I have always been of the opinion that a generation ends. When the first console of a new generation launches onto the market. That isn't to say that there are not arguments to be made about whether this console or that is powerful enough to constitute a generational leap, but in regards to the current marketplace I haven't heard anyone on these forums disputing the claim that the Wii U is a next generation console. That would indicate at least to me that the generation we have commented on for the past half a dozen years has come to an end, and we can honestly tally up the results. Even if it is just a one person race at this time.

I guess what I am angling at is this. Nintendo won the previous generation. Microsoft took second, and Sony took third. It doesn't matter to me what any of the players do now in the victory lap, because the race has been decided. In any contest if you run out of time to win that is it. You don't get to keep playing as if the final whistle wasn't blown. Any argument to the contrary is entirely self indulgent, and more importantly disingenuous. I keep getting the feeling reading some threads that the reality hasn't sunk in for some on these forums. That contest is over now, and there isn't any changing what the outcome was.

It doesn't fundamentally matter how long Sony or Microsoft can drag out their sales, or how good those sales are going to be. If Sony passes Microsoft a year from now it doesn't change the fact that they came in third, and if one of them drags it out long enough to surpass the Wii. It still won't change the fact that they lost. Once a player releases a next generation console the whole dynamic goes right out the window. When Nintendo did a reset after lapping the competition. They reset the entire race.

It just seems to me that we don't need to be generating some kind of perverted grey zone to drag the debate onward. Had it been Sony or Microsoft who had launched a new console. We would be solidly in a post game frame of mind. However since it is Nintendo, and the debate hasn't been about Nintendo going on ages. It just seems to have not registered. Well it should register, because Nintendo is positioning itself within the same demographics that Sony and Microsoft have been contesting for years. If Sony doesn't suffer a financial meltdown we are going to have three players in the core market, and to me that seems like it is going to be a hell of a lot more interesting. That is what we should be talking about. Hand out the medals and move into the next generation.

What are your thoughts on how generations end. Has this generation ended for you, or do you have different criteria that must be met. Do you even think that generations have definite end points, or is kind of like they just fade away. I think we need to kind of get a consensus going about whether it is over or not.

A generation doesn't end until all of its consoles are off the market. We may switch our terminology to refer to newer devices as "current-gen", and the older ones "last-gen", but multiple hardware generations can run concurrently. Actually, gen 6 is still ongoing right now since the PS2 is still being sold. Three generations at once. Probably for not much longer.

Edit: For further clarification, I'll try to use living beings as an analogy. Multiple generations of humans can live at the same time. The life of an older person doesn't end when a younger one is born, though there is a point in time after which a person must be considered a part of a new generation. New generations bring change to the table, but a generation ultimately stops existing when its members cease to exist. Relevancy is a seperate issue.

Simple. Generation ends when console of generation X releases console of generation X + 1. Nintendo is in next gen. Microsoft and Sony are not. Class dismissed.

EDIT: Let me add that continual sales are still accounted for but in terms of winning there are really two legs to this race. Next gen start and last gen finish.

Next generation started. But that does not mean this generation has ended. Otherwise the PS2 ended at around 110m and the DS outsold it since it ended higher in its generation. Is the PS2 and DS not still competing over best selling console? I look at like a new race has started while the other one is slowing down and about to end. And with the PS2 and DS you can see the finish line but you are not quite there.

No offense, but that's kind of a childish way of looking at it. I can guarantee you that Microsoft and Sony didn't give up on the 360 and the PS3 when the Wii U launched. "Generations" beginning and ending is no more real than the whole fanboy notion of "winning". Really, gaming forums can decide what they want but the gaming industry doesn't really care about these made up rules.

I consider it when the mass support of publishers has shifted from one generation to the next.

For example, although the 360 released in 2005 the 6th gen wasn't over because the PS2 was still receiving the majority of 3rd party support. When the PS3 and Wii came out, publishers started focusing solely on the next-gen consoles, with the PS2 and GCN getting the lesser ports. So basically, this gen will not end until the PS4 and 720 have come out and the PS3 & 360 lose most of the support they have right now. Next year is still gonna be big for the HD twins.

when the current one stop being relevant.
if a company starts to launch crapy consoles every 2 years and the rest keep the actual business model, do we have a console in gen 12 and other in gen 9? does not make sense...
the day the current gen start to sell really poorly cause people are waiting for next gen... or the day all next gen consoles are out... that change the consumer focus for sure... last gen becomes irrelevant. easy.

Next-Generation starts when there is competition.

For example with the handhelds, next-gen didn't truly start until the Vita launched.

A generation is defined by a bunch of competing products. If there is no competition, there is no new generation. If Sony and Microsoft were to let Wii U have 2 years on the market we could consider the Wii U an extension of 7th generation instead of part of the 8th.

Just my opinion, I'm sure many will disagree.

I'd say the gen ends per individual company, Ninty is in it's 8th gen and will focus it's efforts their, when the 720 and PS4 launch, they will have moved into the next-gen as the bulk of their support and sales will move to those platforms.

That's fine, but this is a thread about how a generation ends, not starts.