While the news seems sketchy at best and I don't buy it, in terms of planning and marketing this probably would've been the smartest move they could make. If everyone inside maintained their confidentiality agreements (unlikely), and they figured they could have the system pretty well ready to launch by mid-year, they could've just been waiting for Sony to confirm a holiday launch, and then surprise announce that they're launching during the summer. Early adopters rush out to get the 'first true next-gen system for the hardcore gamer', and when the holidays roll around all the kids want a 720 because they've been playing on Xbox Live at "Steve's" house all summer (Steve being the young kid that everyone knows that gets everything he wants immediately when he wants it).
It's all about the game.
