More money. That's the reason.

That would be hilarious! Just imagine all the fail subs we could get while playing! Turn the sound off and just enjoy your broken text, see what crazy stories would appear.

OK...I feel like we are actually agreeing more than disagreeing. I'm not saying Netflix needs consoles I'm saying Netflix needs consoles 'more' than the consoles need Netflix. And yes the money is in the software but there is still money to be had in hardware, the Wii and DS can attest to that. And MS is a good example of a company willing to shell out billions of dollars just to interupt a slight competitor, not necessarily to make loads of cash. Other companies wouldn't follow suit with MS's tradition even though MS did eventually turn it around to begin making a profit in the games division.

The android of consoles already exist. It's called a normal gaming PC. No need to buy a Steambox that provides nothing extra that a normal computer can't do, besides limiting the amount of games availbable.

I'd say the PS5 will be the next dominant gaming platform in about 6 years time. With the ps4 using a very convenient architecture, I can see all ps4 games being compatible with it and every Sony console after will too. So basically like steam the Playstation library will just keep growing infinitely.

I can say for a 100% fact that the PS4 has out sold every set top box put together. You did not even mention the true "set top box" player which is Roku

I say nobody. The steam machine thing isn't as much of a console as a gaming specialized computer, in the vein of a media center PC. And this is probably where most of the players will try to wedge themselves into, iff Steam can prove its a semi-lucrative market, remember how many micro-consoles popped up when Ouya became a successful kick starter. Otherwise the players should remain the same.

I would say Tencent - the Chinese company that owns Riot Games/League of Legends as well as Epic Games/Unreal Engine. Tencent is of the same scope of Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google -- but with much better understanding of the gaming market.

If MS and Sony were to leave, it would be because consoles were dying. They aren't yet, and it's already way too competitive. I reckon there could be a hint of a chance come 5 years either Disney or samsung buy either Playstation or Sony, but that is unliekly

This is like asking "Who will be the next significant company to release a dedicated handheld gaming device?"

The question is presumably intended to be approached as who can design and produce and sell a gaming console in significant numbers (double digit market share) along with possessing or establishing the prerequisite distribution channels for both hardware and retail software. But this is an old model that falls into the high risk, lower potential ROI category leaving the primary reason for such a new product control of media distribution by establishing a new walled garden for services and goods. Emphasis on gaming and media content services intentional as retail game revenue streams would very likely be secondary in priority.

And so we examine who already has said walled garden in place as opposed to looking for a large company with the means but not necessarily the desire to create this and we are left with companies such as Amazon, Apple and Valve.

Focus on the companies that already have the content and the developers and examine the benefits of developing and producing a specific proprietary box (set top) on which to play said content.

Apple? I would be surprised to see them make another Pippin given that they already have their own hardware between desktop, laptop and mobile devices on which to play content purchased through their services. The only thing missing is an Apple game pad to either be paired up with Apple TV and a cloud gaming service or as an alternate control scheme for their OS X or iOS based games. Not a console. No need to create an internal split within their own customer base along with the one that already exists between iOS and OS X which is not to say that Apple couldn't produce a dedicated gaming box that used either OS, but this is a why they would not if they can question.

Valve already has companies producing Steam Box, and for them, there is far more profit to be made by providing game distribution services through Steam and peripherals (typically the most lucrative part of selling console based hardware platforms) for use with said service. There's no benefit in buying a Valve brand Steam Box anymore than there is benefit in Valve producing them.

So that leaves us with Amazon at least as far as US companies are concerned. Not a hardware company (barring the nice content and media device in the Kindle), not a game company, just one of the largest distribution channels for general goods including entertainment media. I would like to hear a pitch to start a console or set top box division because I am doubtful it would be successful.

So we look at Japan which seems content with mobile apps played on consumers' own mobile devices.

And then we get to China, which has recently created a small market for console based game ecosystems. If VGC has the numbers for sales, I haven't read much about them, leading me to believe that their games market remains firmly entrenched in the PC and mobile markets.