PlayStation 4 Launch 'Crucial' Before Next Xbox

Sony has had its say on the PlayStation 4, followed promptly by the reactions of fans. It's the market analysts' turn to have a go at the new system. Jesse Divnich of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) says Sony was smart to beat Microsoft to the punch on the announcement, and needs to keep that trend going for the console launch.

"Sony's PlayStation 4 announcement was nearly perfect and on point," Divnich told Shacknews. "The biggest challenge Sony has right now is the struggling console market. Launching another console at $599 would be a big mistake. Sony has to keep the retail costs of the PlayStation 4 reasonable so consumers are not threatened by the price. It's crucial that Sony's launches the PlayStation 4 before Microsoft launches its next console."

He says that announcing ahead of Microsoft was a cagey move as well. "Sony can now focus and spend more time on discussing its online network, go more in depth with its games, and pricing at later events this year, such as E3." That said, he doesn't think Microsoft is fretting. "Microsoft is likely working on its own announcement plans and not deviating too much from them at this point."

Finally, Divnich noted that this presentation focused on courting developers, in stark contrast to the PlayStation 3. "The overall message of Sony's presentation was how easy it will be for developers this time around," he said. "PlayStation 3 had many development issues from third-parties, at least early on in the console's life. Many multiplatform titles ran poorly on PlayStation 3 compared to Xbox 360. It looks as though Sony is correcting this problem. Talking to developers and gaining critical feedback in development of the PlayStation 4 was essential."