@BlackLagoon said:

@Veektarius: The Wii U sacrifices a lot of power for smaller size and lower electricity consumption. It is unlikely that Sony or Microsoft will be making those tradeoffs, letting them put together more powerful systems at the same cost.

I have no doubt that the Wii U will be a tech outlier in the next generation - what I'm suggesting is that the Microsoft and Sony offerings may be at a hardware level where PCs can easily exceed them far earlier in the cycle than this time around.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Veektarius: To answer your question at least about MS, we don't really know if W8 stumbled because we have no idea how many copies were really sold, how much money was really made.

I thought I saw an article on reuters talking about Windows 8 sales, but I can't find it again, so I may have been mistaken.

@Veektarius: The Wii U sacrifices a lot of power for smaller size and lower electricity consumption. It is unlikely that Sony or Microsoft will be making those tradeoffs, letting them put together more powerful systems at the same cost.

Also, as seen by the Vita, Sony has changed its design philosophy significantly since the PS3. The PS2, PSP and PS3 were all full of costly custom developed Sony chips and technology, while the Vita leverages tech that's already being produced in mass quantities for cellphones and tablets. Rumors have them going a similar way with the PS4, so its power will likely come at a significantly lower cost than that of the PS3.

@Veektarius: To answer your question at least about MS, we don't really know if W8 stumbled because we have no idea how many copies were really sold, how much money was really made. Unless that information was just released, which I doubt. And there's also a pretty strong word going around that there will be a next generation Roku-esque Xbox SKU. That may be a place they can push profitable hardware. And after all they learned this generation, I get the feeling they will be able to start making money pretty fast this time around. You have to remember that the Xbox 360 is probably responsible more than any other platform of pushing gaming into the mainstream if you discount the Wii and it's not-games.

@Veektarius: The Wii U sacrifices a lot of power for smaller size and lower electricity consumption. It is unlikely that Sony or Microsoft will be making those tradeoffs, letting them put together more powerful systems at the same cost.

Also, as seen by the Vita, Sony has changed its design philosophy significantly since the PS3. The PS2, PSP and PS3 were all full of costly custom developed Sony chips and technology, while the Vita leverages tech that's already being produced in mass quantities for cellphones and tablets. Rumors have them going a similar way with the PS4, so its power will likely come at a significantly lower cost than that of the PS3.

@Hyunickel said:

@Veektarius: I think their electronics sections still needs tons of work. Powerhouses like Samsung have caused them to lose significant market share, especially when it comes to TVs. So although their gaming section is improving, I think the thing they really need to turn around is their electronic consumer product line.

The important question to ask - and I know I'm not the first to say this, is how will the health of Microsoft and Sony affect the next consoles? For Sony in particular, 3 years of loss-leading consoles probably seems unpalatable. And even for Xbox, with Windows 8 and surface stumbling at the gate, they must be tempted to make their new console something they can profit from immediately. My suspicion is that even if neither company makes as much of a half-step with their next console as the WiiU, The people who care might be disappointed with the technology offered by the next generation.

Honestly, the most negative reactions to the Wii U that I've heard are from people that have traditionally been in either Sony or Microsoft's corner. There are certainly valid criticisms to parse, but I'm not going to bother with that until the idiots die down.

I am enjoying my Wiiu. Mostly because of ZOmbiu and the WII games I got. There are just a few small things that would make it perfect. 

@Veektarius: I think their electronics sections still needs tons of work. Powerhouses like Samsung have caused them to lose significant market share, especially when it comes to TVs. So although their gaming section is improving, I think the thing they really need to turn around is their electronic consumer product line.

Sony's gaming division may be turning things around, but do you really think that reflects the company in general?

This week hasn't been much for gaming news, other than huge sales and a slew of game releases.

So I want to talk about the following interesting tidbits:

Wii U post launch reactions: Despite all the mixed reception the console has been getting, I’m quite optimistic about its future. I think that all hardware launches have issues at the start but its up to the manufacturer to fix them and show publishers and developers alike that this is a system they need to develop for.

Mass Effect 4, prequel or sequel?: This one is tough to answer. While I think both are great, I’m leaning towards a sequel because I really want to know how Bioware will tie the ME3 ending to future of the Mass Effect Universe. How creative can they be?

Sony’s credit rating takes a hit: I think most people saw this coming, credit rating agency “Fitch” has downgraded Sony’s credit status to “junk”. This indicates the negative state the company has been in recent years, but doesn't take away from the fact that Sony is slowly but surely turning things around.

As usual I put up a video talking about each topic more thoroughly, so check it out if you like!

Oh and excuse my bad hair. I’m just very tired today and stuff :P