PS4, Xbox 720 announcements in March?

Official word on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 may only be months away. A Game Informer report (via Videogamer) states Sony and Microsoft are planning "special Apple-style press conferences" to officially announce their next-generation systems "near the Game Developers Conference," which runs March 25-29 this year in San Francisco.

"E3 in June may be the industry's biggest event, but both companies want to give their systems their own limelight," the report reads. "That doesn't mean E3 won't be without its surprises. Next-gen games will be announced at the convention in preparation for the systems' release at the end of the year."

The magazine also speculates that Sony may be planning to release the PS4 ahead of Microsoft's Xbox 720, or whatever the system may be called. This was also predicted by Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian in a note delivered to investors today.

"We hear that Sony in particular is determined not to come out last this time like the PlayStation 3 did this generation, so we'll have to see how soon it can get the PlayStation 4 out the door, and whether Microsoft is motivated to prevent this from happening," the report goes on.

Sebastian's note today suggested Sony had encountered PS4 production snags that could keep the system from shipping as scheduled, though he admitted these concerns could be overblown. Whatever the case, the previous suggestion is that both the PS4 and Xbox 720 will be on store shelves late this year.