Update: Jade Raymond joins Google as Vice President | Rumor: Google's gaming console details leaked, possible controller design revealed via patent

[The_Liquid_Laser]

BraLoD said:

The_Liquid_Laser said:
A lot of buzz this year about new consoles. Obviously Microsoft and Sony are preparing for something soon. Now Google is throwing their hat in.

The thing about console gaming is that it seems to have only supported 3 home consoles at a time:
Gen 3: Nintendo, Sega, Atari
Gen 4: Nintendo, Sega, NEC
Gen 5: Nintendo, Sega, Sony
Gen 6: Nintendo, Sony, Sega/Microsoft*
Gen 7-8: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft

There is always just 3. (*In gen 6, Sega left about the time Microsoft came in.) If Google comes in, then it is likely that someone else will have to leave. Of course this could just be Google themselves. I mean Ouya technically was a thing, but never really gained traction. Google could end up being a similar footnote in gaming history. They could also kick Microsoft out of the market. There is also a chance they kick Sony out, if the stars align against Sony (i.e. they screw up PS5 like they did PS3). Nintendo is the only one 100% safe, because they are the only one selling to handheld gamers.

Looks like the home console market is going to have some serious competition this time around.

Atari was not relevant during gen 3 at all. Neither was Sega outside of Brazil and some EU contries.

PC engine was relevant only in Japan, TurboGrafix is probably still unkown to a lot of people here. It was basically non existent outside of Japan.

Gen 5 also had Sega losing all its relevance to gain some on Japan alone.

Gen 6 PS2 was the only relevant system.

Gen 7 is where 3 major systems became relevant.

Gen 8 it also went back to 2, with Nintendo going full handheld focused.

I get where you are coming from, but console gaming has always been pretty one sided or two companies fighting for it.

Gen 3: NES 62M, MS 17M (no comparision)

Gen 4: SNES 49M, MD 40M (first competitive gen, only two sides tho)

Gen 5: PS1: 104M, N64: 33M (no comparision)

Gen 6: PS2: 157M, anything else less than 25M (no comparision)

Gen 7: Wii: 101M, PS3: 87M, 360: 86M (first three sided competition)

Gen 8: (so far) PS4: 93M, XBO: 41M (no competition, though XBO still has most of PS4 support)

Most gens we have one system selling more than double their closest competition, console gaming is usually pretty one sided, I don't see this gen having more than 2 actual competitors.

You make a good point.  Your point is entirely about market share though.

What I was really referring to was profit more than market share.  If companies are going to stay in the console business what really matters is profit.  There is only so much profit potential to go around.  At most the market can support 3 console makers and even then 1-2 of them are often unprofitable.  Then the unprofitable companies either decide it isn't worth it (like NEC) or they stay around for another generation hoping that things will turn around.  In the worst case they might even be forced out (like Sega) because they are financially in terrible shape.  When you look at profit, the most lopsided generation was actually generation 7, because Nintendo made rediculous amounts of profit while Sony and Microsoft both took heavy losses.  But both Sony and Microsoft decided to stay with it in hopes of turning things around.

So now Google is entering the market.  I just don't think there is enough profit potential to support 4 companies.  One of them will get spanked so badly that they will have to leave.  That very well could just be Google themselves though.