Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[Skillster/RedSarg99]

Thats just the thing, Wii will be going up against 2nd, or 3rd Generation of Xbox360 games - where the dev teams have started to get used to the hardware and are getting the best out of it.
Where as Wii dev'rs will need till next year before they really get the best out of an already weak console.

Like I said I will probably get a Wii anyway because it is a "revolution" in it's own right.
Just I dont see a long shelve life for it...

[Alhexx]

It seems like everyone is just talking about graphic power here...

Well, let's take a closer look:
The PS3 will be a heavily modified version of the PS2, which is a modified version of the PSX.
Same thing for XBOX and XBOS360.

Sony® and Microsoft®, they both primarily focus on graphics, and therefore their hardware is (and has been) more powerful than Nintendo®'s ever was.
Nintendo® did never focus on graphics or engine power - they have always tried to invent smoething new in entertainment techniques. And their consoles have been cheaper in production (because of not-so-high-end hardware), and therefore also cheaper for the customers.

I remember one of my friends told me, that the games, which are primarily developed for PS2/3/XBOX(360) are usually double as expensive in production as a game that is developed for the Ninteno® consoles.

And besides: If you really need all that power, get a quad-core CPU, grab at least 8 GB of RAM and a hand full of nVidia®'s Quattro™ graphic accelerator cards, switch them together in SLI mode and have fun

 - Alhexx

[Synergy Blades]

The PS3 will be a heavily modified version of the PS2

Isn't that a little like saying an IBM BlueGene is a heavily modified Texas Instruments calculator? You've got entirely different architectures, especially the Cell, compared to the PS2, so hardly a "modified" version. Plus, new storage in both hard drive and Blu-Ray, HD capabilities, the new online platform, and if you want to talk something new in terms of entertainment techniques then rip-off or not, Sony has the Sixaxis controller.

Besides which if you continued that comparison you made to the Wii, in terms of internal hardware at least you're looking at a slightly souped-up GameCube. Does the slight difference in external hardware (controller) match up to the differences in the PS3's internals, plus the Sixaxis, or can we continue your comparison to conclude it's a slightly souped-up Gamecube plus a new accessory as standard?

I don't happen to be particularly wowed by any of the next-gen offerings, but let's keep a little perspective here. You can, of course, say "don't look at the graphics", but the next iteration of cute-and-fluffy stock Nintendo characters doesn't particularly appeal, personally. That said if they are willing to pull some more serious games into the mix, more people might be interested, but then you come back to the hardware's capabilities. Is it possible to sit inbetween these two camps? I dunno, but IMO we aren't going to see it this generation.

[James]

I was going to mention that I hardly see the PS2 being just a powered up PS1. There have been a ton of changes along the way, as far as the internal goes (the things you mentioned, graphics specifically), but the new features that have been implemented along the way have made quite a difference. As far as more hardware goes, look at the EyeToy... that's fairly unique.

Now compare the Gamecube to the N64 - the chief difference is that it changed from cartridge to CD, if you want to look at it in the simple terms that you did.

To a certain extent, the next Gen systems by Sony and Microsoft ARE upgraded versions of their predecessors, with differences, of course, but then you could argue that the Revolution is just a super upgraded version of the NES - with a couple of differences in each incarnation.

[Skillster/RedSarg99]

And above all else all these machines are upgrades of the legendary Atari consoles?
Xbox used a nvidia GPU and then opted to go with a custom purpose built ATi GPU and IBM instead of Intel for its CPU.
That in itself tells you that it isnt an upgraded/modified/souped up Xbox under the hood so to speak.

The PS2 remember is miles away from the original 2MB PSX architecture (Hulkun can tell you that), the PS3 has evolved the CPU into a multicore CPU. But in all honesty I dont pay much attention to the PS3, it is still far from black and white as to what it will be able to do.

Nintendo have opted to take the backseat in the console wars and understandably have taken a different approach to their games and consoles - Let Sony and M$ slug it out for hardcore games and we will cater for the rest of the population - meaning they will get a vast range of people in their userbase (from first time gamers to hardcore gamers).