Sony Said To Launch PS4 in 2012

Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony is expected to launch its PlayStation 4 (PS4) gaming console in 2012 that will feature body movement-based control like Kinect, a motion sensing input device developed by Microsoft for the Xbox 360.

The report comes as Sony is restoring its PlayStation Network after the hack attack in April.

Digitimes, citing Taiwan-based component makers, said Sony will have Taiwan-based partners begin production of PlayStation 4 (PS4) featuring body movement-based control like Kinect at the end of 2011 for launch in 2012.

Foxconn and Pegatron Technology, assemblers of PS3, will undertake assembly of PS4 as well, the sources pointed out. The planned shipment volume of PS4 in 2012 is at least 20 million units, the report added.

The PlayStation, the brainchild of Sony executive Ken Kutaragi, is a series of video game consoles created and developed by Sony. Spanning the fifth, sixth, and seventh generations of video gaming, the brand was first introduced on December 3, 1994 in Japan.

The first console in the series, the PlayStation, was shipped 100 million units after 9 years and 6 months of its initial launch. PlayStation 2 is the best-selling console to date having reached over 150 million units sold as of January 31, 2011. Meanwhile, the latest Playstation PS3 has sold over 50 million consoles worldwide as of March 29, 2011.

However, hackers breached in to PSN network in April, compromising account and billing information of as many as 100 million Sony customers.

Finally, Japanese customers will reportedly see Sony's PSN resume service from July 6. If true, this would mean that Japanese PlayStation users will have been left without the service for around three months.

Due to the perceived continued weakness in Sony's cyber security, the Japanese government was reportedly blocking the PSN's relaunch until it was suitably satisfied that Sony had secured the network.