I don't know about this whole 6-7 year cycle crap.

If it took that long for new consoles people WOULD get rather jealous of pc games and their graphical awesomenesss.

360 and PS3 were being outdone already in 2007 (Crysis) and if the big three gaming console companies don't step up soon, PC gaming might start stealing some of that console support. Those companies keep talking about how they can make their systems last 10 years but not every console is the PS2. It's time to make realistic goals or face the consequences.

Hopes it comes with an easy bake oven, need my brownies while I play Halo :P

Microsoft will be putting announcements in 2010 for a new console just because of new tech (blu-ray support, improved graphics cards, an even more expensive xbl cost, raising the price of new games another $10, etc.).

Wow... this is old.

so they are going to force sony to release a new console? Maybe they can add some more horsepower to the ps3, make it better or more developer friendly and name it ps4 or something.

Microsoft should have a new console in the next three years and Nintendo will probably release the super wii Soccer mum edition.

In about two years PC graphics and price will easily trump the 360 and the PS3. When that happens we'll begin hearing about the new Xbox and Playstation.

I think there's a good chance we'll have the current consoles for a while now (With the possible exception of the wii due to it's already very low specs).

Also, if Microsoft ever runs into a problem with media format, they could always go completely digital. No discs, download all your games onto the hard drive. While I hate all things Microsoft, that would be really nice to finally see happen. Technologically, we've had the capability for that for a long time now and we're probably eventually going to wind up there. This is an extremely feasible possibility if onLive and PSP Go happen to do well in the next few years.

I can't stand when people say this shit. It's always some company that develops primarily for PCs, which has been iD's core business forever.

You'd think that after all these years this "superior technology" shit would pan out the way they think.

That virtual build of the 720 looks like the thing in Star Trek:TNG that Dr. Crusher put over crew members chest when she did surgeries. Engage!

I could totally see Microsoft being the first to enter another generation of consoles.

The Xbox 360 has had a bad rap for hardware failures, and Microsoft wants Natal to be big - a copycat move would be to mimic Nintendo by making only slight hardware improvements but package the new console with natal, just like Nintendo did. Ubisoft recently mentioned that they were preparing for the next console launch - http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/we-have-to-get-ready-for-the-next-generation-of-consoles-guillemot - which won't be Sony because they release slim, nor Nintendo because frankly, a new console would be financial suicide considering the way they marketted the wii and it's still dominant sales over it's rivals.



Microsoft is primarily a marketing company too, so leaks such as this are actually common. Leaks are good marketting when a company doesn't have any innovations for it's competition to steal.

It's an interesting dilemma for MS, should the size of games continue to outgrow the capacity of DVD's. I can't imagine them grovelling to Sony and paying them a cut for blu-ray but then I'd also like to think they won't make the 'biggest dick move of all time' by resorting to digital distribution as their sole format.
I honestly can't see how anyone thinks that it's a good idea. Perhaps when we all have 100+mb internet connections and terabyte HDD's, then it will be a viable option.

Well, I think everyone's going for a current gen Wii. Nintendo will up their hardware to HD and Sony and Microsoft are experimenting with alternative motion controls for their existing hardware.

Rather than focus on time wickets for when the new consoles will come out, it is easier to focus on how much more software is available for the current consoles. I don't believe the PC market is much of a concern in the short term (3-4 years). Rage is an example of a game that is not coming out any time soon but will be easily bought by more console users than PC users. Think about how long we have been waiting for Alan Wake or GT5?!?!
Just as halo 2 indicated the end of the time-line for the xbox 360 I forsee two more major software pushes (~4 years) before the end of this cycle.

I remember the first thing I heard about the 360 was a preview for Oblivion.

Of course Microsoft is going to be first next time. It's done them a world of good this go round and they don't mind dropping their customers off the face of the earth in exchange for an advantage in the marketplace.

I'm well unconvinced that it will be due to competition from the Windows market though, no matter how large the graphical gains are. There just aren't enough games pushing the graphical limits on Windows these days and almost as few people playing those games. The average "PC" game is still targeted behind what we're seeing on consoles as far as graphics and the landscape is dominated by "casual" games (like WoW) that could be rendered on a PSP.

Black Nexus: Microsoft video codecs are part of the Blu-Ray video standard. I don't know how many studios (I assume some, but who knows) are actually using them.

bustaballs: The question isn't whether computer hardware can crush consoles, clearly it can and has for a while. It's whether or not anyone cares. Obviously a few do, but they're not going to be able to support that industry. We're already seeing that with Crytek (the poster boys of high-end "PC" graphics) shifting a lot of their focus to consoles. The current generation of console hardware is good enough and the development budgets are already so out of control that no one bankrolling these projects is in any hurry to make the move to new systems that will cost even more to develop for.

It isn't that "PC" gaming is dead, it's just that it's gotten old and tired and would rather hang out on the front porch in a rocking chair with a lap blanket.

falinter: No one is going to get jealous of "PC" games because there aren't anywhere near enough games that require top shelf hardware to justify the price of keeping up-to-date. Most games that do come out are targeted primarily at consoles, with console sensibilities, and other than supporting higher resolutions the graphical increases are minor.

@Kurzicide

I don't believe the decision is purely up to Sony. Blu Ray wasn't made just by them. It was a collaboration of these companys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Founders

These companys and individuals created Blu-Ray. Now if Microsoft adapts BluRay in future systems, wouldn't they have to pay royalties to Sony and the others? Making it extremly costly for their next system. Basically what i'm saying is it seems Microsoft is staring at a "glass ceiling".

Gosh... please let this gen last until 2012. I don't want to hear any specs rumors until late 2011.

I don't think this is what sony had in mind when they predicted a 10 year life cycle, but I'm sure they'll get it.

Anyway, yeah, regarding the actual article, of course microsoft will be first. That's a no brainer. They were a year ahead this time which means for every year except the first they are less impressive than the competition for one reason or another. except for live.

As for the comments, digital distribution isn't viable right now for the masses, but new technology is rarely bought up by everyone at once. How many of us had high def TVs when the 360 came out? how many have now? High limit broadband availability will catch up to the demand before long, trust me. I'm sure the ISPs can hardly wait, they obviously know this is coming too.

I'd think we'll see a major revision to the current hardware, possibly tuned towards new retail models, LOOONG before we see new hardware. id has been forced to develop their new tech to be current console compatible, Crytek's "new" engine works on consoles, and in general the only thing PC's will have is being able to run console specced games with fancier effects and higher resolutions.

I mean really, there's so little room to move significantly forward graphically with the current technological methods, that I don't think a "new" generation is going to be a traditional step forward anymore.

I can see the last point coming true if the current consoles last an extremely long time, or if they release Wii-style machines as next-gen that don't advance graphics, AI, world size and other technical things.

The PC has always shined brightly in the last half of a generation as a place where more advances are made on a technical level. Some people upgrade their PCs during this time, other people have the patience to wait for newer consoles. If the newer consoles this time are too long in coming, or not much of an improvement when they do come, I could see PCs making a lot of headway.

Also, keep in mind the PC is already way ahead in a few key areas for the future:

1 - Digital distribution. People like it, the PC is far, far ahead both in the number of games that are sold this way, the services like Steam that provide the games, and the fact that anyone can release a game digitally without jumping through corporate hoops, which leads me to...

2 - Independent development. As games get more and more mainstream on the consoles and everything is controled by a Sony or Microsoft overlord, the PC will shine by offering unrated independent games that cater to all kinds of niche audiences and people looking for something MS or Sony won't let them play.

3 - Media and storage. PC games all install, so they can come on as many DVDs as you want and everything goes on your hard drive, or you can download it all from Steam and not have to worry about discs at all. Grand Theft Auto 4 on PC takes up 15GB of space, three times what it does on Xbox, which allowed for better textures and less compression. PCs are also easily upgradeable to BD Rom, if people decide they want that.

Depending on what these companies do I see a real possibility for a PC resurgence, for all kinds of reasons.

Wait... RECYCLING! NEXT GEN INDEED!

I kinda agree with Trebz. Microsoft seems to be the only console in need of a big upgrade. Sony is fine, Wii can suck the casual market for all its got for another consoles life cycle. Who says the 3 have to come out at the same time?

@Sexualchocolate, if you gave the 360 a chance, maybe you would like it.
I got the 360 because I liked the games that were on, not because my friends already had one. And I've never bought another 360 after it RROD'ed, I gave it to Microsoft to fix.

@ Aerofan

There are very few games on the 360 I can't play elsewhere. Very few.