According to researchers at IDC the Nintendo Wii will "outship and outsell" both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 for the next year or so ; and the Wii will be equally placed beside Sony and Microsoft when the final pie-chart is compiled for this generations console war.

The key to Wii’s success is its broad appeal, says the research, with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 aiming at an existing market of gamers. An equal three-way split for this generation of consoles is a good sign for Microsoft, a really good sign for Nintendo and a really bad sign for Sony.

Microsoft only entered the console game midway through the lifespan of the PlayStation 2, and many derided Microsoft’s efforts. They knew, even going into the Xbox 360, that they can’t beat Sony outright and become the dominant console maker ; but in the space of two generations Microsoft will have got its foot in the door and then knocked Sony down to a level where they are fighting 50/50 in terms of market share.

Nintendo is a huge winner if these predictions come true, as this will be the company’s first real "hit" in years, and will both re-establish the company among gamers and make Nintendo the owner of the more casual gaming markets.

Sony meanwhile is the big loser, going from the height of its PlayStation 2 dominance of the entire console world to just another player. In the next-generation console war (ohh dear, we’re thinking about it already...) Sony will have to get its act together and really pull a rabbit out of the hat - a bigger one than Nintendo and Microsoft - and come to market with a product that’s not a year late, costs the moon and the stars and isn’t really all that exciting in the final analysis.

The good news for gamers is that this means that the three console makers are probably already cooking up one helluva storm for their next big clash.