[citation][nom]rockstone1[/nom]If we could get PC developers to develop like they used to- Consoles would either upgrade or be grinded to pieces of dust.[/citation]
I think that's mildly unfair assessment. There are no real comparisons between development cycles today which can easily reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars and development even ten years ago.
The truth of the matter is we're reaching a point of diminishing returns in hardware. There were major advantages when going from 8bit to 16bit. Going from 16 to 32 was an upgrade, but even then you could see that it wasn't as much. Today we have systems that are approaching photo realism. While there no doubt could be increases in power, the question is by how much?
How much is Sony or Microsoft supposed to lose in order to gain a 30 percent increase over current systems that are just now starting to reach the black. How much for a 15 percent increase, or 10 percent?
I think this is why we're really seeing these two approach new technologies from a different angle. Forget changing the core system, instead enhance it with add-ons.