start getting people excited for their next gen release (and begin saving the pennies). Shortly after uploading the video, their Facebook account 'PlayStation' gave a link inviting fans to 'See the future', with details on how to sign up for more information as soon as it is revealed.

That wasn't the only invite Sony dished out as press and gaming journalists were sent an invite to their meeting in New York City on -you guessed it - the 20th of February. A recent picture released by Sony also adds a time to that date. 6pm EST is the hour we'll be counting down to as we start to come up with theories the only way avid video game fans like myself do.

 Of course, the PS4 may not be what we get to hear about at all, with some questioning the possibility of this years games line-up. A brand new set of triple A titles to break in the new year? Arguments for a new console announcement start to dwindle if you were to look back to merely the 21st of January 2013, when Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai told The Times newspaper that the smart move is to let Microsoft reveal their console first;

"Why go first, when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?"

With the Wii U already having its time to shine, the only competitor console left is the Xbox, which Microsoft seem quite happy revealing nothing about a new system at the current time. While the PlayStation 4 is the easy choice in cracking the case of the mysterious meeting, why would Sony's leading man make such a contrasting comment in a business section of a British newspaper?

The 2011 Sony Meeting, however, did see the unveiling of their current handheld, the PS Vita. The touch-screen enabled super handheld was subsequently released in that year's December in Japan and early 2012 for the rest of us and we'd be fools for thinking a new console would come out anytime soon if it is indeed the 4th notch in Sony's console creating career.

The name 'Orbis' has been floating around on message boards among the gaming community for a while now as an alleged code-name for the PS4. Real code-name or not, I heavily doubt this will be the final name for the machine considering the word 'PlayStation' has been embedded into the hearts and minds of gamers and non-gamers alike ever since it became a household name after the first console was released in 1994/1995 in Japan and the rest of the world respectively. Calling it something other than the PlayStation 4 has a chance to scupper both reputation and sales, as well as clash with the relatively new PS Vita. Of course 'PS Orbis' is an option, but I think everyone would agree what a mouthful that would be.

'Code-name Orbis' may instead have some meaning behind it in more literal respects, the main one being the shape of the console. An obvious conclusion to make is that it brings to mind an orb - a sphere. Then again, the Xbox 360 is in no way or shape 'round' as that console's title suggests. In fact bringing up the 360 and the Orbis at the same time leads me to think of the PS4's working title as some sort of practical joke on their rivals Microsoft. Judging by Hirai's earlier comments, the company has no quarrels with bearing the competition in mind while they make business moves - perhaps the same thought process goes into their development?  Could it really be some sort of comical dig? Or by this time next year will we all be playing Uncharted 4 on a HD-enabled fishbowl?

What do you think Sony is planning to reveal to the world come February 20th?