Analyst: Next console generation in 2013

Industry analyst Michael Pachter has predicted that the next console cycle will not arrive until 2013.

Investors are said to be eagerly awaiting new hardware due to comparatively low software sales this spring, but according to Pachter a new generation of consoles may be some time away.

"We do not expect the 'next' generation to begin before 2013, if at all," he told Gamasutra. "We remain convinced that the publishers will resist the introduction of any video game hardware technology that requires a refresh of software, as the publishers have as yet to capitalize on the immense investments made in being competitive in the current cycle."

The analyst, however, did add that the long-rumoured high-definition Wii could be released in 2010, and concluded by asserting that the industry will pull through the recession, with core consumers soon returning to stores.