With such commanding control over the video game market, who can stop the powerful three companies in the video game console war?

Who exactly has the power to compete, or potentially overthrow, any of the 3 powerful gaming systems?  Nintendo has had a lock for almost three decades now, and not even the dreadful Virtual Boy or some minor lackluster sales of the Nintendo 64 (squabble all you want, it didn’t do as well as the PlayStation) could bring down the most recognized video game brand in history.

Nintendo holds strong to their demographic, which seems to be currently aimed at casual gamers and/or kids.  Sony and Microsoft are currently duking it out for market control over the hardcore gamers who want a more in-depth gaming experience.  Both Sony and Microsoft are venturing into the world of casual gamers, but Microsoft is going beyond that.  I remember a time when the Philips CD-i was supposed to be an all-in-one home entertainment system (minus the VHS player of course), and the uber powerful Panasonic 3DO was supposed to be better than your home computer!  Microsoft is going to turn your Xbox One into an all-purpose media machine that makes Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and prints money with a simple voice command.  Sony hasn’t announced anything so avant-garde but that’s kind of why so many people are saying “Screw Xbox. I’m getting a PS4.”  We’re just not ready yet!

PLAYSTATION 4

• The PlayStation 4 is going to offer up no-frills, hard-nosed, straight forward video gaming backed by their extremely powerful “x86-64 AMD ‘Jaguar’ Single Chip Processor” in a way that’s only comparable to that feeling you get when you just worked fourteen straight hours on your feet and you get home, kick your feet up, and crack open a refreshing brewski.

XBOX ONE

• The Xbox One is going to offer up hands-free (sort of) voice-command in an all-in-one media control center that’s designed to be the first thing you turn on when you plop down on the couch.  Of course, the Xbox One comes standard with 1080p, but now comes with fully compatible blu-ray!  As much as I poke fun about the Kinect being cheesy and “Wii-ish”, I’m still excited to test this badboy out.

WII U

• The Wii U is already available, but is JUST NOW catching up to what it’s competitors were swimming in nearly eight years ago (Blu-Ray capabilities, 1080p, etc.).  But the Wii U’s main controller (the one with the touch screen) is ground-breaking for home console video gaming.  There are a lot of complaints on the short battery life though.

So, we know what these powerhouses are doing.  But who can stop them? Do they hold the market SO TIGHT that nobody can jump in the mix successfully?  It has been rumored that Apple and Google are considering making their way into the video gaming market. But, who knows how legit this is.  It could be complete speculation, just like when rumors were spreading around in mid-late 2012 of Sega making a comeback on the console market.  So who knows.

Do I think it would make sense for either of these companies to try their hand at one of the world’s fastest growing entertainment movements (hardly a “movement”… this is here to stay)?  Absolutely.  Apple is renowned for its savvy business concepts, which is widely recognized due to their alarmingly effective marketing campaigns.  Google is on their way to ruling the world, so I don’t need to say anymore about that.

My fear for Google and Apple is that by the time they make their grande introduction, realistically somewhere in the late 2010’s (or perhaps much sooner than we all know…), Steam will be fully supported and going strong with their own home console system that by that time will be known for their revolutionary execution of building the first bridge between computer games and home console games.

We can’t forget about the OUYA Android-based video game console.  This bad-boy is taking your cell phone and tablet games and turning them into AT HOME games you can play on your TV for as little as $99.99 right now (Source date: September 2013).  The OUYA system is going to revolutionize home consoles as we know it!  Perhaps instead of seeing a full-fledged home console computer from Apple, we’ll see a similar system that is comparable to the OUYA, except it plays iOS games…. Hmmm…that’s an interesting thought.  But is it enough to dethrone the PlayStation 4? Xbox One? Wii U?

What I’m trying to say is that there are so many possibilities and so many companies are currently trying to figure out how to cash in on this video game madness happening right before our eyes!  But I don’t think there’s enough room on the throne for more than these three.  In the past 20 years we’ve seen no less than a dozen different companies take a run at either home console or portable video gaming (including the Grandfather of popular video gaming… Atari… May you rest in peace).  Now we’re left with three.

Old people used to say “You damn kids and your Pac-Man video games.” Now they say “Oh I know what a Nintendo Wii is! I love to play Wii Tennis!”  One day, maybe we’ll be lucky enough to see companies such as Atari or Sega release new systems once everyone has forgotten about the fatal missteps they each took in the mid-90’s with their respective video game failures (Atari Jaguar/Jaguar CD, Sega CD/32x, and the Sega Saturn).  Sega had their chance with the Dreamcast, but it was too powerful and too ahead of its time (among numerous other problems). That’s the thing, it’s all an illusion!  We didn’t respect that power and it’s out now. (What movie is that? Anybody? Anybody? Beuller? Bueller?)  Plus… is it worth it for Sega to make a new system? You be the judge.

Also, check out why Microsoft is taking the Xbox One down the same road as the Nintendo Wii.