i'll be glad if the PS4 doesnt release in 2013. 2014 seems about right. with the blockbuster games releasing in 2013 why the hell would anyone want a next gen console to release aswell? i still want to play ground zeroes, gta 5 and last of us before im ready to move on.

I don´t think Nintendo has any headstart on them. Of course now Xbox and PS3 will have to share games for 2 years, and this will probably cut into some of the third party sales. But Microsoft and Sony have a bigger installment bas then Nintendo, so 3rd party games will continue to sell on those platforms. And you can´t forget Sony has a very strong lineup for next year, and for what I know Microsoft will release the Gears of War game as well. So I think both consoles can easily compete for one or two more years. But we will see.

No company first acknowledges their new home console at E3 and then launches said console 6 months later.....none.

This does not happen.  It's practically impossible.

This line of thinking that PS4 is going to be announced from out of nowhere, creating jaw droping shock & awe......This is the "Hopes & Dreams" that I'm talking about.

They will not anounce a PS4 during TGS and release it one year later. They will anounce it during e3 2013 and will sell it in holiday 2013. An to early anouncement would only hurt them and the competition know too eraly what Sony have under its sleeves.

The 360 is still ahead because of Kinect..

...well what if they announce the PS4 in April to then release 7 months later in November?

MS did it with the 360.

EDIT: To clarify... Ms unvieled it in May on MTV and then threw all the info out in at E3 (also May), then launched in November.... all in 2005.

More PS3's were sold in Europe, and every week more are sold in Europe. Same with the Vita, though the gap is much smaller. I know Vita isn't a HC, but along with PS3 sales it shows that, right now, PS is more relevant in EU than it is in NA, and PS's biggest franchise is most prevalent in Europe.

NA would be an uphill struggle, securing dominance in europe would prove more effective and profitable than trying to compete in NA. That's not to say Sony shouldn't try in NA, of course it's still a massive market for them of course they should try, but they should focus their efforts on Europe.

The Xbox 360 was announced 6 months before its launch.

I'm personally still happy with my PS3, plenty of good games for it. Sony should perfect the PS4 and release it when it's ready and has support. There's really no rush