GameStop CEO may have just mentioned PS4 Neo's release window
Sony's PlayStation 4 Neo may launch this year, if we're interpreting this quote from GameStop CEO correctly.
In a new interview, GameStop CEO Paul Raines may have revealed the release window for Sony's PlayStation 4 Neo.
The CEO was a guest on CNBC Today when he referred to the Xbox One S and the Neo in tandem. Though he did not explicitly mention holiday as a release window for the Neo, the way it was said may suggest that he knows something we don't.
The interviewer asked Raines to comment about upcoming hardware releases this holiday, specifically the Nintendo NX. Raines corrected the interviewer, saying that the NX is due for release early next year - which is the official line from Nintendo.
Raines then moved on to talk about Microsoft and Sony products, referencing both the Xbox One S and PS4 Neo in a way that suggests both are releasing around the same period. Microsoft has officially announced August as a release date for the One S, but Sony has yet to officially announce the Neo.
"But remember, there are two different form factors: a PS4 Neo and an Xbox One new slim version. So there will be some activity and upgrades, along with the VR," he said.
However, GameStop later told Gamespot that Raines was speaking broadly, and didn't actually say the Neo is due this holiday.
"Paul did not say that Xbox One S and PlayStation Neo hardware units would be coming for the holidays. The anchor was the one who referenced the holiday period," the retailer's director of corporate communications told the site.
"Paul simply reminded him that there would be hardware upgrades coming--Xbox One S and PlayStation Neo. He did not give a reference as to the timing on when they would be launching."
As Gamespot notes, the CEO did not mention Xbox Scorpio, which is Microsoft's answer to the Neo, in his answer. If Raines really was speaking broadly, it's interesting that he did not mention the Scorpio at all.
Raines has previously correctly revealed the launch window for PlayStation VR as this holiday, at a time when Sony had yet to officially announce this.
Xbox One Scorpio is slated for a holiday 2017 release. If PS4 Neo is a 2016 product, we can't imagine Sony waiting any longer to reveal it to the public.