Industry analyst Michael Pachter has predicted that none of the big three console manufacturers – Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft – will release a new console before at least 2013, according to a report on Edge Online.“We do not expect a 'new' console in 2010 (other than the long-rumoured high definition Wii, which is likely to upgrade the Wii to current console technology),” he said. “We do not expect the ‘next’ generation to begin before 2013, if at all.
“We remain convinced that the publishers will resist the introduction of any video game hardware technology that requires a refresh of software, as the publishers have as yet to capitalise on the immense investments made in being competitive in the current cycle.”
This follows Patcher’s earlier predictions that Sony's PlayStation 3 will end up being the eventual ‘winner’ of the current console war, largely on the back of the success of the Blu-Ray format. However, he suggested that all three consoles will more or less end on a ‘dead heat’ and will each have sufficient market share to make significant profits.