aside from the unveiling of Nintendo 3DS, there were no mention of next-gen hardware from the Big Three. In E32000, Nintendo announced Project Dolphin; Microsoft had X-Box. E32005, it was Nintendo Revolution, X360, and PS3.. but E32010? nothing, not even a teaser or at least a codename that would get the collective bunch talking until the next E3 show.

so what's going on? for as long as i remembered since the NES or perhaps even before that, there was always new hardware on the horizon every 3 to 4 years. back then there were alot more hardware companies trying to put out systems. there was Atari, Nintendo, Sega, NEC, SNK, Panasonic, Sony etc. Now, it has trickled down to three. Even so, the 5 year cycle has always been the general rule of when to expect next-gen hardware, that is until E32010.

Remember how quickly the X360 was announced when the original XBOX was on the shelf just over three years? The XBOX360 is approaching its fifth year already. You would have thought Microsoft would get the ball rolling. Nintendo and Sony don't have to reveal much of anything at this point since their machines came out a year later, but you would think they would have mentioned some interesting tidbits by now.

on the portable front, it seems almost puzzling Sony made no mention about the oft-rumored PSP2 which leads me to believe that if they don't announce anything by Tokyo Game Show...then its going to be too late for Sony. The 3DS will probably have sold ten million units by the time PSP2 arrives.

on the other hand, i'm glad i don't have to worry about new hardware. as all the gaming companies have shown, we simply don't need one right now. i get the feeling the next home video game system won't be out until 2012 or even, 2013 when Sony and Microsoft ride on the motion trend until Nintendo makes its next 'move'. this year it was all about the games and that's why E32010 mattered.

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	jerec - June 24, 2010 (01:45 PM) I'm glad there's no new consoles yet. I finally have all 3 of the current ones and I'd like it to stay that way for a while.
	honestgamer - June 24, 2010 (02:16 PM) Nintendo's capabilities with Wii are starting to feel limiting, particularly now that Sony--with the most powerful machine by far--has added motion controls. I think that we'll see something from Nintendo on that front soon. Microsoft has the least interesting system and the least in the way of game announcements that anyone cares about, plus it's starting to lose ground, so we'll probably see something from that front soon, as well. As mentioned, Sony is going to wait itself out of the handheld game if it doesn't announce something soon. 3DS looks like it will build and maintain momentum quickly. It seems to be providing just about everything that anyone wants, both with hardware and software (something I honestly didn't expect, so Nintendo surprised me again). Next year, I'd be surprised if we don't see a Wii successor, an Xbox 360 successor and a PSP successor. Honestly, I'm not sure any of those three companies will feel inclined to wait for E3. I'm not sure any of them can with those successors I named, though I guess Nintendo has the best shot since its underpowered Wii continues to sell like nobody's business and likely will through the holiday season and beyond.
	dementedhut - June 24, 2010 (04:36 PM) It's odd, especially since it's been 4/5 years now into the current gen, but for me, it kinda feels too soon for new systems. It's almost like the systems for this gen within the last 2 years just started to find their groove, and it would be weird to just be like "Okay, time for a new system!" Microsoft probably is the closest of all three to do it, though. I wouldn't be surprise if anything at all was mentioned in the works next year, since that time period sounds about right to do something like that.