A number of Taiwan-based manufacturers have reported that they are to begin production of the PlayStation 4 in 2011, readying the console for a 2012 release date.

It is also thought that Sony will be following in the footsteps of Microsoft and offer full-body motion control à la Kinect.

This is all according to DigiTimes, which is reporting that component makers at Foxconn and Pegatron Technology have been given the nod that it will have to make 20 million PS4s in 2012.

PlayStation 4 incoming?

If this is correct, then we will be seeing a next-gen PlayStation console a whole lot sooner than anticipated.

Although Sony has confirmed that it has begun work on the PS4, it is still thought that a successor to the PS3 is still some way off – Sony has always said that the PS3 has a 10-year life cycle.

If the PS4 release date is indeed 2012, then this would be just six years into the life of the PlayStation 3. This would mean that Sony would support the PS3 alongside the new console, much like it did with the PS2.

Digitimes, which seems to have a hotline straight to Foxconn and the like, also reported last week that the component factories were told that an iPad 3 was also going to be released this year.

Is this wishful tech thinking or are we going to see these gadgets sooner than we all think?

Via Kotaku