Decentralization is going to be the future, no doubt.
Ripple is hugely hyped due to the fact that it's got a lot of partnerships in the real world. This may seem like something that is extremely promising in the short term, but in the long run I don't think that it'll benefit at all being the centralized system it is.
No way BTC has "lost the battle". It's simply due to the fact that Ripple has been hyped so much that its value has skyrocketed even compared to BTC. It's all speculative.
Completely agree with you, mate. Decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are the future while centralized "cryptocurrencies" like Ripple will be left in the dust. Right now, Ripple is overhyped because of the partnerships it has made, but it's still just another centralized payment system like VISA or MasterCard. Most people wouldn't want to transact in a ledger which is highly manipulated and tracked by the underlying Ripple company, banks, and even governments. Since the XRP ledger provides them the ability to freeze a user's funds, nobody would be able to experience the level of freedom and immutability in it as with decentralized cryptos like BTC and ETH.
Therefore, I believe that Bitcoin, Ethereum and other decentralized cryptocurrencies will prevail over centralized payment systems for years to come. Of course, the bright side of centralized solutions is that it's regulatory compliant which further prevents criminal activity within their ledgers, but they're extremely vulnerable against manipulation from third parties. Decentralized cryptocurrencies will be much more secure than centralized "cryptocurrencies" like Ripple since anyone can join or leave the network at will, among other things. As such, Bitcoin will always be a winner in my eyes. Just my thoughts