New games consoles for 2013

Minus the explosion of mobile gaming and a quick jaunt into motion controllers a la Microsoft's Kinect, Sony's Move and Nintendo's Wii U GamePad, the video gaming war has been relatively tame as of late.

The PlayStation managed to ship more units than the Xbox in its lifetime according to the IDC, while the Xbox has been the biggest selling console for the last 24 months - with 1.4 million units sold in December of 2012 alone. The Wii, which quickly became the go-to console for families, was either overtaken by the Xbox in terms of units sold or close to do so in a number of territories. Suffice to say, as all companies involved look to cross the chequered flag of this console war, the gap is marginal at best. Well, unless you count OnLive.

2013, however, will take us back to when the gaming giants more regularly clashed. Increasingly reliable rumours suggest the new Xbox and PlayStation could once again do battle alongside the Wii U and a whole host of other alternatives, most of which are vying for ownership of your living room. Knowing that consoles are proven to have much longer product life cycles, ensuring a good start will be more important than ever.

So take a seat and grab some popcorn because 2013 may yet reveal whether the games console is dead, having lost in the fight against the plucky upstart that is mobile, whether it's still the king when it comes to a spot of escapism, or if PC gaming can finally have its time in the mainstream?

Let's check out the competition...