I love story's like this. MS could've been planning for a 2013 release all along, but now the next console will forever be labled as reactionary and premature, with endless speculation about what it COULD'VE been if they waited.

Or if it comes in 2014, they will be labled as slow to react and a year late to the party.

Question: If I start a blog, can I make up just about anything if I put "Sources say" in front of it? I'm being genuine here.

As long as they release before the PS4 its all good. They need a head start to offset Sonys strengths in Japan.

Well head starts can be deadly. Sony learned never to be on the wrong side of a head start this gen. it ends up costing you all your market share from the previous gen

well if the launch and its games go well and are plentiful then sure i'll be there 3 to 4 yrs down the road after the second price drop to pick up the 720 if it meets my new requirements fort the next gen.

I actually think that's a mistake. I'm still not convinced Wii U is going to see near the kind of success that the Wii saw and I think MS should have stood their ground and waited. Their current console is healthy and Kinect is still selling well.

Pushing it foreward seems like a rush and considering reports that the Nextbox is going to be powerful as hell they should've waited so costs would have been lower. Either way if true I'm dissapointed in MS.

wow idk sounds smart.

Actually, Sega beat Sony to market 2 times in a row, with the Saturn and the Dreamcast.  Didn't really help Sega.

@ OP

I highly doubt MS or Sony will be rushing themselves to launch their next system because of the WiiU.  I think most already expected MS and Sony to show off their new consoles in 2012 and launch in 2013.  Now if MS reveals their console at E3 of next year and launches a few months later, then yes, I think it would save to assume they rushed out their console ahead of time.  Though, MS really couldn't afford another RROD fiasco.  They would be out of the console market within a year or 2.  Point is, 1 year head start for the WiiU isn't going to hurt MS or Sony much.  Though, a 2 year head start, unless the console in question greatly outpowered the other 2 and was very affordable, would be pushing it.

Microsoft has no imagination so I wonder what they will come up with to top Nintendo's Wii-U controller.

@WiseOwl
M$ is a software company first and foremost. I think everyone else is trying to catch up to M$'s online service and achievement system.

As for M$ releasing in 2013. It's too late. The world will end by then.. :P

Just in time for a Wii-U pricecut