1) Do you consider Wii U a next gen console?

2) If you agree, will the Xbox 360 be the rightful winner for the race for 2nd Place?

1: Yes (Sorta, it's a new gen console in terms that it's a new console and it will likely kick off the new gen)
2: Not getting into that discussion

1: Yes
2: Yes, and to me, 360 and PS3 feel more like 1st and Second place consoles.

The WiiU is definitely a next-gen console, and yes i believe the 360 will grab 2nd place, just. It still bothers me that anti-nintendo fanboys still consider the WiiU as 'just catching up to current gen" when its obviously a next-gen console. It'll kick off the 8th generation, and be a significant leap over the current-gen HD consoles and compete reasonably well with the next Xbox and Playstation. "Anonymous" devs coming out and saying the WiiU is weaker than the current HD consoles are either fanboys with nothing to do, or devs getting a giggle out of trolling gamers. The ones who aren't anonymous are far more believable:

THQ: "WiiU is just alot more powerful than current HD consoles it does 1080p very easy."

Crytek: "WiiU devkits are very powerful,the specs are very good"

Vigil Games: "We had the game at the same level as high end pc version in a matter of days and a few lines of code got the game up and running on tablet in 5 mins."

Epic: "It will do things current HD consoles simply cant do its going to be a powerful box."

EA: "Wii U is not a transitional platform, it is a true next generation system."

1. Yes
2. Yes, otherwise we would still be stucked in the PS2 generation and the SNES generation just ended in 2003, while the PSOne generation was in swing till one year after the Xbox 360 released. So yeah, this gen is done.

Of course

yes, but then it enters extra time 

1: No
2. And no, in the coming years when its all said and done the gap can widen to as much as 10 million between the PS3 and 360.

Next gen does not start until Sony said so.

As one generation starts, the other doesnt necessarily end.

As long as there is still competition, still games releasing... The generation is on-going. Just because my generation of people were born, didnt make the older generation obsolete.

Of course it's the start of a new gen - anyone who believes otherwise is a moron (no offence morons) :p