While speaking to MCV about Xbox’s imminent overtaking of Wii in UK sales, Microsoft regional executive Jon Grimes downplayed Sony’s upcoming PlayStation announcement.

“Whatever gets announced on February 20th, the majority of UK consumers won’t know,” Grimes told MCV.

Which, I mean, is true—the majority of UK consumers aren’t gamers, I imagine. And even if they play games, they might not necessarily follow the games beat. But this is applicable to anything when first announced—it’s the ripples that follow that count.

“They’ll still want to buy the devices out there. Our job is not to get lost in the industry chatter, but to ensure that the consumers going into stores, going online, still experience Xbox,” said Grimes. “The announcement is important for the industry, but it is also important to remember who is buying right now.”

By announcing PlayStation 4/Orbis/WTF Ever so early in the year, however, Sony will gain much more time for the console to build momentum, to saturate the collective awareness of consumers. The event will no doubt be covered by major outlets, and so now more people will have more time to prepare for a new console and possibly spend money on it come this fall.

Source: MCV