The next generation of household consoles has already started and boy are we in for a treat. Not only do we have the big three (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) fighting for our limited TV room space but now we have something more interesting. Android and Steam.

Nintendo has already released the Wii U with it's touch screen controller and HD graphics. Sony recently announced the successor to the PlayStation 3 and right around the corner we'll start seeing the next Xbox. Microsoft and Sony are battling it out in the hardware war, each trying to best the other by being stronger, better, faster. Nintendo stopped playing that game years ago and decided to try a different route by offering unique gameplay features with motion controls. Last I checked both the PS3 and Xbox 360 were in the $299 range. The Wii now hitting a ridiculous $99 and its successor, the Wii U, around $299. This is fantastic for us gamers. No matter your allowance you'll find something that works for you. This is where my question comes in, where do Android and Steam fit in?

Valve, the creators of Steam, are working hard to bring their popular digital distribution service from millions of computer screens to your living room TV. To do this Valve introduced a new feature for Steam. This feature is dubbed, Big Picture Mode (BPM). Essentially this makes Steam much easier to use with you in your couch holding a controller. It does this by changing up the user interface. I use BPM fairly often when playing games that are gamepad enabled and quite enjoy it. Valve has also announced it will be coming out with it's own hardware to slap it's new software experience on. This new hardware has been cleverly named the Steam Box. Details are scarce about it at the moment. What we do know is the fact that Valve wants to make PC gaming easier and more comfortable by offering an easy to use console like experience. Somewhere on the internet Gabe Newell, founder of Valve, has stated he expects Steam Box prototypes in the next few months.

Valve has kept mum about pricing, which is unfortunate. This is what everyone wants to know. This is the deal breaker. PC gaming has a tendency to be known as ridiculously expensive. If Valve is able to bring powerful hardware, a small form-factor, and reasonable pricing together in one happy package it could mean a massive shift for PC gaming. People wouldn't turn a blind eye to PC gaming because of the price barrier. The need for a monitor, speakers, keyboards, mice, etc. would be gone. Instead you plug it into your TV and the box just works. The Steam Box has a lot riding on it's shoulders.

Android is a different beast altogether. It's the only system that is based as a mobile platform. The evolution of Android seems to be steering its way to your television. At least that's what the Ouya console is promising. A $99 Android console that hooks up to your TV. It's a no frills system which a sparkle. The developers encourage you to mess with the system, they want you to get your hands dirty and mod the system. This fact alone will probably lure in a number of the modding community. The Ouya may have a strange name and a low price that anyone can afford but does it have the games to back it up. A console can't survive without a strong game library backing it. Perhaps with a controller in hand more games such as Dead Trigger and Shadowgun will populate the Android marketplace. Only time will tell.

Ouya isn't the only console being developed to get Android games on your big screen. Nvidia recently announced and showed off what it calls, Project Shield. It strangely looks very similar to a Xbox 360 controller with a 5" HD screen attached to it. Project Shield is backed by some serious horsepower, it'll be able to play any game from the Android marketplace but also stream your Steam library over a wi-fi connection. Price and release date are TBD for Nvidia's Project Shield. Nvidia will have to take a close look at its competitors, the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Vita. The DS seems to be priced just right at that $149 mark whereas the Vita is struggling with sales probably because of it's higher $249 price. I'm afraid that Nvidia might have the specs and form-factor down to a tea but will miss the beat with a soaring high price tag to justify the slick piece of hardware.

Android is in a unique place, it has the freedom to cover all angles of the market. From the Ouya at $99 to Nvidia's Project Shield. Android has the low-end and high-end markets covered. Valve, us PC gamers are holding our breaths. If they can get the right combo of price/performance we'll very likely see PC gaming become much more common on living room TVs. Sony and Microsoft are going to battle for the horsepower throne while Nintendo quietly and safely experiments with crazy motion and touch controls. One thing is for sure, we've never seen anything quite like this before. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Android and Valve are all fighting a war for the living room space.

Welcome to the next generation.