Retail still important for PS4, says Sony

Just this week, Sony announced that it had purchased cloud-gaming giant Gaikai for $380 million. That, however, does not mean the PlayStation house is giving up on retail with future hardware. Speaking to MCV, Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Fergal Gara acknowledged the retail business has declined of late, but said this is a "readjustment" period, rather than a total disintegration.

“We’d love to see as many of those retailers as possible maintain their interest in servicing the space because clearly down the road many of us are going to be doing our best to give another injection into the market whenever the next cycle starts," he said.

The next console from Sony--believed to be the Orbis-codenamed PlayStation 4--has been kept largely under wraps. It is rumored to boast the same graphics card as Microsoft's next Xbox, as well as measures to block out used games, though analysts do not find this claim likely. Sony said it will not show the console off until it can demonstrate a "significant" leap over the PlayStation 3.

For more on the PS4, check out GameSpot's rumor roundup feature.