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NyanNyanNekoChan on 03 August 2020
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d21lewis said:
NyanNyanNekoChan said:

If people define what generation a console belongs to based on the generation of it's predecessor, all the while Nintendo keep releasing their systems more frequently than Sony or Microsoft do, we'll eventually end up in a scenario where the next Sony and Microsoft console will release after a Nintendo console, but the Sony/Microsoft console will be a generation behind despite releasing afterwards.

Something that approximately looks like this:

Spoiler!

(2017) Switch released, succeeds 8th Gen WiiU, so is defined as 9th gen

(2023-2024) Switch 2 released, succeeds 9th gen Switch, so is defined as 10th gen

(2028 - 2030) Switch 3 released, succeeds 10th gen Switch 2, so is defined as 11th gen

(2034 - 2036) Switch 4 released, succeeds 11th gen Switch 3, so is defined as 12th gen

(2039 - 2042) Switch 5 released, succeeds 12th gen Switch 4, so is defined as 13th gen

(2020) PS5 released, succeeds 8th gen PS4, so is defined as 9th gen

(2027 - 2028) PS6 is released, succeeds 9th gen PS5, so is defined as 10th gen

(2034 - 2036) PS7 is released, succeeds 10th gen PS6, so is defined as 11th gen

(2040 - 2043) PS8 is released, succeeds 11th gen PS7, so is defined as 12th gen

tldr - Switch 5 released before PS8, Switch 5 is 13th gen, PS8 is 12th gen

To get around this issue, either the next Playstation and Xbox jump two gen instead of one, and Nintendo end up being in a generation by themselves for one gen despite having competition, or two of Nintendo's systems need to be a part of the same gen.

Alternatively you could be all like "to hell with it, screw this generation system" 

I see what you mean but it's entirely possible to skip a gen. If Sega released a console for the first time since 1999, it wouldn't be a gen 7 machine. It would be gen 9 along with everyone else.

I still say the Switch is gen 8 but if Nintendo released 3 systems (gen 9,10, and 11) and Xbox/PS only released one, one could argue that they just sat the generation out. Just playing devil's advocate, here.

Precisely. There seem to be a few people saying the Switch is a 9th Gen system because it succeeds an 8th gen system, but it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to define what generation a console belongs to, solely based on the generation of it's predecessor, when you start encountering the issue that I highlighted, and some companies could straight out take a 20+ year break as you just highlighted.