@JEMC

A lack of security is also counter productive, and can actually be more damaging then the inefficiencies brought on by the secrecy. It goes beyond losing the element of surprise. It allows the competition to counter, copy, or even exploit the situation. Such was the case early in the previous console generation. When Microsoft caught wind of the planned PS3 price cuts, and component reductions.

Microsoft exploited the situation by publicly talking about what Sony was going to be doing, and when they would be doing it. Which in turn drove down the sales of the console in the proceeding months, and if that cost Sony the sale of a million consoles. Then Microsoft basically ended up costing Sony two hundred million dollars on top of the losses that following the plan would cost them. Plus Microsoft probably ended up costing Sony short term support, because those lost sales probably divested, or delayed third parties.

Microsoft didn't just exploit the situation. They turned Sony's own plan against them. They basically turned that free flow of information into a throbbing weak spot. Any savings gained through the efficiencies were lost many times over. What I find most interesting about this whole cloak and dagger situation. Is that Microsoft doesn't seemingly just play defense. They play a very active offense, and I think that there is a strategy being perpetuated in communities like this.

I genuinely believe that Microsoft is manipulating the flow of information. That they have shills actively putting out a story that they want to be told. The primary source for the majority of next box rumors has made claims that are just plain unbelievable. Yet they haven't been sued, gagged, bribed, threatened, criminally prosecuted, or denounced in a very public way. That basically tells me that the guy is being paid by Microsoft to say the things he says, and I doubt it ends there either.

There is a consistent thread in almost all of the Sony rumors, and it all promotes a singular view of the PS4, and that is of a fairly powerful piece of stand alone hardware. If I were Microsoft, and I knew for a fact that wasn't the case. This is exactly what I would do. Create a unrealistic expectation that can be dashed at the unveil. While my companies own product could live up to the hype. Think about how many Sony rumor mongers are going to feel betrayed even when Sony hasn't made a single promise.

You know something else. Microsoft has done the exact same thing before. Microsoft has paid shills to work online communities in the past, and there isn't any reason to think that it isn't happening now. Let me be crystal clear about my previous comment. Former Microsoft employees have publicly confessed to doing this. So what I am saying is that we probably shouldn't assume that Sony has leaks. It could very well be Microsoft is generating bullshit for its own self serving purposes. We don't actually have proof that all the ships aren't water tight.

Honestly I'm glad both MSony are doing such a good job keeping a lid on things this time around. Makes speculating much more fun leading up to the reveal

lucky it's not me, cause who's ever's involved with the project, would be miles away from civilization, only having contact with those were he/she works

@Dodece: I agree with you that Msoft is the source of most of the rumors we hear about, after all their Surface tablets were a project as big as a console or even more yet we didn't hear anything about it untill the reveal.

What you say about Msoft and the PS4 rumors... well, with Msoft any dirty maneuver is possible, but given that their info regarding the PS4 isn't complete (they sure as hell know more than us, but they don't know all the details) I don't know if they will risk hyping the product of the competence that may ormay not deliver.

Oh, and what I meant is that recruiting workers for your project without letting them know who else is in the project and what they do, can go against them as each worker will make their part without thinking in the project as a whole. I'm sure that working this way produces a lot of unnecessary problems.

@JEMC

Just to clarify what I was saying. I genuinely think that Microsoft is running a misinformation campaign. Rather then leaking information. Basically they are running a smear campaign in advance. They are perpetuating a story that has Sony releasing a incredibly powerful console this year, and they don't necessarily need to know the details about the machine to know what is financially doable by Sony, and what is most certainly not.

In doing this they have gotten a legion of Sony fans excited about a machine that Sony cannot deliver onto the market. Read these forums, and you can see just how many here believe these rumors without any reservation, and when this god like machine does a no show. Who do you think is going to take the blame. They are going to feel betrayed and blame Sony. Even though Sony never made a single promise about the capabilities of their hardware.

Meanwhile these rumors have converted many a Sony fan into disciples of the pure glory of raw power. This could in the end have another consequence. Microsoft may be converting Sony fans without their even knowing. Sony fans could very well end up arguing in favor of hardware that they thought was Sony's, but was in fact Microsoft's the whole time. Placing them square in the middle of a catch 22. They don't want to change brands, but they could have just spent months arguing that higher raw power is the most important thing.

Microsoft is the brand of raw power. Hell this previous generation they built a console that was so over powered that it literally ripped itself apart. Yet we now have rumors about a Sony console that is aspiring to be that. Something doesn't smell right about this at all.

My god. It all makes sense now. Wow that just opened my eyes.

those $100 you are talking about it will easily be spent on Blu Ray player, Hard Drive, digital audio output and ethernet port. All those things Wii U does not have that do not diminish the power of the console. There you go, a nicely console war is set up. The one to win is the one with the best exclusives. IF and only IF all of these rumors are true.

So Microsoft is lying about how powerful their machine is in order to court PS fans into getting too excited over PS4's power in a bet that Sony won't be able to make a powerful machine so Microsoft can actually release a powerful machine in order to attract those PS fans therefore not actually lying in the first place?

Those $100 easily are goint to Blu Ray player, Kinect, Hard Drive, Ethernet Port, Digital udio Output. So in terms of raw power they should be at least on the same league, but sure not at the same level. It won't be that far. One gimick balance the other. Micrsoft also has its gimmicks.

Sounds like a crazy plan