Kotaku: Microsoft And Sony Targeting 2014 For New Consoles

[Umos-Cmos]

It really is going to come down to the specs for Nintendo next console (Let's call it N6 to make it easy.  If it is significantly more powerful than PS3 or 360, say 2 times more powerful, AND they get a 2 year head start, I think the other two will be a bit concerned.  It would be easier for Nintendo to court 3rd parties to create better games this time around and give them the security they need to know that N6 is powerful enough to be here for the long haul.   That is a big IF, however.  If this is the case, I could see the other two's consoles being more powerful but not so much that games couldn't be ported from their consoles to N6.  With the large install base, due to the 2 year headstart, it would make sense to port games to N6.  It would be similar to the PS2 vs the original XBOX.  XBOX outclassed the PS2 specs on every level by a pretty good margin, and yet developers could still get the PS2 version of the games looking and playing pretty close to the same.

The second scenario involves a Nintendo Console that is only slightly more powerful than the other two currect gen systems.  This would be bad for Nintendo because once again 3rd parties will be less than enthused about working on old hardware which would give MS and Sony a chance to retain the core gaming audience.  I don't think 3rd parties necessarily dislike developing for Nintendo systems, but rather it's been a case of Nintendo limiting the hardware in some way that makes porting more difficult.  For the N64 it was cartridges, the GameCube had those tiny DVDs, and the Wii's specs were not up to snuff.  Get rid of the bottlenecks and the developers would return IMO.

I don't see a Dreamcast situation happening either way.  SEGA was on the rocks for the better part of 6 years (going back to all of the add-ons for the Genesis) and didn't have the resources or brand loyalty to carry them through.  Nintendo is in a position of power despite the slumping Wii sales.  They could launch a significantly more powerful machine than PS3 or 360 for $300 - $350 in 2012 and turn a profit from day one.

Honestly, without knowing what form the N6 will take it's impossible to speculate.  But it sure is fun anyways!