Microsoft is a very rich and successful company, true, but Microsoft's Games and Devices Division is a big black hole that sucks up a lot of their money.  It's like Microsoft's drunk nephew cheated his way through college and got his own department and sank it into the red for years and years.  Just because the rich uncle keeps giving him money doesn't mean the nephew has a successful business model.

lool,,,why in the world would a company openly talk about wanting an early start for next gen? this could hurt the current console sales as people would get the feeling that the current console is already dated after being only 2 and half years on the market,,,,

If I were to buy a console with in the next year and read this article ,it would make me not want to buy a 360.

I think they have smart enough guys at R&D and product management to know wtf they are doing... at least way better than any of us here....

my opinion now

they won't make the same hardware mistake again they simply can't.... about devs... the architecture MS will chose is probably so close to XB 360 that it will be a non issue... the real question is the price tag..... if they can produce a console relatively cheap so that people that just bought an XB 3 years ago won't have to sell a kidney to get one.... or that it is more interesting to get an XB 3 than any other console as an additional one... that's the real issue... look at PS2... they are still here... I don't see why XB 360 couldn't be kept alive and have a new one coming.... especially if dev is similar to one another.... dev will be able to have the game released on both....

Hope it pays off for them this time.

Cause it hasn't here.

Furthmore, they always will have games for their system first year. Two words - PC compatibility! So it will always be worth it for PC Devs to port their work onto the Xbox consoles especially when its the start of a generation and they want to establish their franchises on the new system!

The Nextbox WILL NOT suffer the same problems Sony had with the PS3 because of this.

who doesnt

who doesn't what ?

edit: oh ok the OP lol :P

I hope Sony will wait a long time for putting up their new console...

If the X-thing is on the market why would Sony have to rush to put up a new console. I really would not care if they wait even three years to release a new console...

I think they should wait until at least 2011 to bring out their next system. It gives them time to continue securing games in Japan which should eventually make even the most stubborn Japanese gamers take notice. It also gives them time to work in making more inroads into Europe and figure out the keys to success for the Xbox brand there.

Without laying that kind of foundation now their next system will have the same problems as the current one. They would basically have to almost start over from scratch in trying to entice Japanes and European (excluding UK) gamers.

Actually, I do believe that department is making money now.  Takes money to make money.