Traditionally, hardware and touting your system's "specs" has been bragged about from playgrounds to workplace lunchrooms. This "system" can put out better graphics, this system can do "this" and "that," and on. I get extremely annoyed with people who engage in this type of salvo because it is eerily similar to gym room banter about the size of "my" cock versus "yours."

Currently, each console has an interface. Microsoft has Xbox Live, Sony has the Playstation Network, and Nintendo has the Wii Menu. Each is different with some being more fully integrated and easy to use than others. This leads to the question,

When will interface supercede hardware in consoles? At what point, will buyers decide x console has a superior interface to y console, thus forth I will purchase this console regardless of the hardware specs.

So what will it take? Equality in hardware between the consoles, which we have never seen? Digital distribution only as the mainstream way to purchase games? Or is such a question implying that consoles are on an evolutionary trend to become PCs with a television as the monitor?

I don't think interface will ever be the deciding factor in what people buy.

It's Games > Hardware - so even if the hardware would be identical, exclusive games would still be more important.

If every platform had the same hardware, same price, same games and the same release date, then the interface could probably be the deciding factor, but what's the chance of that ever happening?

Games are still superior as far as system menu or OS are concerned, these are still peripheral in terms of purchase decision because the features that these consoles tout could all be had cheaper if you wanted to get them elsewhere (Xbox's facebook, Last.fm, Netflix on all three, Wii's weather and news feeds, PSN's various multimedia contents)

These features are all getting a lot of use, but i would think as far as purchasing goes, they remain peripheral. Hardware is only worthwhile as far as it attracts games, but games are what sell the consoles, so hardware is still ahead in that regard

I think this has already happened. Despite its inferior specs, people are choosing the Wii over the competition because of its physical interface. I know it's not entirely what you meant, but I think it's vital enough for the discussion. Of course, with the Wii, people buy it over Wii Sports more than anything else (except maybe Wii Fit), but if you look at Wii Sports, I'm sure people aren't wanting it because of its gameplay depth or the amount of content, but because of the interface, the motion controls, and the experience they can have with it.

So the interface wars are already hot and glowing, even if it's not all that much out in the open. I'm really excited to see how well voice commands will be integrated into the Xbox OS, now that Kinect offers a good implementation.

@Rainbird

You are right in what you said, but in the OP, "interface" refers to the menus and online service not the controls.

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I think interface will never be important in game console purchases; games are far more important. I think the current console menus get in the way of actually playing games. With the Gamecube if you put in a game it played it. Now with the Wii and DS you have to go through the menu, and what's really annoying on the Wii is that even if the game you play doesn't use the remote (VC game or SSBB in my case) you have to find and turn on a Wiimote to press that button.

I think games have been and always will be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing a console - if it has the games I want, I'll get it - - - - If those games happen to play with Wiimote motion or Kinect then so be it

I doubt something like a console having a cool OS will ever be the deciding factor for a purchase, maybe something like a superior online network (like you said about XBL...etc) would be considered important but not things like weather/facebook/easy to use menu

I voted "Equality in Hardware"

Yeah, I noted that in my post. I think it's an important aspect of the interface though.

I... did not know that. Very useful, thanks.