For years, the console cycle was predictable. Nintendo, Sony and whoever else would release a console, wait five years after which release a brand new one. This past generation, however, has completely destroyed that idea with a console cycle that has lasted eight years. Some may feel that long console cycles will now be the norm, but GameStop’s CEO doesn’t see it that way.

CNET recently had an opportunity to speak with GameStop CEO Paul Raines concerning the upcoming console shift to the PS4 and Xbox One. He predicted that we’ll see the successors to the PS4 and Xbox One sooner in place of later. In actual fact, he says that new consoles must pop out a “greater frequency” in the event that they would like to remain relevant in the house.

It’s an attractive concept, but a pricey one. Consoles cost handsome profit to make, and releasing one every two to a few years as opposed to the established five to seven would make little financial sense. Manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and others can iterate on their devices yearly because of their ability to sell the devices at an incredible mark up above the particular cost. Game consoles however are most commonly sold at a loss at launch, and make up for it with software sales. If game consoles went for biannual iterations, the software sales just wouldn’t be there to prop up the hardware losses.

All of this just makes the new revelation of Steam machines much more desirable to these seeking out a AAA gaming experience inside the lounge. With a Steam machine, you pay a high upfront cost for high-of-the-line hardware, after which you could continually upgrade said hardware through the years as new components are released.

This PC-centric solution to console gaming may very well be what the longer term holds for Microsoft and Sony. It’s been suggested by some industry figures and analysts that this upcoming generation would be the last – not less than in a normal sense. The price of producing customized game hardware has now gotten to a degree where it only is sensible for Sony, Microsoft and others to construct and sell PCs that buyers can then upgrade as they see fit.

We can save that discussion for the long run though. For now, the PS4 and Xbox One would be launching next month to not less than 1,000,000 preorders for the previous. Raines says that’s going to translate to produce shortages. That’s only healthy for the industry, and GameStop especially, because the retailer makes about $1 billion a year in console sales. With this latest generation, it’s expecting to look a large bump in revenue because of the pent up demand for brand spanking new consoles.

[Image: Wikimedia Commons]