The PlayStation 3 came out in 2006. That doesn't matter, people want to know about the PlayStation 4. Thing is, Sony's still focusing on the PS3. Oh, and the NGP.
From the get-go, Sony said that the PS3 will have a ten year lifecycle. That doesn't mean, Sony can't or won't release the inevitable PS4 during that time span. Heck, the PS3 is out, and the 11-year-old PlayStation 2 is still selling.
Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai reiterates the PS3's ten year life cycle in a piece on website PC Watch. "We're not even at the halfway point," Hirai says, adding that compelling titles are coming out from Sony's game studios and third-party studios. "Every year, we reveal and release new features," Hirai adds, pointing out that this is the bring the PS3 to its full potential.
"That's why, we're not deliberating on a PS4 or a next generation machine, whatever you call it," Hirai adds, underlining what Sony's been saying for years. There are rumors that R&D for a new console was put on ice, but shifted to the NGP.
But for large electronic companies like Sony, R&D is constant and endless. They don't suddenly decide one weekend to start work on a new machine — that would catch them flatfooted. Even Nintendo concedes that it is continuing working on new products. It's not whether these companies are developing new machines, it's if and when these new machines hit stores. So for the time being, enjoy your PS3 and look forward to the NGP or maybe even that rumored tablet.