If Sony delay to match the specs of the Scorpio then they'll lose the advantage because they have to produce the console and not just slap some numbers down on a piece of paper and wait over a year to try and meet that expectation. I'm more or less certain that the Neo will release this year. PR is where the battle is won or lost. Whoever controls the narrative, controls the perception.

Would be such a waste of money I don't see that happening, not only money but time for both Sony and devs. They sent dev kits out months ago I don't see them changing hardware. Possibly just overclocking the GPU. If they get out a year ahead of Microsoft and at a cheaper price, they'll still have the advantage, regardless of power. 

Yes, that's 'preliminary' PR in order to suggest possibly higher specs. They know their fanbase and then the media will begin that speculation but because it's speculation and not an out and out statement, MS are in the clear if the Scorpio IS exactly as they advertised. MS are already putting out adverts with games running at 4K on PC and ending the trailers with an adert for the XB1s. Do you think MS wouldn't try and control the narrative with more smoke and mirrors in the future? Look at how MS used the word 'Parity' to discribe games upscaled from 700p to 1080p. Then they started putting 1080p (parity) on their game boxes.

They ll have 1 year to get their message across, when all MS will be able to say is "wait and see".

Still... doesnt price factor into this at all? is it just power?

Supposed MS makes this 8 teraflop monster console, they call the Xbox Two, and it launches at 599$.

The narritive can easily become "it plays all the same games, the difference in resolution is barely noticeable, and it costs 200$ more".

I dont think Sony is in a bad spot at all.

Well clearly, yes. Why else would MS announce the Scorpio by promoting the specs? If Sony sold a 100m PS4s by the end of next year it wouldn't matter as far as the press or PR goes if MS announce the Scorpio as a 9th gen console. People would just move on from talking about the PS4 winning gen 8 and start talking about the XB2 winning gen 9. It's the ONLY solution for MS. If they don't then that's a tacit admission they're not interested in consoles any more and they'll move even deeper into PC centric gaming. I believe it's the latter but I'm simply offering a solution to give them a chance in the former.

$599 they'd be easily taking $300 hit at that price. Don't see it. 

Sony has a special hardware conference in a few days. The Neo should launch this year. They wouldn't make a special conference only for a slim, and can't announce a new console for early 2017 so soon because it would lower the holidays sales.

Everything points to a holiday release, except speculations about a MS console we know nothing about yet...

That's because you're looking at the current perception and not taking into account what a years worth of PR can do. It only takes a week of Twitters to completely change the narrative nowadays. Sony had ONE conference showing game after game and suddenly the industry is talking about how 'this is what Sony do'. They take ONE instance and portray it in abolutes instead of waiting to find out if it's a 'trend' and THEN drawing conclusions. The internet is reactionary and childish in that way. You've only got to look at the Amazon thread to see that in action. The PS4 can be in the lead for a year and the moment I post the XB1 in the lead you genuinely get people stating 'Sony are done'. That's the internet and everything it entails.

Lol, what does it change anything if MS call it XB2. Its all about whether MS can differentiate XB2 to from XB1, with games looking notably better and next gen. Just rendering XB1 games at 4K changes nothing. MS' exclusive output has been very weak and what little games they publish they certainly won't be locking 20-30M XB1 owners out of it.

It'd be disastrous for MS if they think they can kickstart the 9th gen on their own 3 years too early. PS5 is gonna come around 2019/2020, 6-7 years everyone is itching for a new gen. Sony answers with true new hardware, and MS has a 2-3 year outdated hardware. (and they'll likely have another iteration by the time PS5 comes out, and face everyone's backlash because their 2 year old Scorpio consoles cant play the newest games.)

Wait, Nintendo has been really successful in their early launch of this gen with the Wii U, it's obviously a great choice :)