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tiggerkiddo wrote:

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Being able to play PS1/2/3 games on one system is so nice.

NotU wrote:

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Sony's average console lifespan is longer than 3 years. The PS1 launched in 1995. The PS2 launched in 2000, 5 years later. The PS3 launched in 2006, 6 years later. As such, I do not see any reason to expect only a 3 years life span for the PS3, when the others averaged 5.5 years.

X-Box launched in 2002 (2001 in the US), and the 360 launched in 2005. Granted, that's only 2 consoles, but given that, and the comments on the aging software even from their own developers, I would not be surprised to see Microsoft announce a new console before long.

The Famicom launched in 1983 (NES hit the US in 1985), followed by the Super Famicom / SNES in 1990 /1993 respectively. A whopping 7 years, 10 from Famicom to SNES. The N64 hit in 1996, 6 years for Japan, but only 3 years later for the US. Gamecube hit in Japan in 2001, and the US in 2002. 5 years in Japan, and 6 again in the US. And finally, the Wii hit in 2006, only 5 years for Japan, and an even shorter 4 years in the US.

What does that mean? The Japan releases just keep getting faster and faster for Nintendo, longer for Sony, and Microsoft hasn't put out enough consoles to really have a pattern yet. Microsoft is the only one to actually hit the 3-year life cycle for anything but the US launches, which I only included for Nintendo because of the length of time between their Japan launches and their US launches. Microsoft and Sony generally release their consoles closer together in different markets than Nintendo does.

So, with all of that in mind, I would say the next new console we will see is probably going to be the new X-Box, followed by either a new Nintendo console or an update / re-design of the Wii.