pokoko on 14 January 2016
About the same, probably.
Gaming was doing fine in Japan and several companies would have been in position to enter the home console market regardless of Nintendo's existence. Nintendo did not burst forth from out of a vacuum. Software companies continued to do well in arcades. As technology improved, became smaller, and grew cheaper, gaming technology inside the home became more inevitable.
The only real question would be if anyone could have grabbed the western market. Personally, I have no doubts that someone would have, as the market was clearly ready for more entertainment options.
It might have happened a year or two later but it would have happened.
