Gaming Next (next) Generation Consoles

[Ellerby]

[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Today my friend and I were talking about the next generation gaming systems (PS3, XBOX360, Revolution) and we started discussing the probabilty of another company (new or old) coming in and releasing their own gaming console. We had a lot of laughs about it, like Apple releasing the "iGamingSystem."

Anyways, I was wondering what your thoughts on this are. Do you think that a new company will ever enter the business? What companies would and would not? Also, feel free to make up your own gaming system, wether it be made by yourself or another company. :P

Personally, I think the chances of [I]SEGA[/I] ever releasing another system is pretty low. They have so many (not a lot, actually) agreements with Nintendo and Microsoft that it just seems pointless. And I'm not sure it would do all that well anyways. On the other hand, it would probably do better than anyother new company making a gaming system.

I think it would be amusing (and not very surprising) if Apple made their own gaming console. The iBox? iBox 180? Not sure they would do all that well, but they can always try.[/FONT] [/COLOR]

[50 cent]

I really don't think a new company will come into play. If they did then they would be way behind the game and wouldn't so good. If sega did come back in then they would be just like a new company going in, also if apple did make a console it woudln't sell because there not looked at as a gaming company and they, atleast i think, would want lots of memory so that would cost them more because just look at there ipods, but you never know. Anyway like I said I think this year will be a battle of the same companies.

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I believe that someone at Sega mentioned that it isn't entirely out of the question for them to release another game console in future...although obviously, the chances of that are slim. It would really depend on a major change in the market.

As the industry grows (particularly if Revolution can grow the home console userbase in the same way DS has done in the handheld area), there may very well be more room for another hardware manufacturer. But I think there's a slim chance of it happening, considering the enormous investment involved in starting a business venture like that. It's really a long term process and even Microsoft is still struggling to turn its gaming division into a profit-making exercise (although they seem to feel that it will happen with Xbox 360).

It'd be interesting to see a game system from Apple, but Apple have already been there and done that. I don't think it's something they want to focus on in the future, particularly given the level of competition there already. If Apple got involved in game consoles at all, I'd expect them to be engaged in the software side more than anything else.[/font]