Xbox 720, PS4, Wii U or the PC?...........PC!

All gaming fanatics and analysts alike are waiting for the inevitable next generation of consoles. The gaming industry is moving at a rapid pace and accumulates more money than the Hollywood box office, making it the leading entertainment stream.

Naturally a major chunk of that money comes from hardware sales. Only time will tell what new consoles are in store for us, so lets take a look at where we are at the moment...

With a combined total of $250 million units sold and making approximately $75 billion, our industry comfortably sits at the upper echelon of any industry out there. With such staggering success behind them, can the Big Three, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, replicate the same success and give our industry yet another historic milestone?

Microsoft's Xbox 720 is said to be well into deveopment and is rumored to launch in winter 2013. A few weeks back, a document surfaced, hinting fans to know what's in store for them in Xbox 720. It was impressive to say the least.

The document teased the following XBox 720 hardware components
CPU: 6-8 core consisting of either X86 or ARM. A 3-core PowerPC chip is also said to be included for backward-compatibility. That's goods news, if true.
GPU: Also noted was the inclusion of a dual GPU, one dedicated to applications, while the other for the system.
RAM: 4GB of DDR4 RAM was also mentioned.
OS: Microsoft's newly launched OS Windows 8; is also said to be implemented in the upcoming console.
OTHER: Not to forget Kinect 2. After Kinect's roaring success, this was to be expected. Not only that, but Kinect glasses are also in the making. They are similar to Google's 'Project Glass", and are said to augment reality. With either Wi-Fi or 4G connectivity, this is surely going to cause some uproar upon it's rumored 2014 release.

Sony's next-gen console in the legendary Playstaion line is the Playstation 4 or simply, PS4. Lauded to be the first company to bring consoles mainstream, Sony has its task cut out for them. With Wii U going public and Xbox 720's alleged specs leak, Sony are in a very good position to decide what-to and what-not-to do with their product. While PS4 is rumored to come Fall of 2013, it doesn't look it in reality. Andrew House, Sony's head of its Playstation division, said a there must be a "significant leap" from the PS4 compared to the PS3, before the manufacturer can even think of releasing a next-gen console. With the type of games that developers are churning out for PS3, it is hard to argue with. Rest assured though, when the PS4 does release, it'll pack some serious muscle under it's hood.

Nintendo has always been family-friendly unlike its contemporaries and that has worked wonders for it. Nintendo, unlike Sony, is known to bring out the very first console. Nintendo Entertainment System anyone? Actually, Sony brought its Playstation after the Nintendo's success in the gaming industry, who at the time was the Numero-uno. With Wii being the most successful console this generation, what can Nintendo do to maintain it's dominance next? Well, as usual. Cater to family audiences, but this time, give something to hardcore gamers as well.

The Wii U does impress us with it's hardware specifications
CPU: An IBM power-based multi-core processor
GPU: AMD Radeon HD GPU
OTHER: Support for SD memory cards along with an internal flash memory, Wi-Fi enabled with 2 USB 2.0 connectors, backward compatibility, support for upto 1080p video output and the supoosedly hardware defining, Wii U Gamepad. A barrier breaker of sorts.
The Wii U is looking to continue its dominant streak of exciting players with new hardware and exciting games, again, for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Mass effect 3, Assassins Creed 3 and Batman being a few of the 23 "hardcore" games being developed to satisfy our needs. A new 'Mario' game was confirmed for Wii U at E3. Nintendo is ready to land Wii U in shore shelves and mostly at your homes; this Christmas.

No doubt consoles are good for the industry, but does it come at the price of the PCs? We folks at GD think otherwise. The gaming industry maybe focused on the future of gaming consoles, but PC may be the platform to watch out for. And guys from Nvidia, Epic Games agree with us."Games on high-end PCs have already outpaced consoles," Nivida engineer Simon Green said. Epic Gamers' Unreal Engine 4 was catered primarily for the PC. Many Developers are acknowledging and using there expertise to make games for the PC Community. CD Projeckt, DICE, Creative Assembly and 4A Games are some of the developers who caters to us; PC gamers and their work shows. Be it The Witcher 2, Metro Last Light or Battlefield 3, it truly shows the might of the PC. So, we aren't complaining!

Hard facts are still few and far between regarding the Xbox 720 and PS4, at least nothing official. But you can count on us here at GD to let you know the info once it comes to light.
So, what do you guys think about the Next-Gen Consoles? Will it be Xbox 720, PS4 or Wii U for you? Or will remain PC your favorite destination? Let us in on your thoughts in the comments below.