Kaz Hirai Says Sony Aren't Looking To The PlayStation 4 Just Yet.

With the PlayStation 3 slowly coming into its own, and the excellent looking NGP on the horizon, SCE boss Kaz Hirai has revealed that the platform holder aren't even thinking about the PlayStation 4 right now.

Which probably doesn't mean there's not an R&D team working on it, but it's clearly not part of the company's immediate plans.

"As regards to home consoles, the PS3 was put into business in 2006, and it has a 10 year life cycle," Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai told Japanese news website PC Impress Watch .

"This means that we aren't even at the halfway point. There are certainly many more desirable first and third party titles coming out. As we announce and implement new initiatives on an annual basis, I still believe in the importance of improving the software and feature set of the PS3.

"I think the value of the PS3 will continue to rise. Because of this, a near-future PS4 or next-generation home console is not something that we are even debating now. That is to say, we are still concentrating fully upon the PS3. Right now, I appeal to you to think of the PS3 and NGP as a new, co-operative partnership."

While we imagine some people will be disappointed by the news, it really does make a lot of sense. The PlayStation 3 is only just hitting its stide (look at Killzone 3), and it doesn't seem like Sony's competitors are looking to upgrade their hardware any time soon. Most importantly, third-parties are just beginning to adapt to this generation of hardware. We really are in an unusual place where the current systems are likely to last twice as long as their predecessors. Stuff like Move, firmware updates and new services such as Qriocity will continue to extend the life-span and userbase of the current platform.

[source eurogamer.net]