What does it take for a Company to leave the console business?

[Adam540]

I have to agree that 2008 should be a good year for PS3. However I seriously don't see them catching either of their competitors until at least 2010. Yes they have some good games coming out that should move some hardware but look at the Halo series. Other than the first one, which was a launch title, they really didn't impact hardware as much as people expected and these are games that sell 5-8 million copies in a couple of months. In my mind there are only 2 games that can really push PS3 hardware out the door and thats Gran Tourismo and Final Fantasy. I just don't see PS3 catching up.

Next gen either Sony does a more budget level gaming console or they bow out. Personally, the PS1 and PS2 were never that powerful, I don't understand why Sony suddenly decided that their hardware had to be a total powerhouse. This is when they started to lose momentum. The PS1 wasn't as powerful as the N64, and the PS2 wasn't as powerful as the xbox or the gamecube. But the PSP is the most powerful handheld and while it's starting to sell, its still in second. The PS3 is the most powerful console and its in a distant third.

The SNES is the only console to win a gen as the most powerful. This was because Nintendo had the immense developer support and Sega was relatively new. The PSP was the beginning of their downfall in the gaming business. I don't think they will last that much longer.