Remco Merkestijn

2/10 This doesn't envision a world where the entirety of gaming moves to streaming. FPSes and other games that require low latency will still play best installed on hardware, but availability trumps responsiveness for many titles. You can also design streaming-friendly games.

3/10 The Switch's major innovation was seamless transition between couch/desktop and mobile gaming with very little loss of experience. Same console, same games, multiple screens and locations. Game streaming bets on a future where the hardware is removed from the equation.

4/10 You can already pair a Bluetooth PS4 controller with your mobile as a screen to stream games from a PC, but you're limited by setup, your PC's hardware, and its internet connection. Imagine instead running off Google or Amazon infrastructure with no friction. On ANY screen.

5/10 It's no longer who has the best console, but who has the best network. And the major opportunity is who can get into China, the largest gaming market in the world, where 98% of internet-connected users have a mobile device and <1% own consoles.

6/10 WINNERS: Companies with cloud infrastructure businesses like Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft have spent years building CDNs, peering relationships, and placing their hardware inside of ISP networks. Sony (even with Gaikai) and Nintendo are very far behind.

7/10 WINNERS: Game publishers can distribute everywhere. Most users will be serviced by multiple streaming providers (much like they are for video today), greatly expanding the potential installed base over today's hardware-limited audiences. Or they can charge for exclusivity.

8/10 WINNERS: Game developers can self-publish to a wider audience with fewer hurdles and market through non-traditional channels like influencers, skirting the traditional publishing model and keeping more of their revenue.

9/10 WINNERS: ISPs and mobile providers make huge margin and will bid for exclusivity to sell or roll gaming into uncapped/premium data plans. T-Mobile's BingeOn is effectively anti-net neutrality but it showed app developers care more about frictionless experience than morals.