I'm not sure that they do, from what i've read I reckon games developers don't get their hands on the dev kits until around a year before the console release.
For example: Final Fantasy X, development started in 1999 with the PS2 being released mid to late 2000, so they didn't have long before the release.
For example: Final Fantasy X, development started in 1999 with the PS2 being released mid to late 2000, so they didn't have long before the release.