Microsoft will release the Slim in time for Holiday 2009 - most likely around August-September with a lead time of ~3 months. The Slim is due to begin fabrication around May in 09.
The Slim should see a major reduction of costs since there's (literally) less going into making a X360 - just like a PStwo.
The slim alone could damage Sony's price cut...Not in the way of 'Oh man, the Slim is killing people from buying the PS3!' but more of like...Giving the X360 higher sales, negating any sort of shortening of the gap in 09.
I think that, we're at the point, where every system is 'locked' for sales - X360, Wii, PS3. As of now, every company is only fighting with itself to deliver better sales, because I don't see ANYTHING happening to change the order of the winners/losers in the console wars.
Wii will be 1st. There's nothing MS or Sony can do about it. However, Nintendo can make the right moves with the Wii to where that 1st place could be even more massive than we imagine it to be.
X360 will be 2nd. There's nothing Sony can do about it. But there's nothing MS can do to cut into the Wii's 20% marketshare lead. However, MS can ensure that it stays around the 30% area indefinitely.
PS3 will be 3rd. Sony cannot do anything due to that massive gap in sales (MS leads Sony by around 40% currently). However, it can boost it's sales to ensure that it maintains that ~20% marketshare indefinitely, and maybe make up some ground when the next-gen transition comes about.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
