244w ago - This generation of consoles has barely got going, with the price war not really having even begun, and no sign of a winner yet being called (although the Wii is clearly the frontrunner). But, the next generation of consoles could be on their way sooner than we all think. The only question remains: who will actually be involved?

Actually I lied, the other question is when will the next-gen consoles actually arrive on the scene. We've spoken about this before, with 2010 being the earliest date mentioned in terms of when a new console could emerge from one of the big three, More likely given the state of the industry (healthy console sales but all three platforms still viable) is 2011 or 2012.

Nintendo is guaranteed to be in there. The Wii and DS have made the company so much money that it is likely to want to throw money at a new development in an effort to repeat the phenomenal success of this generation's offerings.

Whether the Wii 2 is just a souped up version of the Wii or another evolution in game controls remains to be seen. However Nintendo decide to play it, I think the successor to the Wii will be the first out of the door.

Sony too is very likely to be involved. Sure, the Playstation 3 has cost the company a shed load of money to come to market, and it'll take years...