Which big company will make the next gaming machine?

What company would you most like to see get into the business of making video-game consoles?

Following are a handful of corporations that have both the finances to create a game machine and the vision to make it interesting.

[ENNO]

google did make a console i would buy it...why?because it would own XBOX live,like the guy said,imagine 10,000 online gamers stormed a virtual normandy...awesome!!!
PS:IBM would also make a fantastic console...apple would just make a super stylish over priced piece o'junk

[clownfacemcgee]

I like Google and I think they'd make a fantastic console that would have some weird and innovative way of paying for itself. Blizzard would create an awesome console too I think. It'd be great if they could create one that was geared towards MMO's. I think that'd be a really cool idea.

But back on topic, I think a google console would be great. It's be as powerful like the PS3 (their search engine is proof), and it'd be actually innovative (they invented the new way of searching the web that killed Yahoo), and it'd be simple like an apple (they have a simple little search page unlike Yahoo and MSN and such).

But I think Google could use your console when you're not and have it pay for itself that way. So you would Pay a hefty price up front, but then you could hook it up to the net and it would use your console as a distributed computing network (google certainly has a lot of traffic ot handle) to slowly pay itself off. I'm actually just totally making this up, because I have no clue as to how Google operates and if this would even be possible much less plausible.

And last Google has a large positive, but no negative. That's to say that people love or hate Sony or people love or hate Microsoft, but everyone loves Google. I don't know one person who doesn't love google (actually that's a lie, I know one completely crazy person who hates Google because they censor their Chinese search results in accordance with the government so that they can continue to operate in China). But for the vast vast vast majority of people, no one hates Google.

[Bathyj]

To be honest I dont think any other company can just enter the market and make it unless they somehow hit lightening in a bottle with something radically different. If Microsoft couldn't come in and make money then who else could? No other company could afford those kinds of losses.

Only something cheap and different could just enter now ala the Wii but it would have to actually diliver on games, unlike the Wii. Lets face it, next gen has to make X360 and PS3 look primitive so cheap it wont be.

[cpuchess]

When I think of IBM I think of innovation and quality. They certainly have the money to do it.

I wish a company would come out with a system that is upgradeable like a PC but without all the headaches. Make the innards detachable like the 360s hard drive, then just plug the newest version in.

[clownfacemcgee]

I would kill IBM if they made one that you had to upgrade. When you start doing upgrades, you suddenly have to buy each component separately to get stats that are strong enough to play the most current games. I don't want to have to do that. You'd eventually have to upgrade the RAM and GPU for starters, and then upgrade the HDD and the Disc Drive and the fan, then you'd be upgrading the CPU and the MOBO to support all this crap you're upgrading. You'd have to spend $2000 to fully upgrade the console. It'd be just like a PC. And cost as much too.

But then worst of all, it would be out of date in 2 years.

[TheUltimatePS3Fanboy]

I would have never thought Google! Thats a great idea, I've always wished a game would come out with thousands of people in a single game.
I don't think apple could do it though I think they would have a good portable gaming system but not a standalone. And finally IBM would probably have the strongest and most graphically powered console on the market, but it would'nt have any games.

[CRIMS0N_W0LF]

Best PCs Ever. Fastest. Safer. More easy to use. Secuire. Never crashes. No viruses. Original Ideas (Not like Vista steals ideas from Linux Red Hat and MAC OSX 10 and include Zune stolen idea from iPod)

[archpsyker]

safer yes, faster no. Apple is running the same processors that PCs are running now. And yes OSX does crash. (Kernel Panic = Blue Screen of Death)

Besides Apple has already attempted to make a console.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[Vojkan]

There is only one company that can enter/make come back into console "war". And that is SEGA. Sure they don't have a lot of money like Apple and some other comapies but they have something they dont have and for that takes YEARS to acquire. That is FIRST PARTY STUDIOS, that guarantee you exclusive titles.
It took Sony 14 years to come up to around 25-30 first party studios. It is though to start from scratch and only Microsoft that has now around 10 first party studios had money to buy so quickly so many studios.

[TheExodus]

I'm surprised that there haven't been any rumblings so far given the success of the Wii, seems like the perfect time to re-launch Dreamcast.

[TheUltimatePS3Fanboy]

Totally agree with you if (Apple,Google,IBM) want to jump into the gaming business they need to partner up with some company thats been in the business (like Sega) so they can have first party games.

[Kotaku]

Dell is perfect for the console market.

[clownfacemcgee]

The PC market has higher margins than the console market. The console market requires a long term plan to sell your console at a low or negative profit, so that you can make it back up on games. Microsoft hasn't made any profit on the 360 yet. Sony hasn't made any profit on the PS3 yet. Nintendo's making tons of profit, but that's because the Wii costs less than $250 to manufacture, so it's really a scam.

I don't think Dell would be interested in this cut-throat market when they're already doing so well in the PC market.

[Kotaku]

For me they are the best Notebooks out there and a yes they are doing great on pc market so why not hit a console market?

[clownfacemcgee]

Because success in the PC market does not translate to success int eh console market. The console market is much much much more cut-throat than the PC market has I explained in my original reply, and it would take a totally different business plan and a LOT of money as a first venture at this point.

[SofaKingReetodded]

what MS did and just slap together PC parts, give it a brand name and expect to make a fortune is truly kidding themselves.

There are many discerning people out there who are not as stupid or ignorant as companies like MS would like them to be.They know what a CPU is, they know what a GPU is, they know what memory is. They also know any real leap in gaming experiences requires orders of magnitude in processing power to achieve. The 360 is a 2 year old PC and it is starting to show BIGTIME. Only by creating unique architectures that are forward looking can a console manufacturer hope to compete with the ever changing PC hardware market. Sony has done just that with the PS3. This is not speculation, this is now proven fact when the Cell Broadband Engine proved it can outperform the GREATEST graphics card ever seen on the market in the 8800GTX. To significantly outperform a card like the 8800 which dwarfs the PS3's RSX in number of transistors and pipelines is truly a REMARKABLE feat two years after you hit the market.The scary thing is we are only seeing the first layer of this onion at this point and time. once we get to the second,third,fourth layers of processing power, just like the proverbial onion it will make fanboys of other consoles cry like babies.

Id be interested to see what another set of "minds" can come up with but at this point and time Sony has achieved their "Piece de Resistance" with the PS3. It is a machine which is not only redefining graphical quality but gameplay aswell.

[Bnet343]

so they would fail

[TheMART]

"Apple

The iGame wouldn't necessarily be the online juggernaut that the G-Machine would be, but Apple, which once dabbled in the console market with its Pippin system, would be able to dispense with the disc drive and just sell games through iTunes. That alone would be a welcome change for gamers.

Ideally, Apple would offer some kind of subscription model where for, say, 20 bucks a month you could download as many games as you want to your console's hard drive. When you want to play a new game, just delete your old games.

You could have a Netflix-like queue, with upcoming games flagged for automatic download. So when you wake up in the morning, the new version of Halo or Madden or GTA is waiting for you."

Apple has been in the gaming industry about 10 years ago

APPLE PIPPIN all the way!

[PlayStation360]

I can see Apple making an amazing portable gaming system. Having made the best music download software (iTunes), Apple should be fine making a game downloading software. And with Apple's new iPod having 160 gb, being 13.5 mm thin, and Apple knowing how to make sleek designs, I'm sure they can make an awesome portable gaming device. And with touchscreen tech, I would love to see what they come up with. Well, thats just my opinion.

[demolitionX]

and sony's drive force will be the CELL. the only processor out there that can beat a GPU is graphical handling. IBM sony and toshiba already lead the way. now intel and amd will play catch up game.

[Grinchy]

Great question. The way things seem these days with all the different sku's I think MacDonalds might as well have a go. You could have the kids happy sku @ $199 with free kids game, And for the hardcore gamers you could supersize your sku with various other components. However, continued use of the Mcboxstation would ultimately kill you!! lol!!!

In all seriousness, Google would be great but how about NASA? Imagine the beast they could come up with, although the price would be scary!

[Dmack79]

Apple. Yep, Definitely Apple. But if any company just came into the console war right now they would lose miserably. to the PS3!

[UltramanJ]

I despise Apple. Just like their PCs and ipods, the Apple console would have the least amount of tech, yet carry the highest price tag simply because of the Apple logo. Worse yet, Apple would have control over every single game you bought, basically restricting what you can and can't do with your newly bought game, which most likely would have to be purchased from their website. Apple brings nothing to the table outside of a brand name, which in the videogame world guarantees nothing.

EA on the otherhand would conquer all. Imagine of all of their games only playable on their console?! Madden alone would deal a monstrous blow to all and guarantee monster sales for the system. Throw in all of their other properties like Burnout, The Sims, Command and Conquer, EA sports, etc and you'd have one serious competitor in the console hardware market. There's no doubt they'd kill Microsoft and possibly even Sony.

[PlayStation360]

Now I agree EA would do VERY well with there exclusives. As you said EA sports, Burnout, Medal Of Honor would bring alot of customers. However, I can't see them taking down Micro and definitely not Sony. Micro has too much money (buy exclusive, etc.), and Sony has too much experience in the hardware dept. I don't know if EA has much financially to make Software, Hardware, and get exclusives from other game developers like Sony and Micro do.

Now I totally get your point. EA would do great with its own exclusives. But rule/conquer all, it would definitely not do. I can see EA following the same fate as the Legendary Sega if they made a gaming system. Just my opinion of course, please feel free to disagree.

[TheUltimatePS3Fanboy]

Think about it all those EA games on one console only omg even though I almost hate all EA's games I just couldn't imagine a console without EA Sports games.

[BlazinEurasian]

good article.

[Kwertie]

Wishful thinking: Sega
Realistic thinking: Apple

I damn wish Sony would GTFO after the PS3 and that would allow Sega to get back in. Gaming hasn't been the same since Sega "died", and Sony and MS came to rule with their sports/shooting games and movie tie ins.

Dreamcast was awesome and never got a fair chance. The VMU should have been implemented in every console since. Think of the potential now we have colour touchscreen and higher capacity memory. I guess linking the DS with the Wii is about as near as it gets.

Someone has to exit for Sega to come back. The market will not sustain 4 consoles. Someone already gets left out with 3 consoles

[archpsyker]

Sega has already had it's time. I don't see Sony or Microsoft leaving the console business anytime soon. And with Nintendo's current success with the Wii looks like we are going to have the same three contenders for a while.

[level 360]

I really, really hate saying this - but the Murdoch Empire? - he almost owns everything now, got squillions to spend on anything has Fox Network, owns the most prestigious newspaper company, has a big share on the stock markets.
But... the console and the games would definitely be biased.

[heroman711]

i say apple so it can challenge microsoft. now if i had to choose between the two i wud go with microsoft's console. y, cause all apple makes is a peice of overpriced sh!t that cant do half of what the xbox can do

[tomfoolery]

hehe

[tomfoolery]

hehe