The lenght of this generation

[Esmoreit]

RolStoppable said:

Khuutra said:
I think...

Well, all the manufacturers want it to be longer. All of them, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, will be pretty happy to sit on the consoles they have right now.

That's what I think as well.

Nintendo is making enormous profits, so they won't release another console unless they really have to.
Microsoft is in front of Sony and carved out their niche, but they still have a long way to go before the 360 reaches overall profitability.
Sony has currently so many problems, they won't launch a new console anytime soon.

But that's not all there is to it, third parties also play a role. Would they embrace a new Sony or Microsoft console after the transition to this gen cost them so much money? Or would they rather use their existing engines for the current gen systems to make money instead of taking a big risk again?

I certainly hope this gen will last longer. The games get progressively more awesome the further a generation progresses. It would be nice to finally see an increased momentum without people slobbering all over a soon to be launching console. Plus... the decreasing cost would mean true increased growth for the full industry. That is what they need the most now.