I think it's time to dispense with the idea of generations. Microsoft wanted to get rid of it several years ago, but they didn't have the market clout to make it happen. It looks like they are continuing to move in that direction though, just less overtly. Release schedules aren't matching up, at least between Nintendo and the other two. But, I think it's highly likely that the 9th generation is also the last time that Microsoft and Sony have launch schedules that align.
Then there's the fact that the gaming market has grown tremendously, beyond the old dedicated hardware model, and even the three players that are responsible for hardware in the traditional portion of the market are starting to differ in the ways that they want to serve that market. So there really just isn't much point to put them into a generation group anymore. Microsoft doesn't care about selling consoles. Nintendo is selling lower tech, portable hardware. Sony is really the only one still trying to sell traditional, relatively high power, video game hardware.
Grouping them into a generation for purposes of discussion may have made sense in the past. I guess it kind of still makes sense today. But, it's usefulness is quickly dwindling.
Last edited by VAMatt - on 25 February 2024
