Well, hardware-wise, I think Nokia's a pretty good indication of how well outside companies are going to fare. Sony got in on Nintendo's launchpad, and Microsoft was successful because of the experience they have with software(and the willingness to create a "throwaway" console in order to establish themselves). I don't think even a company as eclectic as Virgin can keep up a competetive video game branch. A self-sustaining one, quite possibly, but it would probably be more as a compliment for some other venture than a real addition to the industry. I really think that if you're looking for new major hardware players, you're going to have to look at people who already do something similar to video games. All three companies are moving into digital distribution too fast to really let anyone jump the gun on them, even if it is theoretically possible.
