To me, having all the latest toys doesn't matter, it should be purely about the games, and how they can offer an experience for the player that is entertaining, something that is fun, that really, makes them want to keep playing. Quality, above all else. If you start looking just at the hardware, it becomes a "Who's genitalia is bigger?" competition. This is why I hate Apple, and phones in general. Cellular phones have become a sign of status, like house size, vehical size, or, in a more modern sense, how "green" you are. I don't want the gaming industry to be that way.
With that, I'd like to say:
Nintendo by far. Sony is arrogant, Microsoft is nuts, and if Apple dips their paws more into the video game industry, I'd just consider them to be a Sony/MS combo.
Nintendo has the nostalgia factor from their successful Mario, the Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Metroid titles
Sony, off the top of my head, has Final Fantasy, and according to a quick Google search, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and the Jak games. Jak seemed to progress in terms of gameplay abnormally fast, switching syles from game 1 to game 2, and then a racing game (WTF?). Crash and Spyro had some laughable graphics and storylines attached to them, making them simple, overused platformers w/adventure elements. And, oh yeah, Sony made this
Microsoft has Halo... And they made Banjo-Kazooie through Rare, being an in-house developer and all.
Now, speaking for the hardware in terms of what it can do to enhance the gaming 'experience' I mentioned earlier...
I think the 3D generation we've entered is a stepping stone towards something a bit more like an advanced virtual reality/Star Trek holodeck means of entertainment. Players will be wholly emerged into the game. This progression seems fairly natural to me, when looking back at the innovation the industry has encountered thus far.
A rough timeline:
It began with a major leap in designing games with better graphics (this was, of course, after video games were a recognized medium) and plots/storylines.
Then came a year or two where gameplay elements (things like, but not limited to, Sony's famous button combination minigames) were added.
Vibrating controllers and games utilizing motion control came next, giving the player a sense of being more inside the game environment, however small a change it may seem.
Finally, A dual emphasis on motion control and 3D, as we're seeing now, that make the player really feel as though they're in the game.
It would only make sense that the next advancement takes the player all the way, whether it be by virtual reality, clunky headset and all, or directly towards something that I can best describe as the iconic Star Trek holodecks.
Whatever the case, it doesn't matter who gets there the first, or, necessarily, who sells it to you the cheapest, but only the company that does it the best.
Odds are, Sony and MS will make it there first, because they'll see it as a means to profit quickly. Nintendo will sit back, watch, do a bit more planning, and then release their own product.
