If put at gunpoint to make a guess.
Nintendo? 2012 Holiday
Microsfot? 2014 Mid year
Sony 2015 Spring
IF they all come out that early I would expect the equivlent to a 500-1000$ pc today spec wise, scaled per year.
However.. I somewhat expect Sony to take a dim approach to this and may push as far back as 2016. I also somewhat expect this may well be the last "console generation" as games are in the process (regretably) of being delivered in different means. So hypothetically one more console would push us forward roughly 15 years give or take. I mean consider how much has changed in the industry since 1995. Disc based media, full 3d graphics, Wireless controllers via Infrared & bluetooth, USB capability, Digital distribution, Net access and online play, HD resolutions, HDMI interface delivering both HD audio and visual. Console based memory storage.
Now understand that as time goes on the speed of our technical innovations will increase. So imagine what gaming will hold in the next 15 years compared with the trends we have already seen and it seems fair to say that we wont see 9th or 10th console generation.
(OT: However, what I would absolutely LOVE to see happen is the creation of an open source console platform. With it you would instead of purchasing the hardware from the developers, you would purchase a console from a 3rd party. This would allow you to install the game platforms software on it from who ever you like, Nintendo, Sony, MS, etc. Even tri bootable systems, The platforms will be identified by their Controllers as each is proprietary to each incarnation of the software platform Even pure operating systems such as Windows or Linux. Advantage is, no more quarrels over system specs. It would also have an improvement on ease of learning for the developers, instead of having to basically rewrite programs based on hardware contingencies, which would likely increase release speeds. It might be a pipe dream, but there would be massive advantages. Things like the fact that the big 3 always eat it on hardware costs and then make it up in software returns. Eliminating the hardware means eliminating both eating that cost, and being held liable for maintaining the equipment via warranties. Now tell me, if there was one console out there, that ran roughly lets say as much as a decent gaming rig and say 1000$. That allowed you to boot (provided you purchased the install license) XBL, PSN, WII whatever, Windows, Linux, and gave you the freedom to quickly boot between any installed OS, wouldnt you be interested in it?
