The 6 biggest things to expect from video games in 2019: New PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the first core 'Pokémon' game for Nintendo Switch, and much more

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2019 is rapidly approaching, and there's a lot to look forward to in the coming year.
Both Microsoft and Sony are expected to begin revealing the next versions of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Nintendo says the next major main series "Pokémon" game is arriving this year on the Nintendo Switch.
Will this finally be the year that Apple, Google, and/or Amazon start competing with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft?

In 2019, the next versions of the Xbox and PlayStation are likely to be revealed — and one or both might even arrive in the next 12 months.

And that's just the beginning!

Next year, the first-ever Pokémon game for a home Nintendo console is scheduled to arrive, and Microsoft's Netflix-like streaming service for gaming — Project xCloud — is likely to light up. How about a new game based on Harry Potter made by the infamous studio that created "Pokémon Go"? That's also in the works!

Here's a rundown of everything we expect from the world of video games in 2019:

1. New game consoles from Microsoft and Sony.

Indeed, it's that time once again: Both Microsoft and Sony are gearing up to announce new versions of the Xbox And PlayStation platforms.

In the case of the next Xbox, things are a bit more clear — Xbox chief Phil Spencer has outright announced Microsoft's ongoing work on new Xbox consoles.

"The same team that delivered unprecedented performance with Xbox One X is deep into architecting the next Xbox consoles," Spencer said on stage in Los Angeles on June 10, "where we will once again deliver on our commitment to set the benchmark for console gaming."

The latest rumors point to multiple tiers of Xbox console, similar to the current line-up with the Xbox One S and Xbox One X consoles. Rumors also say the new Xbox will be compatible with all previous generations of Xbox; the codenames are reportedly "Lockhart" (for the less powerful/less expensive version) and "Anaconda" (for the higher-end version).

Sony has also announced its ongoing work on a successor to its current game console, the PlayStation 4. Starting as early as May 2018, Sony executives have been discussing work on what many expect will be the "PlayStation 5." And with PlayStation skipped the game industry's annual June trade show, E3, for the first time ever, it's entirely possible that the company will hold its own event specifically to announce the next PlayStation.

That said, we know little about what the console will be. We do know that it might not arrive until 2021. "We will use the next three years to prepare the next step," PlayStation head John Kodera said in May.

2. A huge new Pokémon game for the Nintendo Switch.

Pokémon is coming to the Nintendo Switch — prepare yourself!

Nintendo says a "core RPG Pokémon title" is coming to the Nintendo Switch. Not a spin-off, like "Pokémon Stadium" and "Pokémon Snap" way back on the Nintendo 64, but a full-on main series entry.

The beloved Pokémon series of games has always been a portable affair. With few exceptions, the only way to engage with the long-running series was on Nintendo's handheld consoles. But with this new entry, that's about to change.

Nintendo says the next main entry in the long-running Pokémon game franchise — the successor to "Pokémon Ultra Sun" and "Pokémon Ultra Moon" — will arrive in "late 2019." For now, that's all that we know.

3. The continued crumbling of barriers between game platforms.

Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 are competitors, and each runs its own paid online service. Those services don't work with each other, and thus you're unable to play games across the two competing platforms.

But things began changing earlier this year, and it's all because of "Fortnite."

"Fortnite" is one of very few games that you can play with friends across every platform it's on — and that's a lot of platforms.

Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, iPhone, and Android all run "Fortnite," and all seven versions of the game work together. Players on iPhone can play with players on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and every other combination of those platforms that you can imagine.

And now, "Fortnite" maker Epic Games is releasing the tools it uses to make its game work across all those platforms. Better yet: It's making those tools completely free to any game developer who wants to use them.

It's a huge move with massive implications for the larger game industry. The most important impact is clear: The end of siloed off gaming platforms. In some utopian vision of the future, it's not so hard to imagine a world where owning one copy of a game means you own it on every gaming platform!

See the rest of the story at Business Insider