There's nothing quite like a console announcement to get the internet excited. Or perhaps that should be the announcement of an announcement. While Sony are all but guaranteed to unveil the next Playstation console at an event in New York tonight, codenamed the Orbis, the platform holders have been remarkably tight lipped about quite what we're going to see - referring only to the slightly more ambiguous "future of Playstation". Either way, the event itself's been rather heavily promoted, with ads appearing everywhere from Twitter to the Champions League, meaning all eyes will be on New York when the event kicks off at 11pm GMT.
Fans on the internet, meanwhile, have been passing the time in the only way they know how - by coming up with dozens of incredibly creative animated GIFs, most of which star Sony CEO and Playstation boss, Kaz Hirai, with guest appearances from either Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, or Xbox boss Don Mattrick. With the vast majority of them originating from a giant, (at the time of writing) 329 page thread on gaming forum NeoGAF, we've chosen the pick of the bunch here - but you can guarantee there'll be more coming out as the event draws closer.
With the internet now entering full on hype mode, you can expect things to get even crazier over the next eight and a half hours. Either way, we'll be staying up late to watch the conference - which will be being streamed here, so be sure to check back tomorrow for all the info on the future of the Playstation. In the mean time, why not sit back, pour a glass of your favourite brew, and watch the video below to relieve an old announcement Sony will be hoping to forget - the infamous announcement of the Playstation 3.
