Reports are all over the Net today that both Nintendo and Microsoft say they think their current systems (Wii, DS and Xbox 360, respectively) are going to buck the normal 5-year console life-expectancy. On top of that, we already know that Sony has claimed their PS3 will have closer to a 10-year life.
Frankly, I'm a little surprised by this... I mean, it makes sense given Sony's recent history... When these newer systems came around, PS2 was still in it's prime. Hell, it was just entering it's prime, with "Bully" and "Final Fantasy XII" coming out around the time the PS3 was launched. The PS2 could have had a 7-year life before PS3 came around, which would have allowed Sony to take their time developing the technology and making sure all the third parties got it right.
But, that was not the case for the Xbox. And, the GameCube was floundering for a couple of years when the Wii came out.
And when you look at the 360, I, personally, think it's currently the best system out there, when you take into account the library of games and the current capabilities of game developers. But, in 3 or 4 years, the game developers will have cracked many of the PS3's secrets and the Xbox 360 games are going to start looking noticeably worse. Microsoft is really going to need to come up with a PS3 killer at that time.
And when you look at the Wii... I'm bored with it. It was a nice idea and all, and the casual gaming market still gets their 10 minutes a day of fun out of it, but until Nintendo proves their Wiimote can handle top-notch games (Mario Galaxy, that means you!) I am not ready to say I want this to be Nintendo's only console for the next 6 years.
As much as I love the idea of saving money on keepign my same old consoles, I really wonder what Microsoft and Nintendo are thinking here.
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