GRcade

...Which three companies will lead the home gaming market in 2029?

Ten years! It is, of course, a long time in the world of gaming. A lot can change.

So who do you think will be leading the home gaming market in 2029? Will Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo continue to dominate, or can the newer entries in the field use their money and influence to turn the tide? Of course, during the next decade we may see the rise of streaming taking over from traditional consoles... or maybe we won't! Perhaps some of these giant companies could team-up to gain an advantage? Then again, you may think that a new arrival will explode onto the scene!

You can select up to three choices. And, hey, please jot down your thoughts here if you want to delve into the reasoning behind your votes!

Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Money talks!

Apple seem reluctant to get into the market and they make enough money ripping off hipsters so I don't think they'll be in the mix.

I've got a feeling Microsoft may go third party after the next gen but Sony and Nintendo will soldier on and remain at the top but be joined by an Amazon device.

Google will quit after 2 years, like they do with most things. Amazon will putt out Android boxes that appeal to absolutely nobody. Apple will release a console that only plays iOS games and costs £2000, and will fail miserably.

I've gone with Google, Microsoft and Sony. I reckon that streaming will grow a lot over the next decade; probably having a pretty slow start but, in time, I feel that it will replace consoles and become the main way of playing. Not that I necessarily like this path, though!

Google and Microsoft currently have almost limitless money to throw until something sticks. Stadia could be the start of something massive. Amazon, too, but although I think they'll be in the mix over the next ten years, based on their current position I don't think they'll be leading the field. Sony is going to have to work hard in this new era; right now they're dominant but I wonder if they have the infrastructure to keep their position as the market develops. Apple are an oddity - they're branching out with their new game pass and I can see them being suited to the streaming era. Even so, I don't think they'll be in one of the top three positions in ten years time. As for Nintendo... I love 'em to bits but I could see them being bought at some point during the next decade.

GRcade.

Sega, Commodore and Atari

Pedz wrote:GRcade.

Will the "Are you a..." games dominate the landscape over the next decade? .

Cheeky Devlin wrote:Sega, Commodore and Atari

I would be okay with this! .

Of the new challengers I give Google the best chance of growing into a reasonable force over the next decade.

Of the incumbents, whilst I think they will all still be around, I think Sony have the biggest chance of falling back. If we're heading into a more service based deployment profile for gaming then Microsoft are well placed for that and so I can see them maintaining a presence, even if it's less on the software side. Nintendo will always appeal to their own market and so won't be going anywhere.

Pedz wrote:GRcade.

The Sit or Stand game (GRcade exclusive) is going to be hyper popular .

I think by 2029 there won't be games consoles or gaming PCs as we currently know them.

All games will be streamed via a variety of subscription services so I imagine the 'big 3' will be Amazon, Google and Netflix, with Nintendo and others simply focusing on software and ceasing producing hardware.

Really interesting question Jawa!

Although I think Google will be strong, and I'm convinced Amazon will get involved, what with the fact they own Twitch, you can see them doing a streaming service that integrates Twitch etc.

I still think the "big 3" have enough staying power to maintain the control over the home gaming market.

I do think other companies like Google are going to have a big say on which direction the market goes though.

I think the big 3 we have now will continue to be the big 3, Google are as likely to cut and run as they are to make a big impact, I dont know who Apple are trying to appeal to, Amazon will make an Android version of what Apple make. As for new players, the only one I could see making a push is Samsung, if it loks like Apple or Amazon are getting traction they could jump in and fracture that market further.

I think by and large we wont see huge churn in who makes the box, MS and Sony will continue to push the big fast experience, be it a machine under the tv or a cloud streaming solution, theyll offer both. Nintendo will continue to do their own thing, they could go handheld only, they could be onto the Switch 3 or they could be talking about Nintendo AR Glasses as the new play experience. The specifics of what theyre gonna do are impossible to predict but I would expect them to still be a major player in one way or another.

I’ve gone with Sony, Microsoft and Other (Netflix). I agree that streaming will be the predominant method in the future and that’s why I’ve gone with Netflix as I think they’re too big not to try their hand.

I was tempted to go with Google and Amazon too for that reason but I do see Microsoft, and to a lesser extent, Sony changing their models to suit to match up with competitors. Their existing Game Pass and PSNow offerings are obviously established and will grow and morph throughout the years. Their huge install base for console will help get them a head start too although Stadia will be with us soon too.

Google may just chuck it all in the bin in a few years as has been said, or they could dominate. Apple will be too expensive and niche if they’re not careful

Nintendo - probably still producing the same broad "hybrid" format as the Switch - will still be one of the big gaming hardware companies in ten years. Nintendo nerds ( ) are incredibly loyal and passionate, they will buy a console for the Pokemons and Zeldas, there's no way that will change over the next decade.

Microsoft are probably best-placed to offer a very good "streaming console" experience. I think this guarantees that they will still be around as well.

Ten years is not that far away. The PlayStation 5 would have to flop hard for Sony to pull out by then.

Google or Amazon could both dominate the videogames market if they wanted to. But I think they are more likely to really push in once Microsoft has been a trailblazer for streaming, opening up a choice of streaming consoles. If that happened then Google might eventually come to dominate through tying everything into the Android ecosystem, but I don't think that will all happen within 10 years. Stadia (which doesn't properly have its own hardware yet anyway, AFAIK?) is Google dipping their toe in, not seriously trying to smash the market open yet IMO.

I can see Facebook going more in to it since getting Oculus. Gotta get those advertising Dollery Doos.

Lots of votes and interesting thoughts so far! At this point, I'm a little surprised... the general view seems to indicate that GRcade doesn't think the market will change to that great an extent - in terms of the key players - over the next decade.

I wonder if the market could support this many potentially big names? Personally, I'm not so sure. Then again, if streaming does grow to become the standard method of play, maybe we could end up in a position similar to the TV entertainment market of today where the companies are gradually pulling back their content for exclusive viewing via subscription service on their own dedicated platforms. I lean towards thinking that there's an almighty scrap gonna take place!

Sony and Ninty just had/are having a really good generation, so they probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Microsoft are the most likely of the big 3 to bail out, but even that is extremely unlikely unless the next Xbox is awful.

Stadia is a punchline. Amazon will take something special to unseat the others. Apple don't seem to care much.

I don't see it shifting much, if at all.

Nintendo aren't going anywhere, they'll thrive doing their own thing.

Microsoft are well placed to innovate into streaming. They have the infrastructure, they have a people tied-in to their ecosystem with achievements, they have gamepass and mixer.

Sony have the games and the market lead. Even if they start to struggle they won't be gone in 10 years. I think them most likely to end up partnering with another tech-giant to deliver the streaming infrastructure, and would predict Amazon a possibility to fill the role (particularly because of Twitch), but interestingly they already seem to be partnering with Microsoft in this area.

Google are actually pretty bad at getting their things to catch on, I wouldn't be surprised if Stadia flops and they give up on it after a few years.

Just over a year ago and before Last years E3 I would have said Microsoft are going to bail but they went in hard since then, with studio acquisitions, Gamepass and Xcloud, plus they powering Sony’s cloud gaming so will make cash off that too.