<\/td><\/tr>Okay, I’m done being silly. The thing doesn’t run PS2 games, so I have no idea what I’d use it for. It looks pretty cool, though. I snark at the launch coverage, but this is actually a really interesting time for the industry. I’m not planning on getting any of the new consoles* but I’m very curious how things will play out over the next couple of years. <\/p>\n
The Wii was king of the last generation, but the WiiU is not really exciting anyone. Microsoft has burned every bridge<\/a> and salted every field on the PC, so they really need to keep their console customers happy. But their run-up to the XBone Launch has been plagued by bad press, horrible PR, customer confusion, policy reversals, rumors of technology problems, and questionable design principles. The PS3 was greatly harmed by its daunting price tag and small library (which was caused by its unorthodox hardware) but Sony seems to be doing everything right to correct these mistakes for the PS4.<\/p>\n Basically, this long console generation has given the three sides a lot of time to think about where they want to take their platform. They know how things went last time around, they’re aware of each other’s mistakes, they have a pretty good guess at each other’s strategies, and they know that this next generation will likely be even longer than the last one. The stakes have gone up. <\/p>\n And then Valve will enter the fray sometime in the next couple of years<\/a> with their dark horse Linux PC \/ Console \/ Living Room Device… thing. <\/p>\n I don’t have plans to buy any of these machines, but I’m really<\/strong> anxious to see how the market responds to them.<\/p>\n How about you? Have your heart set on a next-gen console? Planning on getting a PS4? <\/p>\n