Not 
too long ago, bitcoin was almost exclusively the legal tender of hackers. Today, thanks in part to the Cyprus bailout saga, it’s on the radars of investors everywhere.
While the digital currency has been around since 2009, it has largely stayed in the background—occasionally jumping onto people’s radars, but usually fading away just as fast.
Virtual 
Reality seems like a remnant from the 1990s—a nifty sounding technology that failed to live up to its potential, hamstrung by bulky headsets and overly high expectations.
But the team at the start-up Oculus thinks there’s still a lot of potential in the idea—and it has managed to bring several of the video game industry’s top developers onboard.
For 
the next Christmas season, Sony will release the PlayStation 4—a videogame system that’s widely expected to push the boundaries of the industry. Microsoft, while it hasn’t announced anything formally, is expected to release the successor to the Xbox 360 in the same time frame.
Along with Nintendo, which began selling the Wii U last year, the two new consoles will officially launch the eighth console generation among record keepers—but they won’t be alone.
The 
recent announcement by Blizzard Entertainment that it would be giving its next game away for free might have startled some investors.
Blizzard, after all, is the talent behind some of the industry’s biggest powerhouses, including “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo,” and has generated billions of dollars for parent Activision. But the seemingly sudden burst of generosity could turn out to be one of developer’s most savvy ideas to date.
New 
video game consoles coming out this year could breathe new life into game maker Electronic Arts.
Although, the next generation of video game systems technically started last November with the launch of the Wii U, a lot of people aren’t going to start their clocks until later this year, when new consoles from Sony and (presumably) Microsoft hit the market.
Companies 
don’t innovate. People do.
But in today’s business world, the people behind the innovation and groundbreaking ideas and inventions can be overshadowed by their creations.
The 
television industry has never been one to warmly embrace change. Just ask the pioneers of the VCR and DVR business.
But as America becomes a country of second (and sometimes third) screens, broadcasters, cable and satellite companies are being forced to rethink how they interact with customers. With so much competition for people’s time and attention, good programming is no longer enough to turn heads.
Were 
this any other transition period for the video game industry, GameStop stock would be soaring these days.
Instead, the stock has been largely flat — climbing less than one point year to date, noticeably underperforming the market’s seven percent gains — as well as other companies in the gaming space.
Since 
the days of the Atari 2600, the video game industry has stuck to the same formula: Consumers buy console hardware, then purchase each game separately – at prices ranging from $20 in the 1970s to $60 today.
But the changing nature of the industry has made some question that model. Increasingly, players are balking at the high price of titles, opening the door for the mobile market to grow. That sort of defection isn’t especially surprising with casual players (who have always tended to chase bargains) — but with core players beginning to rethink their buying habits, the industry is being forced to evolve.
Video 
game consoles, typically, spend about five or six years in the spotlight, before stepping aside for the next generation. The current cycle, though, is now entering its seventh year — a longevity that many analysts and publishers blame for the malaise that has affected the shares of game makers.
Sony, on Feb. 20, is expected to unveil the PlayStation 4, its entry in the next generation battle. The system is more than the start of a new cycle, though; it’s an essential step in rebuilding Sony as a corporation.
Chris Morris: Journalist 