14 DAY TRIAL // The new peripherals launched last year for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, the PlayStation Move and Kinect, respectively, hint at features that will be incorporated in the next generation of devices, as Sony and Microsoft are testing them out on current consoles, at least according to 2K Games boss Christoph Hartmann.
A lot of companies are talking about the next generation of consoles, demanding more power and better features, while reports claim that we might even see devices like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720 next year, ahead of a release at the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.
We shouldn't look so far away, however, as Christoph Hartmann, the boss of 2K Games, believes we're already seeing features of the new consoles, specifically motion detection peripherals like the PlayStation Move or Kinect, being tested out on current devices.
Talking with MCV about new platforms, Hartmann stated that he believes Sony and Microsoft are testing out things that will be incorporated into upcoming consoles.
"I don't think they are avoiding doing another machine but testing the water," Hartmann said. "Rather than coming out and saying 'this is our console now,' I think they are playing around and seeing what they can do. These guys know how to manufacture the chips or push the memory, the kind of thing you usually get with each new console generation. But now everyone is looking for innovation and at online components, so they are experimenting.
Hartmann believes that the two hardware manufacturers didn't just try to copy the Wii, but reveal their own thoughts on the motion-detection trend, and try them out before implementing them directly into new devices.
"It's not been a case of just jumping on the Wii wagon - it's been a case of learning about what Wii did and trying to take it somewhere," the 2K boss revealed.
As of yet, however, neither Sony nor Microsoft have admitted that they're working on new devices, so it's just speculation until an official confirmation.