Move over, Wii U: Sony plans to begin production of its next-generation game console at the end of 2011, according to a report.
DigiTimes, a Taiwan IT wire focusing on the component industry, reported Tuesday that the next-generation console - which the paper referred to as the "PS4" or "PlayStation 4" - would ship in 2012.
The report was brief, even for DigiTimes standards. But the report claims that the console will be based on "body movement-based control like [Microsoft] Kinect," and will be manufactured by Foxconn and Pegatron technology.
Originally, Sony executives have estimated that the PlayStation 3 would have a ten-year lifespan. But recently executives have backed off that a bit, postulating that the PS3's life could be as little as eight years. Sony's PlayStation 3 has only existed for less than five years, however, as Sony launched the PlayStation in Oct. 2006, the same year that the Nintendo Wii was launched.
On the other hand, Nintendo has already announced its next-generation console, the Wii U. The Wii U will ship in 2012, Nintendo said.
In April, Sony said the PS3 has sold 50 million units. To date, the company has focused on revamping its mobile games console, now known as the PlayStation Vita. But the PS3 and the associated PlayStation Network have taken a hit after the company's properties have been the targets of several hacker attacks, including one which forced the PSN network offline for weeks.