No way. Microsoft spent and is spending way too much to just abandon the Xbox 360. That's why they're developing Project Natal to expand the life span of the Xbox 360 because their original goal of coming out first was just no longer feasible. And their year head start has essentially equated to nothing, the Wii has passed them, the PS3 is expected to pass them, and they got rushed and unreliable hardware as a result. All of that for 3rd place. I'm thinking that they are actually going to take their time and produce a much more reliable product instead of coming out first for no reason.
You are wrong on the "coming out first for no reason", because there was a reason, a damn big one....brand recognition.
Outside the US, almost on one knew what the Xbox was.
For many countries, the Xbox 360 is Microsoft´s 1st generation, a new console brand all together.
How could you go against Sony and Nintendo with that?
So, the 1st year was extremely important, and no one could expect for it to sell more than it did, because, once again, it was an unknown console in a lot of places.
And no one can take away the fact that the 360 is a gigantic sucess, even if it does end on 3rd place, because they got recognition and showed that the Playstation brand is not the boogeyman.
More even because it had a lot of hardware problems, and it still sold.
As for everyone expects the PS3 to pass the 360......that´s not true.
It might happen, sure, the PS3 is a great console, with amazing games, but it will not happen before the end of 2010, so, it might not happen at all.
The diference between the 360 and the PS3 is 7 millions, which means that, even of the PS3 sells 10 millions during 2010, the 360 only needs to sell 4 million to kept the 2nd place.
What everyone is expecting is for the PS3 to pass the 360 in Europe, not overrall.
Besides, people are reading too much on the subject.
It was expected that the PS3 surpass the 360 after the price cut, and it was only 2 months ago, so, let´s not open the champaign just yet, at least, wait until Q4 2010.
I´m glad the PS3 is outselling the 360, and i hope it continues in 2010, because Microsoft needs to open their eyes for the fact that they can´t live on Halo alone.
As for Natal and the "Sony wand", i don´t see it as something to expand the consoles life span, because, at heart, they are peripherals, so, they can easily jump to the next gen.
The thing is, both companies came out with their own motion controllers, and they are not willing to wait for the next gen to release them.
In fact, i can easily picture the next Xbox coming out in 2011....but more on that later....
Nintendo is definitely coming out first. They set up the Wii to where there just is no real way to expand it's life span like Microsoft is doing with the Xbox 360 (Project Natal) and the PlayStation 3 (the PlayStation Motion Controller and an excellent first party library). Nintendo is also spending a lot of money on their R&D lately meaning something is up in regards to both the successors of the Wii and Nintendo DS.
I don´t know if Nintendo is coming out first...
Right after E3 09, when asked about the Wii HD, Satoru Iwata said that they had to plans to do it.
Sure, one can say, in the video game industry, everyone say that there is no plans until official announcement, but, in this case, i believe he was telling the truth.
I see no reason to make the Wii HD (or Wii 2 or whatever), because their target audience, the majority of people that buy the Wii, don´t care for a minute about HD, they care about the thing that sold the Wii in the first place, motion control.
Of course, the Wii HD will come out sooner or later, but i can´t really see it next year.
Besides, the Wii and the DS are selling like hot cakes, so, by that, there really is not point in releasing the next gen of neither.
We will not see the Wii HD
and the DS 2 next year, that´s almost a certainty.
So, my guess will be on the DS 2, because of, not only the PSP2 but also the iPhone.
As for the PSP 2, i believe it will be coming out in 2010, i´m 90% sure of it.
Not only i´ve read it, but i´ve read that the PSP-4000 will be released in 2010 (which, in my understanding, is the codename for the PSP2).
Besides, for all i know and read, the PSP-Go is a huge failure, which was totally expected, that´s just a ridiculous product (doesn´t do nothing that the PSP 3000 doesn´t do, it´s way more expansive, and doesn´t have a UMD, which no one can´t really blame retailers for boycotting it).
As for home consoles, there is a huge possibility that the next Xbox will be released first once again, because, by sheer logic, it might come out in 2011 (of course that the Wii HD is a big enigma because it can come out in 2010 or 2011).
And that logic has a name...HALO.
We had 2 Halo games this year (Wars and ODST), 1 game next year (Reach) and it´s positive that there will be another one in 2011.
That game in 2011 will be Halo 4, and the return of Master Chief.
Now, there is the rumor that Halo 4 might be being made by Gearbox, but the deal is, in 2008, i´ve read that Halo 4 was being made, would be the return of Master Chief (of course) and would be, just like Halo: Combat Evolved, a launch title for the next gen.
Now, why 2011?
Because 2011 is the 10th anniversary of Halo, and it´s almost certain that Microsoft will not forget that (that´s why a new Halo by then is almost certain).
Who better to mark the 10th anniversary of Halo than the return of Master Chief, Halo 4?
So, the question is, will Halo 4 be indeed a launch title or not?
Whatever happens, next gen will be amazing, because then worst looking game will look like Crysis.
wow
