A new PlayStation. A new Xbox. A new Wii. The last one is definitely happening with the upcoming Wii U and the others are no doubt being prepped for high-profile "reveals." But what about a future with no consoles? None at all.

For movie lovers, if they want to watch a flick, they simply get a DVD machine or a Blu-ray player — it doesn't matter if Sony, Samsung or Panasonic made it. And, let's say, you don't own physical, disc-based media: Then, you can stream whatever movies you want through your TV or PC.

But video games are different. Video games may outsell their cinematic colleagues, but they still chain gamers to specific consoles. Want to play a Nintendo game? You need a Nintendo console. Sony-exclusive games must be played on PS3s, and Microsoft-exclusive games are for the Xbox 360 (though some end up on Windows boxes, too). As much as you may want to take your copy of Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword," pop it into your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, and play the game — You just can't. You need Nintendo hardware.