So then...the new year is a grand total of five days old, you've been back to work for at least a day, and you're likely starting to think about what the year in gaming will look like with the arrival of 2015. There's actually shaping up to be quite a bit to look forward to this year, and so with 2015 now at hand, let's take a look at what we can look forward to.

The Console Wars Carrying On in Earnest

This may be one of the first times in a long time that the console wars felt like an actual war. The last parts of 2014 showed us that Microsoft is not taking its second-place status lying down, and if that carries on into 2015, we could be in for some real excitement. More price cuts, maybe? New technologies? Who will bring virtual reality into the picture first, and for how much? There's plenty of room for speculation in this field, and no matter what form it ultimately takes, it's going to mean a lot of new developments for us to watch.

The Delayed Games Finally Arrive

It was a fairly common joke in the second half of 2014 that the second half of 2014 had been delayed to 2015. Well, kids, it's 2015 now, and it's time to start seeing some games. Dying Light, Dead Island 2, Mad Max and a host of others are set to arrive this year, and there are likely to be some staggering new developments we haven't even heard about yet. New Fallout? Maybe. New Elder Scrolls? Probably not, but who knows? There's enough on our plates already to keep just about anybody jolly, and that's abundantly good news.

Speaking of Virtual Reality...

While 2014 re-introduced us to the concept that had been at least kind of with us since the days of Dactyl Nightmare back in the mid-nineties, the technology has finally caught up with the dream. At least, sort of...the Oculus Rift's appearance may be the thing that gives most people access to the kind of world-spanning presence that only the Internet could have provided. But Oculus Rift is hardly alone in the market, as Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard, and Sony's Project Morpheus—among a host of other possible developers in the field—are all set to make an appearance. While there hasn't been a lot of news vis-a-vis release dates for many of these—except the smartphone-based versions—there's quite a bit of room in this field for competitors to get in. People want in on this action, and companies are eager to get access to same.

The plain and simple is that 2015 is going to be a very, very big year for gaming indeed, barring calamity. There's going to be a lot coming out, and a lot of new developments to hit the floor. There's plenty to look forward to when it comes to gaming in 2015, so better brush up on your sick day excuses, have your snacks in order, and brace for impact. This might just be a year unlike any we've seen in a long time.