Competition in marketplace is more healthy for consumers... but I digress.  IMO, PC gaming is more than capable of offsetting anything consoles can offer.  Microsoft will be pushing towards PC/console gaming... besides, it's gonna be at least 2009.  We might already have another breakthrough console by then.

 Nintendo still needs hardware... for instance, just as an example, the future is all about wireless.  Sony has the expertise, Nintendo doesn't. There's Sony-Ericsson phones, why not Nintendo-Sony DS phones?  Entertainment doesn't have to be in the form of games--Wii Health might be the first example of such.   I'd be shocked if somebody of Miyamoto's caliber doesn't have something in mind for cell phones.

Cell phone is just one example.  How about miniature ID circuits that are already experimental in certain bars?  (injection under your skin)  Global/local positioning?  If Nintendo can come up with the Wii, there's a ton of other stuff they can come up with.  

I have tremendous faith in Nintendo's ability to turn technology into things that "put smiles on people's faces".  That's why I hope it's not technology that holds Nintendo back, thus the rational for a Sony-Nintendo joint venture. 

 dude, you were talking about BR.  now you're changing subject.  forget it.

 Apple has hired a good number of Sony engineers :P

ok, your number look good. I'd suggest higher for 360 though, GTA is a huge seller as is Halo, add those together with the holiday season and you'll start to see a very large jump for the 360. Rest are good though

but you say... Wii surpass 360 in North America in JULY? ok, I rckon it's probably going to do worldwide, but there is no hope that the Wii will surpass 360 in July, it would require 1 million consoles per month to be delivered to North America, frankly impossible no matter what the demand is. It has a decent change of passing the 360 in NA this year, but no hope in july.

MGS would do well to port to 360, if I was kojima I would be negotiating something with MS as we speak

Sony simply can't afford to get rid of the PS3. They will cost reduce and get the PS3 to a point where they can support it, even if it never breaks even the money is already down the toilet. Sony can't move to a PS4 quickly, and they're not likely to do a Sega since they have other dvisions to help the PlayStation line.

As for the rest, agreed 

A lot of interesting themes in this thread.

First, I also think JohnLucas is right about his July prediction. The other things are looking rather crazy right now, but he has been very accurate recently and he really is not making things up but analysing, so maybe he is also right about the other things.

About BR/PS3: If the PS3 only helped Sony in the BR race, it would have been a huge failure. Sony could also have sold BR players for 100 $ to have the same effect.

Lastly, about Nintendo/Sony joining forces: I hoped for that during the GC days because it seemed to be the only way out for Nintendo. I still would appreciate it because I think a monopole would be a good thing for us gamers and those to companies joining forces would result in a monopole I guess. But I don't think Nintendo would do that, they would probably rather become a third party developper instead of joining forces with someone else.

Actually there is one highly unlikely scenario which could cause MGS4 to go to the 360 and not the PS3: - MGS4 is delayed into late next year - PS3 gets the plug pulled on it after this holiday - Kojima decides to not bother releasing it on PS3 and spends the rest of the time making it work on 360 And yeah there's no way Wii passes 360 in NA by July 31st, though worldwide is possible if a stretch. As for the rest, the predictions are so far afield that anything can happen.

I remember reading somewhere that MS tried to acquire Nintendo at some point, but the deal fell through… though I can’t remember why?

As for the whole merging concept, I would have to agree with Origin.  If any of the current players join forces, it will only create a monopolistic powerhouse and stifle competition (think MS with their OS).  We’d likely see some amazing things in the short term, but products will become stale and less innovative in the long run.

The Yamauchi family was (rumored to be) offered $25,000,000,000 (US) for their shares in Nintendo (which represent a controlling interest in the company) and they turned them down. Hiroshi Yamauchi (Nintendo's CEO at the time) was a particularly arogant man and in 2000 said "There are many people in the industry that know nothing about games. In particular, a large American company is trying to do engulf software houses with money, but I don't believe that will go well. It looks like they'll sell their game system next year, but we'll see the answer to that the following year."

Say what you will about that arrogant man the guy was a visionary. Without him the other two pillars of Nintendo (Yokoi and Miyamoto) would have never came to be. He turned a dadgum playing card company into a worldwide videogaming success. And he's right. They don't know games.

Ray Kassar didn't know games either and eventually Atari got caught in a crash.

Nintendo would only work with someone else if they had control and final say over end product. Nintendo learned the lesson of not overseeing and controlling their creative works and we got CD-i Zeldas. See YouTube for details.

And Nintendo has too much pride to be bought out. I really think they'd prefer going out of business rather than selling out. They better not lose TOO much of that arrogant Yamauchi pride. It serves a purpose.

John Lucas 

Yeah I don't think Wii will pass 360 in NA end of July, I thought Lucas said WW by end of July. Its no possible for NA only... unless Wii sells 1.5 million a month in NA which is NOT going to happen.