The 8th Generation of Console Gaming: A Prediction.

I haven't even watched E3 but I think I have enough of an idea of what's going on so here goes.

     Microsoft is becoming more confident and thus more greedy. They're experimenting with what will work and what's too far and in the gaming industry that's just a bad idea. Knowing how dumb some consumers and/or Halo fanboys are, the Xbox One will not do spectacularly in sales but won't be all for naught since it'll make enough money. Microsoft will continue to pump out average to mediocre Halo entries and run the series into the ground with merchandising. Microsoft will suffer to a degree due to the loss of potential income because many gamers worldwide are not at all pleased with Microsoft's new business model.

     Sony will most likely dominate this generation again with the PlayStation 4 since they are at least moderately aware of their consumers and the economy. The PS4's cheaper price tag in addition to larger indie support will possibly lead to the PS4 being the console of the 8th gen. Metal Gear Solid V along with the other strong titles announced, like Destiny and Infamous: Second Son, will do well because they will and Sony will reclaim their throne which was taken from them during the PS2 era. That's a best case scenario. Worst case scenario is it's just a repeat of the PS3: a great console with great games but no killer apps like the ones that Xbox 360 had. PSN will get disapproval for its addition of a subscription but it won't matter in the long run since it's still a cheaper alternative to Xbox LIVE and PSN now has more features than its PS3 counterpart.

     Nintendo will continue to be Nintendo. More Mario, more Zelda, more SSB. Nothing new will come and we'll get the same old rehash of the same old games. Consumers will still buy Nintendo products because why the hell not? Pokemon X&Y will do well. The 3DS will most likely be more popular than the WiiU since an unimpressive and small library of games for the console leads to less than optimal sales figures. Nintendo will suffer to a degree from Ubisoft pulling their license as less incentive is offered to non-casual gamers. WiiU will be the least successful of the 8th-gen consoles.

     The other innovations that aren't by the Big Three will be forgotten as usual. While interesting, the Ouya's current game library leaves much to be desired, with the only titles worth mentioning being Final Fantasy III and Organ Trail: Director's Cut. The other consoles like the Retron5 will do as well as usual but still not reach mainstream. The Steam-Box, if it comes this gen, will not do as well as hoped because majority of Steam users are PC gamers whose computers can handle the games they would buy, and Big Picture mode, while a perfectly solid addition to Steam, isn't taking on as hoped.

     This is just a prediction mind you, but I have a feeling it's an accurate one. Of course, only time will tell... here's to Q4 2013.