Which of the big three companies will be around forever in gaming?

[maxnyc]

Nintendo is the only company out of the big 3 that is DEDICATED to gaming. Sony & microsoft (& the newcomers apple / google) are NOT gaming companies, they are companies that happen to also be involved in the gaming sector. Nintendo is a GAMING company only, which IMO is a MAJOR advantage for them. They are industry leaders, and most often set the precedent that other companies copy & paste. Every major advancement in controllers was basically pioneered by Nintendo. D-pad, analog stick, rumble, touch screen, motion control, etc, etc. Their R&D blows the competition out of the water, and it's obvious that the big N attracts the best & brightest of the industry. They also make some of the most fun (& most innovative) software as well, consistently selling millions upon millions of units for major releases. They have franchises and software that appeal to kids, women, elderly, middle age, teens, and basically every demographic (except for rabid graphics whores, ie internet trolls). Nintendo is also a very fiscally responsible company. Unlike Sega, Nintendo has great business management, and usually makes very shrewd decisions (there are exceptions, ie Virtuaboy). The big N dominated this past generation, Wii & DS crushed the competition in terms of sales. I see Nintendo as the Disney of video games, which makes me feel like they'll be around for a very long time. It's hard for me to accurately predict if micro or sony will eventually drop out of gaming (my guess is that eventually they will). But i think it's a somewhat safe bet that Nintendo will be around for a very VERY long time. People in my generation who grew up with Nintendo will continue to support them, and are starting to have kids and buying Nintendo games for them as well. There is an element of brand loyalty, but that's because Nintendo has earned my loyalty by consistently making hardware & software that "surprise & delight". It's impossible to accurately predict what will happen in the future, but i'd throw all my money on Nintendo for the long haul!