i don't get why people refuse to think the other consoles can't make a marked improvement over 7 year old (8 by the time it releases) technology.  did the world suddenly stop advancing? 

I really hope they DON'T do this. I think the WiiU is awesome and I am more concerned about new GAMES than new hardware. I love my Wii from when I got it in 2007 till I put it back in the box three weeks ago when I got the WiiU.

Let the burly boys fight out for hardware - Nintendo stands alone. And I think the gaming world is better off because of it.

All the writers on the Internet sound like moron's when they go on like this.

Nintendo's console lacks bells and whistles... really? I would say they focus primarily on bells and whistles

What they lack is a 12 cylinder Hemi engine underneath the hood. Which may not be appropriate or needed for a Prius type energy efficient fuel economy car of the future.

That's the analogy... is the Prius the car of the future or is the Hummer H2.

How many people would rather drive a Prius than a Hummer? How many can afford one over the other? Both have cutting edge technology but in different focus areas.

Some might say the H2 is the last of a dying breed of technology focus on just raw power, while the Prius is a much needed new direction. A new line of technological evolution to take place.

The X360 and PS3 were the H2 or maybe the next ones from them would be H2... and the Wii was the Prius.

PS4 and 720 will be more powerfull. It's just obvious. You can't release a new, expensive, with few games console that isn't a improvement. Wii U is much more powerfull than Wii. That isn't much more powerfull than PS360, but it is a massive improvement to its predecessor.

It doesn't matter how is Sony financials, they will have to do a console that blows PS3 out of the water. If they don't, it simply won't sell and they will be dead. The best strategy is to release a powerfull one and try their best. If they couldn't afford it, they simply won't release anything and quit the consoles bussiness (what they won't, because is one of the strong divisions and they need to focus on that to survive). They didn't stopped making TVs and that division is a tragedy. It isn't likely that they will try to cut losses in a division that is in way better shape. It's easier to simply stop making TVs.

Regarding, MS, they have money and want a future-proof console. It will be powerfull too. Put there at least 4GB of RAM (maybe they even go for 8 GB). In the end, booth Sony and Ms want consoles like their predecessors, that will last for good 6~7 years without problems. A weaker console would be a problem. Sega did it, they tryed to go for the "incremental upgrade" way (Sega CD, 32X, Saturn, Dreamcast) and ended releasing a lot of consoles and selling nothing.

I don't see nintendo releasing new console in let's say 5 years.

if thats the case why release new consoles at all? seeing as how they already have consoles on the market comparable to the wii u fitting that description?

these get old quick. Nintendo is probably the only one of the big 3 that is guaranteed to make a profit next gen.

Because the market has become stale, we're starting to see declining sales which will decrease further in the next few years, and the industry is driven by new gameplay experience which can (often) not be delivered by existing hardware.

I would say some of the tech demos we've seen alone are evidence for it. 

Nintendo has ostracized itself from the other major players and thus third parties as well. If it wants to compete directly with MS and Sony, it needs to release comparable machinery. It hasn't. Nintendo found gold with the Wii, but I doubt the Wii U will be anything to celebrate.