You know what you guys are just being a bunch of babies about this whole situation.
It's really not as horrible as you guys are making it out to be. You need to remember this isn't just a next gen gaming console. It's a platform for entertainment and will be used by cable/satellite companies to sell you on their services. Just as XBL brought us out of the online ghetto's this platform will be used as a stepping stone into consumers homes. It's a compelling product from a design stand point. Not cause it's an always on device, but cause it's what most people are missing in their homes right now. Which is a connected space for all of their content be it web/games/tv. It's an ingenious and grand plan if they can pull it off. I just hope its not another webtv disaster personally.
I've had my hands on an iteration of both of the new consoles by sony and M$. My personal feeling is that they are both innovating, but not in the same spaces directly so as to not compete with one another as much next gen. I think that the cost discrepancy between sony and M$ is gonna be very interesting.I don't see people slowing down on buying current gen console's until the prices come down on the next gen. And that's where M$ is gonna kill the market, they are gonna make it so attractive an offer to get you hooked that it's gonna pick up whatever sales there will be for sometime. M$ plans of using a subsidization model as well as cable/satellite companies to push their console may not seem like a threat, but with more home's not buying a WiiU (they don't even know what one is) they'll be looking for the next best thing and for many of them it will be a new Xbox. Sony has it's hardcore gaming elite's which they will rely on to support them through the growing pains of a very expensive console. But after a drop in price it will pick up eventually just like it did with the PS3.