As others have pointed out, the generation after a company rises to dominance has invariably been ruled by the incumbent. Basically, the generations look like this:

1. Atari (Atari 2600)
2. Atari (Atari 5200)
3. Nintendo (NES)
4. Nintendo (SNES)
5. Sony (PSX)
6. Sony (PS2)
7. Nintendo (Wii)

Hence, it's safe to say that the eighth generation will go to Nintendo again. And there's a good reason for it, too: Not only did third parties show that they severely miscalculated this generation, they've also shown that they refuse to adapt to the new realities of the disrupted market by continuing to dismiss the Wii as a viable platform (in fact, to some extent, you can see that very same dismissive attitude in this very thread). Basically, if everybody does things the same way next generation as they did this generation, then it's a foregone conclusion. Really, in terms of third party support, Nintendo's console has nowhere to go but up, and they're still beating the combined competition with almost a total lack of viable third party support this generation.

Disney

Sony

nintendo, its the 2 gen rule

that's true! Even Nintendo didn't know they would win, and they had access to play the thing!

Same goes for Sony because they thought they'd be in first place. Although they probably were all snorting cocaine to be worried about stuff like that. "HELL YEAH! It's only 600$. If you can't afford it, remortgage your goddamn house, or get a second job you pussy! Come get come some of this hardcore candy!THIS SHIT IS EPIIIIIIIIIC!!!! (to the voice of Joe Swanson)"

Both companies need more of these "smart people" to help balance them out IMO.

OT: George Bush jr jr

Hard to say,

the question I got will Nintendo call their next console something new, or will they call it Super Wii or Wii 2, because Wii itself has become a popular name kind of like iPod.

Reason I say that is because I know alot of people who don't actually know who makes an iPod. to them it is just an iPod, so those people see a Wii as a Wii.

I think if they keep Wii in the name, alot of people will instinctly buy it based on the current one.

That's a keynote address. They are supposed to be confident.
Remember last week when you and another poster reminded me that they actually said "wii will be a flop if it sells less than the GC"?
That's the talk of someone with little expectation.
Otherwise you would say, "wii will be a flop if it sells less than ps2" because it's all about relative expectations.

It was an interesting read nonetheless and I'm wondering if they included a book like they did with GC "Press Start".
There were a lot of factors contributing to the success of the wii, some of which were not forseeable.
You can always make an informed guess about anything. Sony had confidence in the ps3, MS in the 360. That doesn't make one company smarter than the other. It means something extraordinary happened.

This idea also ties in with his Pepsico Coke war idea; Sure pepsico is a more profitable company. However, CocaCola is the number one soft drink in the world. I think this ties in perfectly with the idea that they were not able to compete directly and instead targeted other areas. This also kind of coincides with it's weaker lineup of 3rd party/gamer-centric games.

In short, it wasn't a strategy to become number one, more than it was the only way to survive as a company. I think that if I were a Nintendo fan, I would be more worried about how diverse are they going to get. Because at a certain point, it could lose the image of being a video game platform, like how leapster isn't considered a console to us, even though it is.

Price is an important key in the war, but not the main factor, remember that Xbox 360 is the cheapest console in the market and is not the leader.

^If people in Japan liked the 360 it would have a much better chance. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a chance there. It also doesn't appeal as much to the rest of the world for some reason.

MS just doesn't have international appeal, if it did, it would be be closer to the wii in sales. PS3 on the other hand, could have blockbuster sales if it was at 200$, because it appeals to a larger international audience.

Nintendo. Just like it happened with PSOne and PS2. First huge success is enough to boost second, while second console development starts when the company is at full steam and soon enough to not be yet tainted by megalomania and its blunders.
Apple, though, could be an outsider for handheld consoles, if it doesn't keep its prices too high.