And we can always count on you to flame. 

now who was saying 720 wouldn't launch until 2014?

I'm sure you can find crazy stories like those for any console. These are isolated incidents though. I know I never had any of these problems.(yes I owned a 360 once upon a time)

Nope. No one has a  "perfect" record. I know my N64's reset button was stuck. The analog stick also sucked ass(as in most of my controllers broke at some point).
Every single console has had its share of problems. Nothing compares to RROD though. Microsoft will probably hold that records forever.

Yep the stick sucked however you could probably excuse them for being the first ones of of the gate with a new physical control scheme.

The thing with RROD was that it struck nVidia, Sony, Microsoft and a whole slew of companies to a various degree. Whilst for instance Sony created a better console all phat PS3's will fail for the exact same reason as all Xbox 360's. Lead free solder is probably one of the worst things which happened to consumer electronics reliability in the history of consumer electronics. Even relatively modern designs will likely develop tin whiskers or fractures in the solder with time. Microsoft had one of the first new high power devices to come out with lead free solder and Sony had a years worth of design experience to draw upon.

http://www.ecnmag.com/articles/2011/12/was-lead-free-solder-worth-effort

""Replacing tin-lead with pure tin is turning out to have been a huge mistake. There are two significant differences between lead-free assembly and lead-based assembly."

"1. Lead-free assembly is not better for the environment, it is worse. The additional tin mining required to produce high-purity tin alloys, plus the mining of other precious metals required to alloy with tin in substitution for lead is a poor trade for the use of existing lead, much of which comes from recycled products. This information comes from a study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The study undercuts the primary basis for RoHS.

"2. Lead-free assembly is less reliable than lead-based assembly. The E.U. environmental commission admits this point. That's why they grant exceptions for military and high-reliability applications that still use SnPb solder. (Ref. 3)

Microsoft was just as much a victim of circumstance as they were from their own ineptness at the time. Sony was also a victim of the same circumstance and hence the crappy reliability of the PS3 as well.

Looks like Nintendo will have a huge opportunity next Christmas. By then they should have several top tier first party games out there with graphics that go beyond 360 and 720. If these rumors are correct Nintendo may end up with a 15 to 20 million unit head start.

The reality is that gamers aren't necessarily as jaded as some here like to think they are. The truth is that as long as a company isn't malicious, or copiously duplicitous consumers are more then willing to give them another chance to win them over. It isn't that gamers are going to forget, but few are going to hold a grudge for seven or eight years. I seriously doubt that consumers are going to harsh on Microsoft for past hardware failures. Anymore then they are going to harsh on Sony for not having games, a piss pour online service, and charging a outrageous sum of money.

Those last three things were actually worse in the eyes of consumers then Microsoft's hardware headaches. Like it or not. Consumers had a dim view of having to pay that much for a console. Not being able to socialize online, and most importantly not having enough games to play. Anyway I don't even see people on these forums harping on these things in the future tense. We don't see people saying oh the PS4 won't have any games for years, or the machine will be ridiculously overpriced.

We just don't expect repeats of past failures, but that brings up a important point. A number of people are making a leap in this thread. Correlating manufacturing difficulties with hardware quality, and I don't see why this would be so. Sure it could have a impact on pricing, or it may result in delays, but that doesn't effect the quality of the end product. Sony suffered delays with the diodes that were used in the PS3, and it did help to delay production, but in the end it didn't effect the quality of the end product.

The only conceivable hardware failing that can be reasonably inferred from this rumor is that due to the chip sets in question. The PS4 might not be backward compatible with PS3 game discs. However since Sony has acquired a cloud gaming service they could offer a work around for those with a internet connection. All the machine would need to do is read the disc, and then the console could stream the appropriate game from a server that can run that game for the owner.

Lead free solder is one of the most ridiculous decisions ever made and the reason we all have to now put up with shoddy electronic equipment that will be lucky to last 3-5 years unlike the past where devices would last decades.  It's causing harm to the environment, consumers and retailers while not producing any tangible benefit at the moment. 

Yep they did it all in the name of being 'Green'. It is the equivalent of chopping off your arm to get rid of a sprained wrist.

If this rumor proves false will all the Sony fanboys be like, "Boo!! A 2013 release?! What a joke Sony!"

Answer, no. You're all in damage control mode. Releasing later damaged the ps3 quite obviously. Imagine that again in the coming Gen but worse? 2 years from WiiU and a year from a more established M$? You're not convincing me guys, you're desperately trying to convince yourselves. 2014 release could be the end of PlayStation.