Andy: Online distribution. Forget retail. Sure, you can always go to the mall and get the "special gift edition" of your favorite game, complete with lots of trinkets and such that make it feel real as a gift. But real gamers will make their purchases online and software transfer will take place there. Maybe you'll download it, maybe it will arrive episodically, and just maybe it will happen on demand as it does with a browser and Web page. Best of all, you won't know the difference or care.

Along with this will come different business models. In addition to the standard single-buy, infinite-play models will come with subscriptions that include updates, fee-based associations and persistent worlds, on demand pay-for-play, and so on. Ad-based revenue will subsidize fees on a number of free gaming experiences that will be quite engaging to mass market folks as an alternative to television. Dell is right; direct-to-the-customer is the way.

Next: Andy Hollis (cont.)