I don't think it will come out that late, it'll probably be available for 18 months by then

Erm... I'll just reply to you by saying this:

It won't be good if Sony releases that far behind competitors.

the same can be said about any product you release, oh you release ahead, now the other's will have more powerful hardware, oh you release later, than other's will gather too much market share.

Do you buy the product because of when it released or do you buy a product for what kinda games it get's when it get's released. Games get released all the time, does it really matter in the grand scheme of thing's when you get the hardware as long as you get it?

I mean, market share really changes, its keeping your install base that matter's right? So for instance why do people buy your product, for just your 1st party games or game's in general? If sony releases Later than Do you think Microsoft will get 3rd party exclusive's by default? that is if you exclude the WiiU, but would you exclude the WiiU?

The fact that many are so Hung up on the market share, just show's in my opinion it's more about How well the companies are doing instead of how well the companies are catering to your gaming need's anymore now days with many gamer's it seem's. I see quite a number of People keep saying if you sell a million copy's of your game it's a failure! I mean, How in the world is selling a Million unit's of something not a good thing? Investment into your own Ip you have to recover the cost's, right yea, while that's true, but on the same token their is so many ways that you can cover your invesment's now that selling a cool million unit's is no where near a bad thing.

releasing later, with more investment from your own in house 1st party does not hurt Nintendo, why would that hurt Sony? Hey Sony is not Nintendo, but building up their 1st party is a priority. that's how you make sure you have software that is unique to your platform, not every software may not sell like gangbuster's but you have to start somewhere.

It seems like you're saying that catering to Sony's fanbase is important. More important than sales. Well, I agree that catering to their fanbase is important, but sales are very important too. If Sony wants to have a chance with (at least) OK sales then they must release the PS4 this year or next year. 2016 isn't an option. It's just too far from when MS would have released their console and Nintendo has already released their console. There would be a lot of competition for Sony once they would have released the PS4.

U guys keep saying it would be giving up market share to microsoft but thats not the point. These next 3 years would be to squeeze out as much profit as possible would be able to market it better to stay relevent against wii u/nextbox. Releasing in 2016 would give it a 1-2 year lead on the following gen.

well while i see what you are saying, i think many are looking at this market dynamic as from the past, and not they way it is now. I think with the Move to the Playstation Mobile, Sony is looking at this market for Game console's as not a transition of PC development 3rd party = to port to Consumer electronic's IE: Game consoles. Instead I think Sony is Looking at Game console's as in PC development as = to developing to console's and Consumer Electronic's as the only Platform they are targeting.

what i mean by this is, is instead of trying to get the 3rd party PC centric developer's to include their console as a port machine. Sony is targeting the Smartphone,Tablet and Smart TV centric developer's to make console game's.

Game console's such as OUYA. smart TV's and Tablet's are more and More encroaching on this part of the market, they did this before with the dedicated PDA market. Sony trying to get 3rd party Exclusives from 3rd party publisher's when both Nintendo and Microsoft can out bid them 5 to 1 or 10 to 1, is not in the cards. So Sony would loose out on that very end anyway. remember Sony is also a publisher of software for 3rd party companies. Unless you pay them money you are not going to get priority anyway. So concentrating on a Consumer electronic's market smart devices like GAIKAI, AND Playstation Mobile and PSN is the priority. they just spent over 1.4 billion on Sony Ericsson, than darn near half a billion on investment on Gaikai. Sony does not want Microsoft to do to the Consumer electronic's market what they already done to the PC, IE: to be the priority of development for Microsoft platforms 1st everyone 2nd. Sony is trying to make Playstation a Consumer electronic's unified platform in of itself, to be developed on for Consumer electronic's. Not PC Game's porting to console's vs Microsoft is a situation Sony frankly know's the outcome. against Nintendo Sony knows the strength of their 1st party. but Nintendo is not making a unified Smart devices platform, Like Sony is and Microsoft is doing just that with windows 8 and xbox. Sony is trying to beat microsoft to the punch. 

So they can atleast have a priority platform in the market that is not just tied to Microsoft having the priority for development in the Consumer electronic's industry like they already do, in the PC market.

SMART TV,SMARTPHONE'S AND TABLET'S+ GAME CONSOLE'S+Network's = WHAT SONY IS CONCENTRATING ON NOW TO MAKE A UNIFIED PLATFORM FOR PLAYSTATION!

Microsoft want's to not only Keep PC as the main development platform for games being made be Windows, but they also want Game console and consumer electronic's platforms to be the same.

Sony releasing 1st or last will not really matter that much when you are facing a company that can outspend you 10 to one, Sony sony is doing the only thing they can do change what platform Playstation is mainly targeting.

I mean lets just say for the sake of argument, Sony wait's until 2015 to release a platform, would many on this site even give Sony a chance to be relevant anymore in the game console industry? really right now there is many on this site that Sony is in a downward trend and there is no hope for them at all. they are already call it over for Sony already. the Mindshare damage has already been done on Sony for a while already as is. Many see it as Nintendo and Microsoft as really only the one's for next gen with any strength or teeth anyway. Sony has already been set to junk status . the point is Sony at this point is no longer the lead in software or hardware at this point so going less in market share, or Mind share is going to happen anyway. 

sony IS REBUILDING IT'S BRAND, and it's showing that it will take lot's of time and investment. which Sony is showing more and more they are willing to do so. the the  downsizing of the rest of the company to do it.

taking the Playstation Platform to more of a smartdevices platform is what Sony's doing right now , because they infact see where Apple, and Samsung is going. what happens when smart TV's have advanced gameing with 3rd party's concentrating iP's on smart TV's. its a challenge for the livingroom remember.

Lol nope

You really dont get it do you? The Ps3 has peaked and now is following a decline since last year. Do you think Sony is willing to follow that decline till 2016? What seelling 5 mil a year?

why would they have to worry about a decline when every thing is going to be at profit. Right now in many of the very sales threads right here on this very forum, Sony is seen as in a  

Death Spiral

How would they fix that by making sure they move toward fixing issues of loss in profit's 60% reduction in TV production for the next few years is a great start.Something Sony has already started.

Investing into more Mobile, and playstation  network investment. That does not mean they have to follow the Market for release of  Hardware product's because Microsoft or Nintendo does. Nintendo released the WiiU before both Sony and Microsoft release the next system's say Sony wait's, would than everyone say that sony could never again be viable in this market again because they wait to release?

It sure look's like it with the majority of responses to this very thread.

Just because Nintendo or Microsoft releases a new console? just remember it's no longer just about Nintendo and Microsoft now, you have samsung, apple and other companies also making TV's that will target the living room gaming experience for consumer's with no topset box needed to have entertainment.

When companies like Time Warner, Valve, Apple, etc and now There are companies that are making sub inexpensive game console's like the OUYA all trying to get your money and time with direct to digital download or free to almost nothing for your entertainment. the problem for the living room game console market is it's no longer just about Nintendo and Microsoft anymore for Sony to worry about.

Just look at Sony's new investment's and down scaling moves for the entire  company as a whole.

Like i stated before the mindshare damage for Sony has already been done, Sony is rightfuly so looking toward changing the Playstation platform's dynamic anyway. releasing before or after Nintendo or Microsoft would not really matter at this point they already are below Half the number that Microsoft's install base for the xbox360 in US.

To be blunt, I think it's no longer just about what Nintendo and Microsoft are doing, its about keeping the company in the market period to make sure they have a Niche that they can fill that the other companies are not with unique software games which is the entire point.

Multi-plats are a great thing but that's the thing about Multi-plat's they are on more than one platform anyway. With Playstation Mobile Sony is gearing a playstation Platform for just that.

I would reply to the people who are saying they could in this thread; but it's just not worth it really. Because this isn't even a question; it will launch within 18 months and no later. It wouldn't make sense from a business point. If you follow the other logic then Sony would still be releasing games for the PS2, the PS3 would either not be released or either just be released and we wouldn't have LCD TV's, because the other ones were making profit. Why take the risk of releasing something new?