Sony has assured eager gamers that they'll get to see the elusive physical incarnation of the PlayStation 4 console at the E3 expo in May or perhaps even sooner.

The lack of a black box to rally around following the intriguing PS4 launch event on Wednesday had left some expectant console enthusiasts feeling a little jibbed, despite a raft of announcements regarding specs, launch titles, social features and a brand new DualShock 4 controller.

Following the backlash, Sony claimed it was going for the slow reveal in order to keep our interests piqued, but did not say exactly when the hardware would go on show.

Now PlayStation's US boss Jack Tretton has sought to calm those doubting it even exists that they'll see the console soon enough. 

He told Forbes: "You know, that’s really interesting. I’ve heard that from multiple reporters and shame on me that I didn’t see that as a big issue. They’ll see it soon enough. I’m real proud of the fact that we’re talking about [launching in] holiday 2013 and we’ve already got a lot of detail out there, and a lot of game play, in February.

"I was so focused on the content that when I think of the console I think of what comes through the screen, not the device that it emanates from. I just think there’s a lot of natural curiosity: What’s the controller gonna look like? What’s the box gonna look like?

"We made a conscious decision that wasn’t going to be a part of the first reveal, but I would look for E3 as a time when you’ll get a good look at it. Or sooner."

Will Sony look to gazump the next-gen Xbox launch - also expected before E3 - by unveiling it's pretty new PS4 console around the same time? 

Via: Forbes