IGN Habla del futuro de Sony, Microsoft y Nintendo.

Roundtable #99: In the Year 2008
Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony will be...

October 30, 2003 - A lot can happen in a short time in the videogame industry. Sega has struggled. Nintendo's place in the market has changed dramatically. And, Microsoft isn't just involved with the PC anymore.

So this week the IGN editors consider the following:

"Where do you see Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony in five years? Who do you think will be market leader? Do you believe that any of the companies will put out of the console race? And what different types of philosophies do you think will power each company? (For instance, Microsoft's current aggressive adoption of online gaming versus Nintendo's refusal to accept it, etc.)"

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Fran Mirabella III, IGN Insider: In five years... That puts us into late 2008. Theoretically, that could parallel 2003 in terms of system life-spans, assuming the next round of consoles launches in late 2006.

I do foresee that at that time Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony will still be deeply entrenched in marketing and pushing their own hardware. Nintendo is definitely hurting this generation, but they are still one of Japan's most profitable companies. They are a proud company, too.

So, I see all three brands of consoles that are on the market now being there in five years. The real question is, what kind of presence will each have in the marketplace?

Microsoft's first run in the industry has been mostly successful. The company's Xbox division has been afforded to operate as if it had been around for twice the time. Having successfully acquired second-party developers, tight relationships with publishers, and a positive image here in the U.S., Microsoft stands to be a powerful foe to Nintendo and Sony. I think because Microsoft can launch before or at the same time as Sony, it will eat up a bigger market share than this generation.

The same goes for Nintendo, who will be really aggressive, as this is it's last shot, I think; but it's going to have those same queasy dealings with third-parties around launch time.

I digress. We're talking about 2008, but I had to think about how it all might begin. I don't think any of us can accurately say, but I see Sony dominating again with the PlayStation 3. I think its share will be less than before because of the launch competition. I also think that by then third-party developers may be more prone to develop engines for Xbox 2 and GameCube 2 first and port to the PlayStation 3, hopefully having learned from this generation.

The key is how the launches take place, and right now that's all a very big blur. Will Nintendo and Microsoft jump the gun with new consoles in 2005? Will they wait until 2006? Could Nintendo or MS go it alone in 2005? It could go down in a lot of ways.

The only thing I feel I can accurately say is that, indeed, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony will all be around in similar forms in five years.

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Matt Casamassina, IGNcube: In five years I think that Sony will again be market leader with its PlayStation 3 console. I again believe that Microsoft and Nintendo will fight for second and third place. But there will be, in my opinion, some key differences.

I don't think that Sony's lead over Microsoft will be as drastic and I believe this is largely due to the Xbox's successful penetration of today's market. Microsoft -- yes, still in a distant second to Sony's juggernaut -- has done an admirable job of convincing gamers that Xbox is the most powerful system around and that it is also the best platform for a wide range of online games. I think that perception will carry over into the next round and will stick in the minds of gamers as they come to buy their next system.

That said, Sony seems to have created an unstoppable beast with PlayStation 2, and this too will be remembered in the next round. PlayStation 2 has by far the largest installed base of any current console and it also has the largest library of games, many of them exclusive. Perhaps more importantly to the mainstream, though, it has EA, and EA has done its best to ensure that the console is an online success. In doing so, it has also swayed perception; gamers who want anything from Madden to Need for Speed to Lord of the Rings will probably think of Sony when it comes to online gaming, and considering that EA's games are the best-selling in the world that's a whole lot of people on your side.

I think Nintendo has an uphill battle. It pains me to admit it, really, because I'm a huge believer that the Big N makes many of the best games on the planet. But the company's conservative stance and general stubbornness as of late have really set back the brand -- at least in the US and Europe. Whereas 10 years ago the name 'Nintendo' defined videogames, today it means very little to the buying public; in fact, many consumers view it negatively, which is just crazy.

GameCube is home to my favorite game of all time in Metroid Prime and a great many others than make my Top 10. But these achievements are surrounded by failures, from the unveiling of a toy-like purple console to the company's total ignorance of the growing online market. Nintendo continues to cling to old remedies in hopes that gamers will come around to them while Sony and Microsoft adapt and come around to what gamers want. In a consumer-oriented world where the customer is always right, Nintendo doesn't seem to care.

Timing will be key. The successor to GameCube could become the next Dreamcast if it's released too early and it will almost certainly fall well behind in sales if it ships after PS3. Nintendo needs to find a middle ground and it needs to convince gamers that it really cares what kind of software they want -- and then give it to them. On top of that, Nintendo needs to convince third-parties to make games for the next console as a primary goal, not an afterthought.

If Nintendo wanted to, it could achieve all of the above. But what scares me is that the company doesn't believe there is anything wrong with its strategies. It instead seems to think the industry as a whole is being ruined. And if this blame-it-on-everyone-else mindset doesn't change (and Nintendo with it), I think the successor to GameCube will be the biggest failure in the company's history -- that it will mark the end of its console business.

Peer Schneider, IGN: Yeah, I'm a firm believer that Sony will continue to dominate in the next generation. The PlayStation brand is huge -- and Sony is a powerful name on its own in the consumer electronics field. The fact that the company is active in both areas means it's at the very pulse of emerging hi-tech trends. Who would have thought that having DVD playback would make such a big difference with PS2? Well, Sony knew it would. PS3 will be the leader in five years, followed by Xbox2. The size of the gap depends entirely on what will happen on the software side of things. Will Grand Theft Auto become a PS2-exclusive again? What about the Final Fantasy series? Where will Madden be? Can any racer unseat Gran Turismo? Who is able to nail down the "next big thing" exclusively?

Sony's biggest problem when it went up against Nintendo in the last round is that it was almost 100% a third-party-driven console. Per-game sales of Nintendo-developed titles show how successful the N64 was for Nintendo -- but overall, the PS One sold into more homes, sold more games overall, and established a powerful new brand. One that stood for breadth and better technology. Since then, the company has proven itself as a generator of quality games as well (Gran Turismo, Ico, Jak, Ratchet, and so on) and thus has reduced Nintendo's software advantage considerably.

Now Microsoft is trying to do the same. Crimson Skies, for example, may not become a mainstream success, but it's a sign that MS is trying to develop a portfolio of great games that doesn't entirely rely on third-parties. The acquisition of Rare is another example. And then there is Halo 2, of course -- according to IGN's userpages, the #1 most-wanted title by GameCube owners. Wrap your brain around that one.

With GameCube, PS2, and Xbox, all three companies were competing over marketing, technology, game lineup, and quality of games -- and while Nintendo may have had a few truly amazing games, it definitely lost in the technology and marketing departments. Hardcore gamers view GameCube as an inferior console when pitted against PS2 and Xbox simply because everything you can do on GCN, you can do on the other two -- but not vice versa. And on the mainstream side, I think we all agree that the Nintendo brand has become synonymous with "kids' stuff" and it might be very difficult to change that. Sure, perhaps Nintendo can pull a John Travolta and re-brand its image, but it ain't gonna be easy. And recent efforts haven't exactly convinced me that NCL is as intent to this as NOA. Unfortunately, while little Johnny wants to always play what Big John is playing, the opposite is rarely true. Attract the older gamer and you'll get the younger ones as well.

So what will happen in five years? I'm sure that all three consoles will debut around the same time, all three will have a hard drive and all three will be online. Though I predict 1. PS3, 2. Xbox2, 3. Successor to GameCube, I also know that no one company has ever dominated this field longer than two generations. Gamers are fickle -and the right marketing can turn a dog into a princess.

I think PSP is going to stir things up -- and if EA doesn't release its own game console -- we're looking at the biggest news stories of the next generation to be about consolidation and some large-scale acquisitions.

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Chris Carle, IGN Guides: The Phantom will be the #1 console in 2008. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo should be shaking in their money-lined boots, because Infinium Labs is coming to f**k s**t up. Mark my words.

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Steve Butts, IGNPC I bet they make another Xbox.

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Craig Harris, IGNpocket: Five years is a very, very long time in the console gaming business. Five years ago people were saying, "Microsoft? Ha!" when it came to the forthcoming Xbox. Now, it's number two in North America, having taken advantage of Nintendo's weak GameCube push. I love the GameCube, too...but Microsoft really nailed home with brand recognition right out of the gate. And Nintendo's playing catch-up. Again.

In fact, Nintendo's been playing catchup for more than five years now against the PlayStation brand. But I think the company's showing its frustration...not just in America but in Japan as well where they call most of their shots. I think, given some strategic timing and marketing ideas, Nintendo can get back to number being "cooler" than Microsoft in the eyes of the casual gamer. They'll never be able to stomp Sony. Sorry guys...you should have just partnered with them when you had the chance.

As for the handheld market...this is going to be even more interesting. Keep an eye on this battle, folks, because one of the few companies that can steal significant marketshare from the Game Boy will do so in 2004 with the PlayStation Portable. We're in on the ground floor on what can be one of the coolest (and bloodiest) videogame battles yet.

Nintendo has the upperhand, of course, because they've proven over the past decade and a half that it doesn't matter about gaming technology...it's about pricing and licenses. So far, Nintendo's "Under 100 bucks" strategy has been extremely successful. Sony doesn't have that, but it certainly has the brands...A Gran Turismo handheld game would be a great start, coupled with an original Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, a rendered Final Fantasy experience. I think if they can get that at launch, a lot of folks will say "Game Boy? What's that?"

But then...the title that really revitalized the handheld market is a Nintendo property: Pokemon. Love it or hate it...it's the game that made Game Boy a must have system. Can Sony compete against it?

I'll go out on a limb and say that Nintendo will still dominate the handheld market five years from now. But Sony won't be far behind...and it will be a brutal battle.

Steven Ng, IGN FAQs: You'd be surprised to what kind of neat schnit a kid in a garage will come up with. A lot of PC games are being independently developed by one or two people in a filthy shack in the woods (or a closely knit group in an organised compound somewhere in the Midwest).

What Matt is talking about is what mainstream people are going to do about their mainstream entertainment (Mario, Sonic, some guy named Belmont, et al) and not the unique kind of game that may suck in terms of visuals, but offer a radically unique way of playing.

One problem with consoles is that they have a unique set of hardware that developers need to learn and adapt to (or die). PC games tend to level the playing field somewhat - if it comes to it, Microsoft may have a slight edge in this regard by making Xbox II more PC like, and consequently more development (and hack) friendly.

But who really knows. If we can see into the future, I wouldn't be working at IGN.

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Doug Perry, IGNPS2: I agree with Matt about everything except for Sony leading. According to technical reports about the Cell chip, around which the PS3 is being built, the chip will start manufacturing around mid- to late-2005, which is when we all expect the next generation of systems to arrive. This late date would not permit enough time for developers to build their game on the new system, this pushing back the PS3 until 2006. You know Microsoft wants to ship at the same time as Sony or even before, and this is its chance. (That is, if all this speculation is indeed true.) And Nintendo, I believe, has learned its lesson about being last -- it doesn't work anymore. So Microsoft will take advantage of Sony's probably late start and its comfort at the top by using more marketing muscle and pushing its continued online penetration.

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Mary Jane Irwin, IGNcube: I imagine things will be much as they are now. Sure hardware and developer allegiances will change, new mascots will be created and older ones will fall, but in the grand scheme of things Sony will keep its hold on the majority of gamers' wallets. However, Sony won't have such an easy as they frantically fend off the claws of the marketing juggernaut Microsoft. Nintendo will, I fear, fall/remain in third place and attract an increasingly niche audience.

How things play out will rely primarily on which company manages to release their console first. If Microsoft releases their console ahead of Sony, they have a good chance of seizing a good portion of the Playstation audience. Microsoft will have learned a lot this generation with their grand experiment. They'll come back better prepared -- with better software and sleeker hardware. If Nintendo beats both companies, there's a good chance GCN 2 will suffer the same fate as the Dreamcast. If they wait to launch with the other consoles, Nintendo will probably have a tough time gaining more support, particularly if they aren't able to adapt to the now main stream driven market.

The way I see it, PS3 and Xbox 2 will take on a PC like role -- have the widest appeal and most software. Nintendo will be much like Apple computers, by maintaining a user friendly software and hardware geared towards a very niche audience.

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Doug Perry, IGNPS2: And most importantly....the PC will rule forever with Half-Life 2. The end.

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Steve Butts, IGNPC: I think that potential is there, Ng, but, where the Xbox is concerned, Microsoft certainly hasn't leveraged the potential of PC development nearly as much as they've simply poached the properties. Crimson Skies, Midtown, and MechWarrior were jewels in Microsoft's PC crown three years ago. Unlike Sony or Nintendo, Microsoft has a number of well developed franchises that console-focused gamers have never even heard of. Sony and Nintendo don't have a catalog like that that they can steal. Since Microsoft is the only of the big three system makers to have a strong commitment to PC gaming, they'll likely possess a small advantage in terms of catalog as they continue funneling these games to their console division.

Chris Roper, IGN Special Projects: [Jimmy Vivino from Late Night with Conan O'Brien] In the year 2008…[/Jimmy Vivino]

Sony will announce and possibly show off the PSP2. Nintendo fires back with the announcement of the new Blue, Red and Polka dot Pink versions of its Game Boy Advance Super Color Pokemon Mega series.

[Jimmy Vivino] In the year 2008…[/Jimmy Vivino]

Microsoft unveils the ZBox at E3, the successor to Xbox and Ybox. Microsoft has problems actually showing off actual hardware, as neither UPS nor FedEx will ship packages that weigh over six tons.

[Jimmy Vivino] In the year 2008…[/Jimmy Vivino]

Nintendo officially admits that Ron Jeremy was the inspiration for Mario's overall look. Atari admits that he was the inspiration for the Atari 2600's joystick.

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Steven Ng, IGN FAQs: Butts has a point about Microsoft's ass-ets, and here's another thought - peripherals make the game. Other than Capcom few third party developers have made a stab at "gaming for purists". Why hasn't Microhard done some hard selling and packaged a Flight Sim with one of their flightsticks?

Can't wait for the day when Microsoft says, "OK. Let's have truly MMO FPS where people can hook up 128 Xboxes together to play."

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Jeremy Dunham, IGNPS2: There's no way to predict this with any type of accuracy, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Nintendo will have finally decided to get out of the hardware market to focus on software.

I know we all have our opinions on the matter, but I think it's where Nintendo should (and will) be half a decade from now. It's a scenario in which everyone wins -- as the world would be treated to Nintendo's quality but infrequent killer apps while Sony and Microsoft's sytem owners will be able to enjoy them without having to shell out the dough for another system that sees few exclusives outside of its first party market.

Ah yes, what a nice scenario that would be.

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Fran Mirabella III, IGN Insider: "One that stood for breadth and better technology," says Peer referring to the PlayStation brand.

Breadth, I'll agree with, but those informed knew there was a great deal of crap out there. As for thinking of the PlayStation brand as better technology, I think that's a stretch, save for the fools who believed Final Fantasy's cut-scenes were a measure of technological savvy.

What people believe in now, and have-long believed in, is that the PlayStation is where you'll find the most software, the biggest mix that can satisfy anyone. Whether you're into racing, action, RPGs, or sports PS2 has some of the best available. People will believe this going into the release of PS3. And why shouldn't they, it will be true? Its only weakness, as many have stated, is still first-party brands.

Dunham, I'm surprised more people haven't brought up your scenario. It's possible, depending on what perspective you take

You underestimate Nintendo's stubborn attitude and its pride as a successful hardware maker. It loves its control, too. Don't forget that when Nintendo is coming up with new ideas for Zelda, Mario, Metroid, or what-have-you, it is doing so based on its on hardware designs. To turn away from that would not only throw a monkey-wrench in the way the company functions, but it would, I'm sure, tear the fabric of the company's very heart.

As soon as 2008, I do not see Nintendo as a third-party. Not that soon. I believe the consoles will launch closer to late 2006, and Nintendo will definitely keep up the fight for two years. Only if it fails the next battles miserably, could I imagine it walking down that path.

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Chris Carle, IGN Guides: No way in hell Nintendo's going to be out of the game by then. As someone said about a year ago, they are a very proud company. I just don't see them packing it in with regards to hardware, especially when everything that they release being linked to the GBA in some way. So I guess I just agreed with Fran. Weird. What's next? Pseudo-anime inspired hair and a crappy Olds?

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Steve Butts, IGNPC: Technology is only half the story though, Fran. In order to make good games, developers have to have time to work with the hardware. Look at Kingdom Hearts, for instance. The visuals in that game are beyond most of the stuff we've seen for the Xbox or Cude.

Jeremy Dunham, IGNPS2: Nintendo could definitely create a Zelda or Mario game around whatever system they so choose -- hell, if they really wanted to make it special they could make their own controller to ship with it ala Namco and their GunCons.

Realistically I know they won't really be a third party in five years; it's just more of a wish.

It's a lot more interesting to provide that sort of scenario then give the inevitable: "Someone will be at the top of the sales, blah, blah, blah"

Seriously, I don't give a shit about who sells more of what and why. I just want to play games -- and I want to do so in a way that makes the most sense. To me, Nintendo developing for everyone would make the most sense.

don't care if they're stubborn or not -- that's not allowed in my wish fullfillment.

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Fran Mirabella III, IGN Insider: Who said technology was the full story? I've always been a bigger believer in software, Steve. Which is why I've put my faith in Nintendo for so many years, as they make many of my favorite franchises.

As far as technology goes for all the upcoming hardware and how it will be performing in 2008, that's an entirely different discussion. But, because everything will be so powerful and around the same price point, it's definitely going to come down to who has the biggest titles.

Sony had Final Fantasy on the PSX and Tomb Raider. Two hugely successfuly franchises, with the latter being similar to what happened on the PS2: Grand Theft Auto III. Sony has had a big phenomenon franchise each generation.

But with GTA bleeding over to Xbox and Final Fantasy getting back to Nintendo consoles, even a little, anything could happen.

While trends don't say Microsoft could ever become #1 in the world or Nintendo #1 in the U.S. again, completely counting out anyone would be silly. I tried that with Sony years ago -- that was a real pie in the face.

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Matt Casamassina, IGNcube: Yeah, I don't think Nintendo will be out of the hardware business in five years. To suggest that would be to suggest that the company is not working on a follow-up to GameCube, which it clearly is. Just ask ATI -- they'll tell you.

Beyond Nintendo's considerable pride and stubborness, which Fran pointed out, you have to remember one other factor -- a very important one: Nintendo is neither as small nor as financially restricted as many gamers seem to believe it is. It is, in fact, a giant in every regard.

It has a half-dozen billion dollars in the bank, cash. And whereas Microsoft and Sony are companies with their pockets in all sorts of softwares and electronics, Nintendo is devoted to videogames and videogames alone. That's a lot of cash to throw around in support of your single cause.

Unlike Sega, Nintendo can easily afford to go another round, in other words.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Nintendo will have the right idea about what gamers are willing to pay for in the next round. Judging by the decisions it made with the N64 (to stick with the more expensive cartridges) and GameCube (to go with smaller media and no DVD or CD-music functionality), I would in fact bet that it will probably remain clueless. I hope not. But with NCL president Satoru Iwata's latest comments -- that games need to be simpler and that multi-faceted game machines are not the answer -- I'm very scared about this company's plans for the future.

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Jon Robinson, IGN Sports: I believe the key to the next-generation of systems will revolve around two questions that eventually will be answered:

1. Will EA continue to align with Sony and not support Xbox Live?
2. Who will buy Sega/Visual Concepts?

Here's why it matters so much: Say EA only supports Sony online and then Sony goes ahead and buys Sega or Visual Concepts and turns them into the next 989. That means that online gaming, and most importantly to the mainstream, online sports gaming, will be owned by Sony while Microsoft is left with only their first-party sports games for the next generation of XSN. But say EA not only decides to support Xbox Live, but Microsoft then in turn buys Sega or Visual Concepts, that means that Madden, Tiger Woods, SSX, and so on are all on both systems while the incredible ESPN lineup then becomes exclusive to Microsoft.

I think these are the decisions that will shape the console wars, console sales, and sway the mainstream gamer to buy one system over the other.

And if you think I'm too heavy on the sports, you might be right, but then again it is the biggest genre in all of gaming, and when Madden talks people listen (even if they don't want to admit it).

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Jeremy Dunham, IGNPS2: As long as somebody makes a true sequel to Phantasy Star IV or Clash at Demonhead I'll be happy.

And since I'm announcing what it takes right here in this thread, it gives everyone five years to work on it.

Get to snapping.

Peer Schneider, IGN: Fran, I do think that many people believed the PlayStation was superior technology to the N64. Sure, us hardcore guys -- who will buy any platform anyway -- knew that the N64 could pull off some neat feats. But I guarantee you that after the "twice the bits" campaign went quiet, the mainstream audience saw the CD drive and FMV cutscenes and thought the hardware to be superior. It's all about perception, too. Sony has always been great at extolling the virtues of its graphics chips, while Nintendo (in the past) has let its games do the talking. The big problem is of course that Sony also has a whole army of third-party publishers doing their own, indirect marketing for the PS2 console. Campaigns pushing hardware specs, campaigns building the PlayStation brand, campaigns for masses of games... That's quite a marketing force.

And I share Matt's worries. Having covered Nintendo consoles for many years in the past, I've heard the words "Nintendo has surely learned its lesson" too many times now. Bet you they haven't. Just like the N64 didn't make up for the Super Nintendo's weakness in the sports game arena, the GameCube didn't do away with the N64's limited storage format or major annoyances for third-party publishers. Come on, did Nintendo really think having a controller with less buttons than its competitors, a smaller disc, less hardware functionality, no online plan, a Memory Card that couldn't hold an average PS One sports game save, and a purple case was a good answer to Sony's "I'm a DVD player, too" PlayStation 2 that came out a year earlier?

On the other hand, Sony managed to take away pretty much every one of Nintendo's successful innovations in no time. Remember that it was Nintendo that came out with the analog control pad and rumble functionality first. But Sony is able to shift gears much faster and pretty much took these advantages away and made them its own with the Dual Shock. Microsoft likewise knows how to correct a mistake (remember the house-sized controllers the Xbox launched with?) I just don't feel like Nintendo is able to learn and react as fast as its competitors. In the wake of the success of games targeted at older gamers, did anyone really think it was a good idea to give Wind Waker a decidedly "younger" look? These kinds of decisions worry me, as I'm sure NCL's answer to the success of Grand Theft Auto will no doubt be an "Ocarina of Link" music game.

Sorry. I must come across as a bitter man. I want to believe. But someone took away my Clown UFO picture. It'll be Sony on #1, Microsoft on #2, and Nintendo #3 in the console market in five years. I reserve judgment on the handheld market when I see what exactly Sony is trying to do with the PSP.

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Hilary Goldstein, IGN Guides: You know, five years before the launch of PS2, I don't think anyone was considering that Nintendo would be in the console doghouse. That's a really long, long time from now and a lot can happen to change the landscape. If Microsoft gets a head start on Sony and/or Nintendo, that will make a significant impact. Remember that when Xbox and Cube were launching, PS2 offered a great Christmas line-up. If Xbox 2 is getting around to their second generation titles when Sony kicks of PS3, I think they could be in some trouble.

I also think it is a very real possibility that Nintendo will have left the hardware market five years from now, especially if things don't go well with their next console launch. Sega Saturn and Dreamcast were awesome systems, but that didn't save Sega... and they are making a profit now that they have gone software-exclusive.

I think the more interesting debate is where gaming culture will be. Yes, I know, we're all a bunch of sweaty losers living in our parent's basement (okay, maybe that is just Chris Carle), but I think a large part of who will dominate in 5 years is dependant on how video games are perceived by the public.

I'm not talking about the debate over video games as entertainment vs. art. I'm talking about how accepted the medium will be by the mainstream. Will mom and dad turn contemporary? Can someone actually make video games accessible and desirable, or at least acceptable, for the whole family? Instead of internet cafes, will we have gaming cafes that are actually meant for cool people?

I ask that, because I think the future of gaming goes beyond a console in your home or even the N-Gage in your pocket (you do have an N-Gage, don't you?). In five years, I imagine the battle for your buck will be in the mainstream, coming up with ways to expand gaming outside of your home. Whichever company can put together an all-in-one home console and some sort of broader gaming concept will end up being the victor. Maybe they won't even be selling the most consoles, but if they are making the most cash, does anything else really matter?

My short answer is = EA will be bigger than any of these chumps and will dictate the market.

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Ed Lewis, IGNPS2: Oh, damn, it's my first post on the IGN boards. As to this silly question, I'll provide some random answers.

- Nintendo will go back to making playing cards, just like waaay back when. Miyamoto will be hard at work developing a new card game that utilizes a revolutionary 500 card deck. It will eventually stun the world with its amazing learning curve.

- XBox2 will take over the world with new technology that allows gamers to place items on TOP of the console without them rolling off. Yeah, that's right, the top will be flat.

- PS3 will weigh 20 pounds, replace your puny PC, and the joystick will be a sticky pad that you glue to the backs of your palms. Control will be caused by minute muscle twitches. Gamers can now pet the cat and play Metal Gear Solid: Snake Drops a Load at the same time.

- Nokia will shock everyone by providing a combination cell phone/gaming device that works and has amazing games. It will have an attached bungee loop that sticks it to your XBox2.

- Sequels will keep on cranking out, constantly pushing Mega Man past retirement age. Tony Hawk: World Tour will feature a level that requires you to skate from New York to L.A.. You can unlock the Michelin Man hidden character if you keep a continuous combo the entire way.

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Featured Guest: Rob Semsey, TeamXbox: I have to agree with majority and say that Sony will continue to be the market leader five years from now. The user base and marketing hype they've managed since the release of the Playstation is mind-blowing and while Microsoft keeps nipping away at the pie, I don't see a neck-and-neck race.

One huge factor I believe will be backward compatibility. Sony is saying the PS3 will definitely support the previous Playstation and PS2 games, while Microsoft is still keeping tight lipped. If the Xbox 2 doesn't support Xbox games, we may have a true rebellion on our hands. Honestly, I see that to be a huge sticking point because of the current nVIDIA chipset that is currently used and the ATI one that is going to be in the Xbox 2. Obviously Microsoft will not want to pay nVIDIA to use their chipset past the Xbox, so it should get very interesting on that front.

I don't think Nintendo is ready to jump out of the hardware biz just yet and I'm sure they have a card up their sleeve. Whether it is an ace will remain to be seen. Their philosophy to games seems to be somewhat outdated and while they still make the few killer titles each year, it isn't enough to bring in the mainstream gamers; the GameCube has proven that. The GBA is a strength, but with Sony's PSP waiting in the wings, execs at Nintendo have to be sweating.

Hell, I'm a gamer so let them all fight it out. Ends up being better for all of us.

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Matt Casamassina, IGNcube: Can whoever hired Ed please fire him? Thanks.

P.S. Hi Ed. Welcome.

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Ed Lewis, IGNPS2: Thanks, Matt. Good to be here.

Alguien se atreve a traducir? xD

por GC2 no apostarian nada, Xbox2 la segunda en discordia y PS3 dominará el mercado. Eso es un resumen como la contraportada de un libro xD