10 Features That Will Define Next-Gen Gaming

8. Google Shakes Up The Console Wars

This past week Google revealed their entrance into the AAA gaming arena with their Stadia platform, effectively transforming the three-company battleground into a fatal-4-way.

And though streaming has its obvious, aforementioned issues, Google basically has more money than God and a clear desire to solve infrastructural issues while staking out a meaty claim on the market share.

Don't be surprised to see the console war shift into a "cloud war" scenario as streaming becomes a more prevalent concern for Sony and Microsoft in particular.

Google's move on the industry won't happen overnight, but the convenience Stadia will offer to players who won't need to buy any additional hardware whatsoever - not even the Stadia controller, in fact - speaks for itself.

That's not to forget Google's desire to provide "elastic" system hardware to developers, where graphics, CPU and RAM can be upgraded as needed rather than forcing them to be shackled by the constraints of traditional console specs.

Google has the potential to significantly disrupt the current market dynamic, though with Microsoft in particular taking an enthusiastic dive into streaming tech themselves, competition will be incredibly fierce.

Sony is obviously starting the next generation with a clear lead, but between the Stadia reveal and Microsoft reportedly planning some megaton reveals at this year's E3, the next few months could signal some Earth-shattering changes for the future of the industry.