Until we see sales slow significantly we can't say they're front loaded. It really depends on what we see next year.

I think both Xbox one and PS4 will beat last gen.

They will get all the kids that grew up on Wii, looking for the next best thing. So the casual market will get hardcore.

If we assume that PS4 and XB1 won't sell double the units PS3 and 360 did (easy to assume), then necessarily this gen is more front loaded, yes. It can't turn out any other way.

Now, what are the reasons for that? I'd say that last gen started with a lot of doubt and fragmentation. 360 didn't start that well, maybe due to the imminent launch of PS3. But then PS3 didn't deliver and also started poorly. Add the fact that the Wii was selling gangbusters and... a confused and divided market is bound to start slow, it wasn't until later that things were more clear and consumers more confident in their purchase.

This gen it's much easier for consumers to act. PS4 is dominant and the price is good. Xbox One is an alternative that has moved many sales forward by slashing prices heavily.

This gen's legs will be shorter, yes. Especially Wii U and Xbox One. PS4 at least has dominance, price cuts and developing countries to counter that somewhat but, percentage-wise, I bet it will also have worse legs than PS3 (not necessarily sales-wise).

I think so. Expect the PS4 to peak next year and the same for the X1 (If this year isn't its peak). 5 year cycles are back people.

Yep, this gen will be more front loaded and shorter. No more 7/8 years until a new console.

XBone likely will be more front loaded compared to X360, because X360 had such a long run (8 years) and X360 had a second life with Kinect. If XBone is lagging PS4 too much then MS will be more motivated to want to reset the generation sooner, and historically the underdog has shorter legs.

they sold more because 7th gen launched in the economic crash.

This.

I think people may be surprised with how big the sales are for gen8 PS4 and X1 though.

People always forget that huge mass-market sales almost never happen until $299 is broken. And with the APU design and lowering costs of components, the PS4 and X1 slim models may even breach $199 late in the gen, and $249 midway through.

We could be seeing 2M/mo sales for holidays in 2015/2016 if $299 and $249 are hit around then, along with record-breaking sales during the year to boot. Cross-gen titles will die off by 2016 for the most part, and the huge exclusives will move people over.

I actually think this will be a front-loaded generation.

-More people are early adopters these days. Look at phones. People get the newest thing sooner.

-Shorter product cycles in general. More people are used to upgrading phones every two years with some operators now offering a new phone every year. 7-8 years between product upgrades is unfathomable.