Key Highlights:
- A December 2012 report suggested Microsoft’s next Xbox could launch by Christmas 2013, potentially ahead of the PS4.
- The “Xbox 720” name was never official, with Microsoft eventually unveiling its next-generation console as Xbox One.
- The prediction proved only partly correct, as PS4 launched first in North America while Xbox One arrived first in the UK and much of Europe.
Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox 360 could arrive before Sony’s PlayStation 4, according to speculation surrounding the next generation of consoles in December 2012.
At the time, Microsoft’s unannounced machine was widely referred to as the “Xbox 720”, although that was never an official product name. Reports suggested there was growing confidence within the games industry that the next Xbox would be ready for Christmas 2013.
Sony was also expected to launch its next PlayStation around the same period, but there was reportedly less confidence that the company would have the console ready before the end of 2013.
The possibility of Microsoft launching first was particularly significant because the Xbox 360 had already enjoyed a head start over the PlayStation 3 during the previous console generation. Xbox 360 launched in North America in November 2005, while Sony released the PS3 there almost a year later in November 2006.
Neither Microsoft nor Sony had announced their new consoles when the December 2012 speculation emerged, leaving their names, specifications and release dates subject to considerable rumour.
Speculation continued into January 2013, when reports pointed towards a possible November launch for Microsoft’s next Xbox.
The picture became much clearer during 2013. Sony officially announced the PlayStation 4 in February, while Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, rather than Xbox 720, on 21 May.
The original prediction that Microsoft’s console would simply beat the PS4 to market ultimately proved inaccurate. Sony launched the PS4 in the United States and Canada on 15 November 2013, seven days before Xbox One arrived on 22 November.
The situation was reversed in the UK and much of Europe. Xbox One launched in several European markets on 22 November, while the PS4 followed on 29 November.
Both companies therefore succeeded in getting their new consoles onto shelves for the 2013 Christmas period. Instead of the six-month to one-year advantage suggested by some speculation in late 2012, Xbox One and PS4 launched within days of each other in their major Western markets.
