Topic: Predicting the future of the Big 3

Hey guys,

This is nothing more than me speculating for fun. I have absolutely no knowledge leading to these conclusions, other than what I list below.

1 NINTENDO

PREDICTION
Of the 3, this is the one I feel most confident that I will atleast come close to what will happen. My prediction is Nintendo's next machine will be a home console/portable hybrid. It'll look something like either a small Gamepad or Gameboy Advance. If 2 screen gaming sticks around, it could also look like any of the various DS family devices (Hopefully not the 2ds!). You will play it on the go, as you do a portable system now, and when you get home you plug it int. Tv and it simply becomes a controller, feeding to the TV.

REASONING
Nintendo has done a couple things to point in this direction. Most notably, they combined their Console & Handheld gaming divisions for the first time. This could be to help make connectivity between the games easier, but I think something bigger's going on here. Besides, the Gamepad is almost like a prototype of this idea anyways. Nintendo is already King of the Portable Market, so I can't imagine adding the ability to plug into the TV will do anything but increase their standing.

2 MICROSOFT

Sticking with the "hybrid" idea, I think Microsoft is heading towards a future where their gaming devices and PC's become more or less the same machines.

REASONING
Consoles are essentially underpowered PC's now a days, anyways. I'm no expert, but from what I understand PS, PC & MS are all using x86 architecture for their games to make them easier to port, so perhaps the next step is eliminating the need to port from Xbox to PC. I could see this being done 2 ways. Either MS has 3 or 4 levels of xbox PC's (like the "Entry Level" which plays all xbox games and is a lower end PC, right up to the highest end one that plays xbox games but is a super powered PC. It just makes sense to combined everything, as MS & Sony are said to have lost billions last gen, so look for them to combine their consoles into what they have been doing best for many decades. The other option is that the "console" will simply be a small attachment that connects to your PC through a USB or some other type of port.

3 Sony

PREDICTION
Sony will drop out of the portable race and stay somewhat similar to what they already do now.

REASONING
Sony is best suited for a "multi use" entertainment system. They already make TV's, Dvd 7 blu rays players, stereos, etc. I look for them to drop their portable division if it continues to fail and they will look for ways to combine their existing products into one, similar to Microsoft. It doesn't make much sense to make seperate devices for movies, gaming, etc. So look for them to start combining more and more things into one "station", and possibly even try to incorporate their tv's into it somehow.. Maybe even a super tv with all this built right in, like a modern day version of the tv/vhs or tv/dvd combos that have been made? Ok, I have no idea with Sony, but this was fun to write & hopefully fun to read

I think Sony has enough of a market (especially in Japan) to stay in the handheld space. I doubt they'd pull out. What worries me, at least about Microsoft and they way their Xbox, and computing hardware initiatives, is evolving is that one day they will end up making a PC that uses a really powerful and optimized Windows OS and call it a next-gen Xbox. Kind of like how Dell bought out Alienware PCs and turned that into their gaming computer. I'd hate to see microsoft make their own computers, run windows 9 - gaming edition, and call it Xbox.

As for Nintendo, I really hope the 3ds (and especially the 2ds) becomes another controller for the Wii U. I always wanted that when the original DS came out, because you'd have your own personal screen meanwhile there is a central screen that handles the main game. Just like in the arcades (when they used to exist).

"You'd have your own personal screen then there's the central screen that handles the main game"

Wii U?

yes, yes...but I meant every (multi)player.

Sony will do great.
Microsoft won't do as good but will be okay.
Nintendo will have a bit of a hard time with home consoles but do good with portables.

my prediction is that the fans of the 3 will keep in a constant fight about which one's better 'till the end of time.....

More of these threads, moving on!

sorry if this counts as spamming(since I posted this image twice in a few minutes, and this second time just for the sake of posting it )

@Undead_Terror

Thanks for taking the time to come into my thread and post that it's not a worthwhile thread to come into and post! Thanks, bro!

Microsoft's is pretty farfetched. From the way I'm seeing it, the level 1 nextbox would cost about the same as the Xbone, and level four would be atLEAST a thousand dollars. They would crash and burn, since you would be able to build a more powerful PC for half the price.

No prob Bob.

Abandon thread

To actually add to this conversation instead of posting silly gifs AHEM I think Microsoft could eventually just merge their future console with a PC, since the differences between the two are becoming increasingly non-existant. Besides, I think there should just be a big 2. Nintendo and Sony are quite different, each covering dynamic sectors of the gaming community. But Microsoft on the other hand is basically competing 1 on 1 with Sony, essentially having two similar companies.

The three companies will settle their differences, combining into a super company, pool their resources to build true virtual reality systems, then when the system sales hit their peak, they will trap players' minds in the virtual world and control their bodies, using them to take over the world. Then Bill Gates will betray the others, gaining full power, until he is crushed under his own weight, leaving the entire human race in shambles. The survivors will all turn to Atari consoles.

what!?!?!? this could be a good movie!

Microsoft and Sony basically have a duopoly in their specific gaming targets. It's two companies creating the same thing and nobody else wants to compete with that. Nintendo has its own world. Anyone who wants to penetrate the gaming market needs to either leech out of these 3 (third party developers), go to the smartphone/tablet market or make new indie consoles that take %0. something share of the market. I don't see things changing any time soon. The duopoly is niche, not very profitable, but still has its market. Nintendo has its own market. The smartphone/tablet developers cannot change their position, and the indie consoles will persist via kickstarter. Nothing is going to change.

You know, I MIGHT have taken you more seriously, if you actually knew what duopoly ment, and trust me, it's not that.

I agree with someone else about Microsoft exiting the console realm - NOTE: I'm not saying Microsoft the company will fold. It's hard for some to really picture the long-term, but Microsoft's only been in the console arena for 12 years. They entered the fray in 2001, had success in North America, and released the smash hit that is the 360 in 2005. And now we're here. For those of us who weren't born in the '90s, Microsoft has always been the new kid on the block when it comes to consoles. I think if the Xbone trend pans out for the new few years ("good" sales but not as smashing as the 360) we may see Microsoft retreat or "meld" fully back into the PC space. The buzz surrounding their new console is still overly negative, though excellent games can change things around.

I dunno I've been seeing the negative Buzz go down lately espcially since the Xbone marketing blitz has started. Co-workers and school mates have been saying how cool the xbone looks from the ad's playing on ESPN (sports center is sponsered by Xbox One.) and the NFL has been running ad's. (its the NFL official consoles)

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