Dengeki Software Sales for 2002!

[A Black Falcon]

To have a chance in the next generation Nintendo MUST release its console as close as possible to the PS2. NGC proved that a year late is a insurmountable problem. However, doing that would somewhat sacrifice the NGC-- it will have only been out for 4 years at that point (I think, given that PS3, as far as I know, is going to be for 5 years after PS2), at which point (unlike the N64, which didn't have more than 1 or 2 games come out after its 4th anniversary) the NGC should still be alive... but Nintendo will have to do that to stay remotely competitive with Sony. Its too bad for us (buying hardware more), but they will have to.
The problem? Given that this is Nintendo we are talking about, I don't see that happening. They have never been able to release consoles at the beginning of a generation... they always come late... which doesn't make it look good for the future.
Will Nintendo close? No, I highly doubt it. Software only? Probably not. But, unless they surprise us by actually bringing out a console shortly after the PS3, I see no hope for them to catch up.
Microsoft, at least, understands this and will bring out the X-Box 2 (presumably backwards compatible, just like PS2 and probably PS3 will be... another thing Nintendo needs to take a long look at...) around the time the PS3 comes out...