So have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place been decided for this generation?

[theRepublic]

A few months ago when the PS3 was consistently outselling the 360, I would have told you that Sony had very good shot at second place. I can't really remember exactly, but I think it was on pace to catch the 360 in early 2010.

Now, I'm not so sure. I want to see how things shake out after the holidays. It's a bit of a cop out, but I'd only give Sony a 50/50 shot at getting second place. The global recession is another factor. It seems to have hit the PS3 the worst, since it is most expensive.

It doesn't matter though. At the end of the generation, neither the 360 or PS3 will gain a big lead over the other. Both consoles will continue to receive muliplats/ports of each other's games. That means that the libraries will remain similar, and there will not be a big loser. This will be a virtual tie.

Of course, first place is locked up by Nintendo.

I'm going to guess that the next generation will start in 2012. I think either Sony or Microsoft will be first out of the gate.