I think so, I think at this point, segregating the market is unhealthy for smaller devs. Since the PS4 and xbone are very similar, with the exception of exclusives you're getting pretty much the same games. It'd be a different story if game discs were universal like DVD's, so one game like MGS V can be played on multiple consoles, but obviously the industry doesn't work like that.

The way I see it, this gen someone needs to go.

Nintendo obviously needs the console business and Sony is also heavily relying on their console business to boost sales for other businesses they own. We dont want to lose nintendo games, and indie/3rd parties are known to be successful on PlayStation platforms.

It's been said microsoft lose money on xbox, and we can all but assume the large figures that they spend into their exclusivity stuff (See titanfall, Gears of war ip, EA Bumming)

Personally I'd rather Nintendo stay to keep Sony and MS on their toes, but I can see sony or MS leaving this gen, more likely MS, and thats got nothing to do with their weak sales so far.

Also to do with x360 sales dropping so low to the point its very quickly going to become irrelevant, which is a history not shared with Sony Consoles (See PS2)

k?

I think Microsoft will sell the Xbox Division to Samsung and Samsung will take over the gaming industry... No real facts to support it, just a theory

Yeah, let´s kick the one out who tries to be different and targets other people outside the 15-35 male demographic.

Makes sense

Come on now, the answer is obviously no.

Nintendo, after 3 generations of consoles with dwindling 3rd party support, I dont see it coming back. Seeing how they did basically being about the lone support for Wiiu. I could be wrong, it wouldnt be the first time. I would be glad to be wrong about it.

Naaaah, I believe the opposite: if more competion comes it will be better!

I know sony would take advantage of consumers to some extent if MS left, but if sony left, I think MS would be worse.

Sony should stay and so should nintendo. Nintendo can convert people into gamers when they are young and then they can switch over to playstation when they can play hardcore games which often dont make there way to nintendo consoles.

No.

Competition doesn't work that way.

Even with XBOX, Wii, and PC gone Sony still has the potential threat of other electronic companies entering the industry. If Sony started overcharging and the like, Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, etc. could swoop in and steal the industry.

Be interesting to consider all three assuming each competitor is completely gone (no going third party stuff)

1. Sony and Microsoft - Sony owns 99% of Japan console market and Microsoft abandons that country, focusing solely on North America where it is successful and Europe where it is competitive.

2. Nintendo and Microsoft - Nintendo has control in Japan, while Microsoft controls North America and wins Europe. In this example western devs flock completely to Microsoft making it have massive number of exclusives and market dominance. Japan is Nintendo's bastion of hope against global obscurity as a niche machine.

3. Sony and Nintendo - Japan and North America lean heavily to Sony, and Europe is dominated by PlayStation. Sony snatches up far more exclusives and we see PS2 v. GC part 2 as Sony is the global brand of gaming once more in every market.

In any example it would be a seismic shift and massively effect the market. I like having three choices, but it is hard to see all supported with my expectation of a market contraction this generation.

The industry becomes more pluralistic even as the "console" manufacturers might dwindle. I could foresee each of the big three trying to "go their own way" and compete in a different direction. Nintendo focuses on portability with console as an afterthought, a hub device to support their local-multiplayer oriented games and integrate with their QoL platforms, a TV-connected hub for the Nintendo network while the handheld becomes the star of the show. Microsoft pushes off in a set-top box direction, effectively restoring the old "Games for Windows Live" initiative with a new spin as the living room and the PC environment collide in new ways.

Sony might be the only one sticking around with a console in the traditional sense, though they too could evolve as Sony goes in a more service-oriented route and veers away from hardware. (PS could become a Gaikai-like platform, rather than a console).