Quote Originally Posted by Leo_A View Post

People that like making bold predictions like how we're nearing a new crash, that console's are going away, that handhelds are going away, that AAA games are going extinct, that we're going to an all streaming model in the near future, that physical media is going to disappear years before internet infrastructure would be anywhere close to making it viable, were still regularly making such claims about the 3DS earlier this year almost before the plastic had even had a chance to cool on the first unit manufactured last year. Instead the 3DS is nearing the end of 2012 on an uptick with what appears to be a promising future. And certainly premature death has ceased to be something people bring up (as if it was ever a real concern).
Two years ago I would have fully agreed with you, but I now believe there is no doubt that the video gaming industry is changing (note, not crashing) and it is pretty inevitable that physical media and mid-budget niche titles are going to be the first casualties. Heck, the new iMac doesn't even come with an optical drive. I also don't see a viable path for handhelds 4-5 years from now, especially when I see lots of eight year old kids with iPhones and iPads and other devices.