I think when it's all said and done 360 and PS3 will be considered a different gen from the Wii.  Especially since Wii stopped selling in dramatic numbers some time ago and 360 and PS3 had well over 50% of the 7th gen's marketshare.

2013 is the ideal release schedule for the PS4 because Microsoft is vying for the same part of Sonys marketshare they managed to cut in half this gen.

LOL so you want to exclude Nintendo? I know you haven't been on this site for very long but in 08/09 Nintendo were absolutely crushing sony/micro and were no joke on this site. They have won this gen, just because they haven't been the top console in the last few years doesn't mean their history is erased.

If it releases in 2013, it's going to be a little underpowered in comparison to what it could be if released in late 2014.  And it will carry a $400.00 price point.  Maybe it will be upgradable like Vita.

The question for most of this gen has been whether Wii is really a true 7th gen console due to its comparable lack of horsepower in comparison to 360 and PS3 or whether it's a late 6th gen or a 6.5 gen console.  I think in the long run it's going to be telling that PS2 sales and Wii sales fell off at about the same time.  Sony's finally retiring the PS2 this year.  Ostensibly the same year Nintendo's retiring Wii.

That might be true, but western devs have power expectations from Microsoft and Sony that they have not even bothered to expect from Nintendo. Sony is developing their next playstation in their western branches this time around, so there will be a noticable difference. I am sure that the western devs are talking to Sony and making sure with each dev kit is working accordingly in as cost effective a manner as they can. Since this gen isnt going to last as long as the last gen, expect a console that has the power to stay relevant throughout a five year span. The consoles power dont need to be that dramatic. After this coming gen, the next gen consoles need to be dealt with.

@EdHieron: Wii sales fell off in 2005-2006? WTF?

beyond isn't even out yet and we are already getting 4x as good

are they knocking up the PS4 as they go along or something,you'd think it would all be set what they are making if its coming out in 8 months

how sony can launch at a big loss per console is amazing to me this time round

Sorry but no.

They can release in 2013 with a big upgrade (1080p 60fps for most games). The WiiU controller eats up so much of a $350 price tag and it pretty much breaks even. If PS4 has a normal controller (with some improvements to DS3 like size and triggers) then they can release a big upgrade at $400 and $450 for different SKUs. They won't have to pay for Blu-Ray, Cell, or BC costing them as much this time (I hope BC is on a dongle as the one rumor suggested as I still want to sell PS3 to make up the cost and don't have space for 2 consoles up at college). The dev kit schedule strongly suggests 2013 and Destination Playstation is the perfect place to announce.