14 DAY TRIAL // Jon Grimes, an executive at Microsoft, suggests that the announcement that Sony will make on February 20, widely believed to be linked to the PlayStation 4, will not have a big impact on the mainstream gamer although it will be important to the hardcore fans and industry officials.
Speaking to MCV, the executive says that the majority of consumers will not know exactly what Sony is revealing.
He states, “Our job is not to get lost in the industry chatter, but to ensure that the consumers going into stores, going online, still experience Xbox. The announcement is important for the industry, but it is also important to remember who is buying right now.”
He adds, “What has got us to where we are today is not going to be what gets us through the next ten years. Now we’ve also got to start from scratch when thinking about the future. Driving creativity, whether around marketing, retail or new business models, is key for us.”
It’s unclear whether Grimes knows exactly what Sony will reveal on February 20 and is trying to temper the enthusiasm of those who are expecting a new platform reveal or if the Microsoft executive is simply trying to play down the importance of the PlayStation 4.
Microsoft has not announced any plans to reveal the Xbox 720, which is being developed under the codename Durango, but most industry analysts believe that the device will be revealed before E3 2013 and that a launch will take place before the end of the year.
Rumors suggest that Microsoft is including better Kinect motion tracking technology into the new device while also adding more processing power and community focused options.
The company might also add an always-on feature that will authenticate all games and will make sure that the used-game market disappears.