???

"Unlike Microsoft, the PS4 will STILL not be on the market."

Oh...I wasn't talking about me.  I was talking about Kitler.  He nailed it.

Oh...I wasn't talking about me.  I was talking about Kitler.  He nailed it.

Not that long from now.  What do you think the industry is going to look like in two years?

Here's my take:

Nintendo:  Wii U will be considered a success and games showing the true power of the system will be on the market.  It will have decent third party support.  It will still share many titles with the PS3 and Xbox 360 but the Wii U will be home to the best versions of most games.  On the portable side of things, 3DS sales will have fallen way below what the DS had achieved at that stage in its life but it will still be the undisputed leader of the dedicated handheld market.  The Wii will be nothing but a fond memory. 

Microsoft:  The 360 will still be going strong but will appear quite dated at that point.  The next Xbox (Possibly not even called Xbox) will be announced in 2013 release in 2014 and will be in a power class all by itself.  It will share certain titles with the Wii U but many titles will only be released on the next Microsoft platform.  The line between console and entertainment device will be almost non-existent.  Browsing the web with a really good browser, switching over to network/cable television, video chatting, and watching movies will be much more seamless than they are now.  They will achieve their dream of being the entertainment hub of the living room.  It will still use discs because fuck Cliffy B.

Sony:  Like the 360, the PS3 will still be going strong.  Unlike Microsoft, the PS4 will STILL not be on the market.  The PS3 will share many games with the Wii U and Xbox but the "HD Twins" will have versions that are comparable but obviously less capable than the Wii U versions.  Still, the PS3 will hold up surprisingly well.  Sony will continue to add and announce new features and announce new hardware but they simply will not be able to handle the financial burden of a new console launch, even in 2014.  On the portable side of things, the Vita will not be considered a huge success and will possibly be on its last legs.  Sony will not be in an enviable position when compared to the competition.  The gaming division will be doing good (not great) but other divisions will continue to struggle.

Apple:  Currently a wild card but I don't believe they will enter the home console business, ever.

PC: Will be in the same postion they've always been in--a bit ahead in power but still not the platform of choice amongst the mainstream. 

All in all, I think the Wii U will be considered the worst selling "current gen (7th gen)" console and the best selling "Next gen (eighth gen)" console.  As the PS3 and 360 begin to phase out, the Wii U will be the market leader but will still lack support in certain genres and games.  Microsoft will have what many consider the true next gen console but it will suffer from lack of install base and devs not yet being able to make use of its power.  Sony will still be a looming threat.

That's what I think the industry is going to look like.  What say you?  Feel free to guess what console sales will be for the Wii, Wii U, PS3, 360, PSV, and 3DS at that time.  We'll bump this thread in a couple of years and laugh at how stupid we all were.

d21lewis, allow me the honour of serving you some crow: