2013 is truly shaping into a new dawn in the era of console gaming. Back in February Sony Computer Entertainment announced their next generation console: the Playstation 4 (even if it did take them another 4 months to show eager fans the actual hardware that would sit at the foot of their TV.) A pretty tense three months followed as gamers and journalists speculated at when rivals Microsoft would follow suit and announce their next generation console. In May the Xbox One was showcased by Microsoft a mere month before E3. Both announcements had their critics: Sony was accused of not showcasing the console, but rather focusing on titles consumers could expect to see at E3 while Microsoft was accused of showing off the console and not including enough about games. The console wars began over a decade ago when Microsoft decided to enter the world of console gaming with their first machine the 'XBOX' . Whilst it never really threatened the loyal following and longevity of Sony's PS2 console, it did create a beginnings for an XBOX fan base to grow and in 2005 when the XBOX360 hit the shelves, that following exploded. It took Sony until late 2006 in the United States and March 2007 in Europe for the PS3 to be released. The slow start and high price tag of the PS3 (£425) hit Sony very hard. For the years that followed it seemed like the PS3 had very little going for it, and Sony were losing money on every console, but despite that, after 7 years, millions of dollars, and several price drops and a few console redesigns, the Japanese company surpassed its American rivals and hit around 77 million sales in January 2013 (Half of what the PS2 managed in less time). Now it seems the console wars could be over after only two generations. Here's why...