Kaz Hirai, global chief executive of Sony, has hinted that the PlayStation 4 will not go on sale before Microsoft’s next Xbox console has released.

When asked about console release windows in a recent interview with The Times he replied, “Why go first when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?”

Of course this doesn’t mean that Sony is definitely waiting for Microsoft to make its move first, but it does show a hint of caution. Sony made the mistake of giving Microsoft a one year headstart at the beginning of this generation and it hurt them badly in terms of sales–the console has only just started to even things up–so I doubt the company would want to see a repeat of that with this generation.

I reckon that both consoles will release within a couple of months of each other to ensure that neither has a jump on the other this time around.

Do you think the PlayStation 4 will release first or second? Let us know in the comments below.