What I mean is something like this:
Having a more powerful system is in itself irrelevant; what matters is having better versions of popular multiplatform games, or at least not having worse ones. If you have worse games it doesn't matter if it's because your system is technically weaker, or because it's technically t3h @wes0m but in reality games run poorly on it.
There are no(t many) Lazy devs, just real devs that live in the real world. If you build a system that for 95% of developers will produce worse results than its cheaper, older competitors then you've done a terrible job of designed your system. It's your fault, and only your fault.
Having a marginally (or even significantly) more powerful system doesn't matter for your first party exclusive games. The games will be tailored to your hardware, only your hardware and will never be proven to actually run better on the other guys hardware. Uncharted 2 would look about as good and be just as fawned over and be just as safe from potentially looking and running better on another system if the PS3 had Xenon instead of Cell.
If there's going to be a high end battle next gen, and Sony intend to be part of it, what matters most is having better technology for multiplatform games - or at least not worse. Then they can just advertise about having the best system and most people will believe them. Because they are Sony. Probably better to focus on exclusives and cool services that they offer anyway.
MS are in a good position because they can build a system with a powerful but cost effective custom GPU and charge into next gen with software development momentum helping them along. Rage, Cry Engine 3 and Unreal Engine 4 will run well on their next system - they'll make sure of that when they pick their hardware.
Poppycock!!!! I can categorically say with much ocnfidence that U2 would look nowhere near as glorious on an RSX and Xenon!!!
Regardless, your latter point (along with the rather puzzling mindset of many on this forum) is that only MS will be looking to ensure an easily programmable platform for the next generation?!?!?!?
I'm very sure that both Sony, MS and Nintendo (to a lesser extent) will have to maintain this issue as a major point of consideration when designing their next console. Neither Sony nor MS wants to be behind with regards to 3rd party software, and all will be looking to learn from the mistakes of this generation moving forward... including Sony (statements made this year from their big dogs about transitioning from a HW focus to a software focus, help to reassure in this light).
I fully expect the next generation to be completely about the software, with each platform holder investing significantly in software as a means to differentiate their platform. I also expect next-gen's development platforms to be much more mature and developed than they were this gen, at the time the SDK's are released to game developers.
Whether Sony decides to go with a CELL based design, leveraging the experience and tools already developed for the PS3 this time, or not I still expect them to be smarter about their HW design choices for the PS4 in order to ensure their HW doesn't give (lazy...lol) developers the effectual "finger" like the PS3, yet still retains the "long legs" required to maintain an increasing level of visual fidelity in software throughout the next generation.
Sony will almost definately not choose an aged and obsolete GPU this time around, so whether they keep CELL and couple it up with a IMG GPU, ATI GPU, NV GPU or LRB, it will more than likely be intended to maintain it's competitiveness with MS' HW and the majority of DX features at the console's time of release.
Software will be the focus next-gen! Especially with every dev/publisher complaining about increased dev costs spiralling. Both Sony and MS know that by making devs' lives harder and in turn driving up dev times/costs, they'll be putting themselves at a huge huge disadvantage next-gen.
Edit:
I also believe that all parties will be looking to innovate heavily with various motion control/3D/other miscellaneous gimmicks next-gen in order to properly milk the casuals and expand the market like Ninty did this time around. Both software and peripherals are important in this regard, but software again would be the primary means by which to do this effectively... Alas, this is a tech forum
