This Playstation 4 Update is going to look further and see not only what is being said, but possibly why and what if anything can be proven.

As early as May of 2011 news of the Playstation 4 being under development has been spread throughout the internet… and not just some of the silly rumors that come from random bloggers, but actual game companies stepping up, and while be unconfirmed, admitting that they were already working on the Playstation 4 games. More often than not, it is the game developers that usually leak this type of information, and that has been the case with the Playstation 4. This is a pretty big deal and with so many separate game developers having said something along the lines that they were “working on next generation software” there should be little doubt that the Playstation 4 is being developed NOW.

Some interesting articles regarding the Playstation 4 games:

• PlayStation 4 Games Under Development
• PlayStation Expanding Target Audience with PS4
• Ubisoft Says PS4 is Coming Soon
• Playstation 4 Games will be easier to Develop
• Playstation 4 Games Update
• PlayStation 4 2012 Release Date?
• PlayStation 4 Games List

There has even been talk from a top label manufacturer that the Playstation 4 consoles themselves are being developed… and not just developed but actually manufactured and being prepared to ship. A Taiwan based company has claimed that they are currently assembling 20 million consoles for release during 2012. If this is true, then not only is the console under development, it is nearly ready for distribution. Read more regarding the 2011 Playstation 4 production. It is impossible to know if this is true or not, but it is likely that the Playstation 4 is at least in some form of production.

The most important information regarding the launch of the next generation Playstation console, the Playstation 4, may have come from Ubisoft, a company who has leaked some information regarding the next generation of the Xbox, letting on that the next generation of consoles was not far off… that paired with the comment from Sony’s Computer Entertainment Europe CEO, Jim Ryan stating that it would be undesirable for the company to launch the Playstation 4 console “significantly later than the competition”. is likely to mean that the Playstation 4 is even closer than some of us would believe.

Just last year there was very little mention of a next generation console, and when ever it was mentioned to the big guys at Sony the response was the same… That we have yet to reach the limits of the Playstation 3 and that a new console was not necessary. But as time goes on this is proving to not necessarily be true. While the Playstation 3 still offers amazing gaming capabilities, the games them selves are not as amazing as they could be, and the online network is really bad when compared to that of Xbox live. That is why the first big change we would like to see in the next Playstation console is not necessarily better hardware but an easier to use SDK, which would make game development easier and certainly lead to better games. Pairing an easier to develop for console, and an improved online network would certainly make the Playstation 4 the next great console… and it would likely have an entire line up of games worthy of the hardware you play them on.

Let us know what you would like to see out of the Playstation 4 console… what games you are looking forward to, and when you think the console will be released. Follow the Playstation 4 release date information at Playstation 4 Release Date

But the most sought after award is the Video Game of the Year. This year, the lucky winner was Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you haven’t gotten it, you need to pick it up.

 Here are the rest of the Spike VGA Winners:

Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Studio of the Year: Bethesda Game Studios

Character of the Year: The Joker – Batman: Arkham City

Video Game Hall of Fame Award: The Legend of Zelda

Gamer God Award: Blizzard Entertainment

Best Xbox 360 Game: Batman: Arkham City

Best PS3 Game: Uncharted: Drake’s Deception

Best Wii Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Best PC Game: Portal 2

Best Handheld/Mobile Game: Super Mario 3D Land

Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Best Action Adventure Game: Batman: Arkham City

Best RPG: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best Multiplayer: Portal 2

Best Individual Sports Game: Fight Night Champion

Best Team Sports Game: NBA 2K12

Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 4

Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat

Best Motion Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyword Sword

Best Independent Game: Minecraft

Best Adapted Video Game: Batman: Arkham City

Best Song in a Game: “Build that Wall (Zia’s Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bation

Best Original Score: Bastion

Best Graphics: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Performance by a Human Male: Stephen Merchant as Wheatley – Portal 2

Best Performance by a Human Female: Ellen McLain as GLaDOS – Portal 2

Best Downloadable Game: Bastion

Best DLC: Portal 2 Peer Review

Most Anticipated Game: Mass Effect 3

Gametrailers.com Trailer of the Year: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – E3 2011 Trailer

EA Sports Blitz Digital Cover Athlete: Ray Rice

It was the Ninth Annual VGA, and was quite enjoyable, hosted by Zachary Levi, the star of NBC’s “Chuck”.

It has been said that the Xbox 720–codenamed “Project Ten”–will release for next years holiday season (one year from now exactly). Yes, we know the Xbox 720 is being worked on, but in order for this to be true, the Xbox 720 must be revealed at CES or E3 next year. So we’ll know by June!

Another rumor about the Xbox 720 is that it will have an integration that matches Apple. It would sync up Windows from PCs and phones, which the Xbox 360 cannot allow at the moment. It’d have more of a “Cloud” capability.

But what does this mean for the PS4?

There’s been hints from Sony PlayStation that the PlayStation 4 will follow Xbox 720. In fact, they actually said they will not let the Xbox 720 release without the PS4 there. They learned their mistakes when they waited too long after the Xbox 360 released before they released the PS3. Sales took a major hit because people had already just purchased a new console. For the PS4 to be a success, it must come out at the same time as the Xbox 720.

So, since we assume that if the Xbox 720 releases next year, they will have an E3 unveiling in June 2012; that means Sony would also unveil the PS4 in E3!

But, it’s another rumor. Don’t get your hopes up. Just keep your ears (well, technically eyes) open for the latest news.

Have some ideas about the PS4? You can write for us, leave comments, or send emails about what you want to hear!

But now more information has leaked. While the reliability of the source is questionable, since DigiTimes can’t reveal the source, they say that Sony has ordered 20 million—yes, 20,000,000—PlayStation 4 consoles to be manufactured between this year and next.

The Taiwan-based partners say that the PS4 will begin production in 2011 with a release date of 2012.

Yes: 2012.

No way did we imagine that it’d be that early, especially with all the nay-saying Sony offered. Remember, they are the ones who said the PS3 just only hit its stride.

More speculation has spread about why such an early release date. Despite Sony reinforcing their statement that the Wii U 2012 launch would not affect the PS4, more whispers on the web indicate that the main gaming companies (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) had a deal not to release a new console until 2013. Since Wii U will release next year and the rumors keep spreading about PS4, maybe this is true (they have often said they are in contact with each other).

But some specs were released about the PS4. It is said to have body-movement control, like the Kinect, which seems likely. I just hope they don’t make it the only way to play (that’d be ridiculous).

But, yes, 2012. That goes beyond our expectations.

The Wii U controller is 6.2 inches of touchscreen and movement. It can work with the TV off as a way to play, or as an extra accessory (like viewing inventories for Zelda).

Expected to release between April and December of 2012, the fact that Nintendo is revealing parts of the Wii U should help us PS gamers a little. The added competition should put some pressure on the PlayStation developers, especially since there are rumors around the internet about Xbox 720 developers being hired within the past months.

Especially with the statements made by the CEO, we’ve been speculating that the PS4 may reach us as soon as 2013, but 2014 seems more likely.

2011 and early 2012 will be great times for Sony PlayStation as they release three new groups of devices. The first is, of course, the PS Vita, which is already available for pre-order and will launch holiday season 2011.

Another new device is the PS 3D Monitor, which has the same release time. While it is not yet available for pre-order, it is sure to be a much sought-after addition for a gamer.

The third group of devices is the Sony Tablet. With two versions and compatibility with PlayStation One games, they are sure to be hits.

But, still, with the new technology in all these devices, it would be awesome to combine all of them. PlayStation has the capability to join the Tablet, Vita, and 3D Monitor into a next generation console that will blow the competition out of the water, including the Wii U.

What do you think?

Sony has finally turned a profit in their Networked Products and Services division, which includes items like the PlayStation 3 and PSP, for a profit of $492 million in the fourth quarter. This is enormous, since Sony had to spend so much money in order to create the individual software pieces for the PS3.

So where did all the money go for the 14 million PS units sold this past year? “For the home console, the PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business,” Kato said. “So for the future platform—when we will introduce the product I cannot discuss—but development work is underway, so the costs are incurred there.”

That’s right: Kato confirmed the rumor that the PS4 is being developed, and a large amount of the PS3 profits are going into the Next Generation Console. The plus side of the PS4 for developers, though, is that Sony will not need to create manufacturers for new technology, since they have already done that for the PS3. The technology is already available; they just are going to make it even better.

We don’t know yet when the PS4 will be released, but we do know that last month, Microsoft finally hired workers to begin development of their Xbox 720, so that is officially underway as well. Next week is the annual E3 convention, and we already know that Nintendo is unveiling their Wii 2.

So the future is finally here: the next generation of gaming is only a few years—or less—away.

Originally, Sony had promised an early second quarter release, but that’s obviously not true. Now, after the release of the HTC Trophy—the Windows answer for connection between a console and a phone, via Xbox LIVE—we can assume that maybe this release rumor is true.

So what is this rumored date? May 26. Since the PS3 Network has been down for over a month, it would make sense that Sony would try to win back over their customers with a new device.

So why haven’t we seen the PlayStation Xperia Play yet? The rumors are that the Play has had bug issues after the release world-wide (minus US of course). The delay is probably good for US consumers, since these kinks should be fixed by the time we see it.

You can pre-order the Xperia Play already via Amazon or purchase an international, unlocked version of the phone.

In case you haven’t heard, the Xperia Play is a hybrid between a cell phone and a PSP. The top touch screen slides up to reveal a gaming controller-type pad, including finger triggers, D-pads, and more.

Other rumors suggest that the Wii 2 guts will be able to compete with an Xbox 360. If this is true, then the cold war between Sony and Xbox will launch at this competition. As of now, both Microsoft and Sony have put off the releases of their next consoles until at least 2014. If the Wii 2 is too much competition for the Xbox 360, then Microsoft will have to rush a release of the Xbox 720.

With the Wii 2 rumored to be released in late 2012, what does this mean for the Sony PlayStation 4?

Well, don’t expect the PS4 to be released before the 720 in this case. But a year later? That’s a possibility. PS3 is only in the past year or two profitable, and they need to make a stronger claim in the US and Europe. With all the technical possibilities for the PS3, they can handle waiting another three or four years.

As we’ve discussed many times before, Sony plans to keep adding to the PS3 console with upgrades rather than a makeover. While a Wii 2 could possibly push the next generation of consoles to step it up by a year or two, don’t expect much more.

E3 occurs in June 2011 in LA. Wonder what other news we’ll hear?

Kaz Hirai, the Sony Computer Entertainment head, has announced that they aren’t even deliberating on the next PlayStation console. In fact, they believe that the PS3 is only half-way done, he told PC Impress Watch.

What do they mean by that? Well, in the past, consoles like the PS2 and xBox were replaced within five years. By then, newer and better technology was released, so they had to keep up with gamer expectations. But the PS3 is predicted to have a ten year life cycle.

This is slightly good news, because that means Sony will continue to add new additions to the already multi-functional media hub. Since the PS3 already has a video store, Vudu, and Netflix. Plus all of the major game companies are attempting to make their games downloadable, so if the console were changed, all of these games would need to be altered.

Sony PS4 Concept Design

But is this likely? When the PlayStation 2 was released, it was expected to have a ten-year life as well. Five years later, the PS3 came out. So even though Sony may now claim that their focus will be on the PS3 for five more years, it is entirely possible these numbers may change, as well.

Sony has already released the PlayStation Move, their version of a motion-based gaming device. It no longer needs to upgrade to compete with the already popular motion-consoles around, such as Wii or xBox Kinect.

So it may be another five years before the next generation of gaming consoles, so don’t expect to see the PlayStation 4 too soon. Besides, Sony is releasing something new that can compete with gamers and keep them entertained even away from home: the Sony Ericcson Xperia Play and their next generation portable, codenamed NGP.

Expected to release in March 2011, the Xperia Play is a Sony-based smartphone. It has a sliding game pad with a digital D pad, two analog touch pads, two shoulder buttons, and the four PS buttons. It’s everything you love about a PS—but on your phone.

I guess this will have to hold us over until the PlayStation 4 finally knocks on our door. The release date still may be up in the air, but technology advances so quickly these days, they will have no choice but to upgrade.