Hmm, from the looks of it at this time, I see it the rankings of "winning the gen" as:
1. Sony
2/3. Microsoft/Nintendo
2/3 being debateable really as I'll explain soon.
I think Sony will "win" simply because they've started off very well, the sales are putting them in the lead, its the more powerful, offers the most value for the price and I think the features its putting out (Such as remote play, share play, PS Now, VR etc.) are pretty attractive to consumers, I think thats gonna make them be seen as..."innovators" in a way perhaps. Personally imo, I trust Sony more to put out more and more interesting exclusives than MS, though I think MS are showing a better line up of exclusives than I would have expected, so it might be a tight content between the two perhaps.
I suppose there is a chance MS can gain the lead if Sony get arrogant and don't invest in improving/ofering more for PS4, which will push people to move on. In particular I'm starting to have a fear about PSN servers, if it continues to become more sluggish as time goes on, people will most likely move on. I don't think Sony would ignore it if it got that bad, but its possible.
As for Microsoft... I think its fair to say they started off bad, but they've done very well to turn their image around quite quickly in just a year. However, I think Sony getting that early lead and better performance will mean Sony will be ahead for most, if not all, this gen. That and the value the PS4 has is just plainly better than what the X1 has, which will mean it all for most consumers. X1 could have a price cut, but I don't think Sony will be able to afford to keep the prices similar too.
I think MS will be able to keep up somewhat though if they can continue making exclusives that people will want X1s for and thats really the most they can do really.
As for Nintendo... At first I did think Wii U would just be an outcast for most of this gen, but I feel the mood is changing for me. With Bayonetta 2, SSB and MK8 all this year, I feel Nintendo can simply keep themselves afloat with their games and exclusives alone and of course, it offering a different experience than what its competitors can offer, with their gamepad. They are even catching up slowly in some ways to their competitors, but I sadly doubt they'll catch up fully this gen.
I think its debatable however where to put Nintendo/Microsoft. I feel Nintendo having great games and different experiences sorta earns them a 2nd place spot, however despite that, it still doesnt shake the feeling, (fact), that they're behind in many areas and X1 is sorta match for match with PS4 in the vast majority of areas, (though I feel the PS4 has more interesting and relevant features for gamers in particular), and it will no doubt be getting interesting games too, and X1 will actually get 3rd party support.
