MS, Sony and Nintendo will all fight for the largest marketshare of console gaming once again starting this November. It doesn't matter that MS had a year long headstart with around 4-7 million Xbox360 units shipped already (sources vary widely on these numbers). It doesn't matter that Sony has only 500,000 units available on launch day. Nintendo's undeniable momentum and buzz won't mean a thing either. Why? Not one of these companies will be the biggest winner for the next 5 or so years. The lucky, huge, smiling winners will be us, the lowly gamers. With what is expected to be a relatively close three way race, we can expect to see each company pull out all the stops to get the edge on their rivals and that can only benefit us. It will mean:

1) Rapid price cuts on consoles. These guys want to get as many units off the shelves as they can (once the initial demand is met). Another option here in place of a price cut is games or accessories bundled in with the consoles for the same previous price as the plain console.

2) A wide selection of multiplatform games across all systems so no matter which one you own, you should get to play most games.

3) A better release schedule that ensures quality games are available in every month, not just kicked out the door come September, October or November. The big 3 need games coming out year round or they will risk going the way of the Gamecube (fans waiting many months for the next Mario, Zelda or Metroid with very little to fill in the time gap).

4) A true online experience that can be compared and contrasted with eachother so that us gamers can decide which one suits our wants the best. Do you want to go with the proven but pricey service or the supposedly free options that the newcomers are proclaiming?

5) Choice. One simple word with profound meaning. Us gamers are being offered a choice this generation between three viable options, all of which have unique strengths and weaknesses. It is shaping up to be a no-lose scenario whichever system you purchase.

In a perfect world, we would stop our bickering over this and that because we would own all 3 systems and have every exclusive game at our disposal. And I would be typing on a $5000 hotrod PC rig with $1000 saved up just waiting for the first DX10 video card to show up. And fanboys would stick to just praising their chosen system instead of blindly throwing mud at the others. And those same fanboys would learn how to type correctly with something approaching proper punctuation. But it isn't a perfect world, just a very sunny looking horizen up ahead. Once again, the big 3 of MS, Sony and Nintendo won't win this generation. WE WILL. And pity our poor wallets.