Ben-DutkaSo as we're five or six years into the new generation, people are already starting to ask: when will Sony and Microsoft release their next consoles?
Well, in a break from tradition (based on history), EA Sports president Peter Moore doubts either company will invest in a new system "for at least three years." The former Microsoft and Sega executive described PlayStation Move and Kinect as "tantamount to new platform launches" and adds that we're still "nowhere near mass market pricing." In speaking to Eurogamer , Moore admits that chronologically, we're in the last few years of previous cycles but in terms of pricing, it's only "mid-cycle."
"Over the years, $199 and below has been where 75 to 80 per cent of business is done. With the exception of 360 and the Wii, PlayStation 3, which seems to have a lot of momentum, is not even close to that.
So we're still to reach a price point across all three consoles where historically 75 to 80 per cent of business is done. Yeah, I think we're in mid-cycle."
Microsoft has already said Kinect will extend the 360's lifespan by five years and Sony claims this generation will definitely last longer than previous ones. Finished Moore:
"When you've got things like Move and Kinect, these are tantamount to new platform launches for both Sony and Microsoft respectively. I don't think they are going to be investing in new hardware 12 months, 24 months, 36 months after investing I'm sure a considerable amount of money in getting both of these platforms out."
Well, that's fine. We're not ready for a new generation yet, anyway. Developers keep saying they can get much more out of the PlayStation 3, and every Sony generation has been similar in one way- the last year or two gave us the most impressive titles – in terms of technological advancement – of the era.