The Gaming Market Is Preparing for a Significant Shakeup (Premium)

For the past decade, and even long if you don't count the Xbox, the home gaming segment has been made up of a few, but notable players. While some have come and gone, and others may not have even been announced yet, there is one thing for certain; the next generation of gaming is going to look a lot different than today.
And when I say next-gen gaming, I'm not only referring to consoles. In fact, console gaming will likely become a thing of the past at some point. As to when that occurs, only time will tell, but Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Apple, and also Sony, are seeing a future where expensive consoles are no longer required.
We have seen Sega, Atari, and many others try to build hardware and eventually find themselves out of business and then there are the gaming studios who pop up and disappear overnight or inevitably get absorbed into the EA conglomerate only to never be heard from again. But the pivot to streaming, that is starting to go from dream to reality, is going to shake things up even more.
Microsoft has its xCloud, Google has shown its game streaming, Apple is said to be playing in these waters, and of course, there is Amazon. Sony is also going to be forced to eventually move to this model as well but this company has one significant downside, it doesn't own a 'cloud'.
But that may not matter, PlayStation Now and more specifically, Sony, posted strong gaming revenue numbers for the last quarter and they have the cash and fan base to make the transition when they feel the time is right.
For gamers, the next generation wars are about to get a lot more interesting and you will soon have more options than ever before. We already know that Microsoft has the technology, Google does as well, and if Amazon can successfully break into this segment which they are rumored to be doing, they have a serious chance at stealing dollars from both Microsoft, Sony and Valve.
While I wouldn't rule out Google from being a big player in this segment, I think it's Amazon who has the biggest chance at disrupting the status quo. When the company purchased Twitch a few years back, watching others play games online was just starting to become 'the next big thing' in gaming. For Amazon, this purchase appears to be a home run and gives them a huge opportunity to go from a platform to where people watch streams, to a complete and robust marketplace to buy, sell, and chat with other gamers.
The real question becomes is if or more likely when will Amazon decide to build a gaming console of its own. That's a question for Bezos but before that happens, the PC gaming industry is in for a serious shakeup too.
If Amazon goes head-first into the gaming market, and I do believe they will continue to push deeper, Steam could find itself is a position where they are going up against a juggernaut who has nearly unlimited funds. Microsoft's PC gaming efforts, while not completely flat-lined, are much smaller than what we have seen with Steam, Origin, and many ...