World+Dog to get keen on consoles next year
PS3 to host 'most active' fanbase by 2015
Consumer spending on games consoles and software will begin to bounce back next year - after a slide of a few percentage points between 2010 and 2011 - thanks, in part, to the Wii U.
So says market watcher IDC, which reckons that developed markets, seemingly sated appetite for gaming, will soon be hungry for next-gen consoles, the first of which, Nintendo's Wii U, goes on sale in 2012.
Crucially, though, it's developing markets that will become the new major battleground for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Here, growth rates will be almost double what they are in the established console markets, IDC reckons.
The upshot: global console hardware and disc software sale revenue will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 per cent from 2010 to 2015, reaching $39.7bn in 2015.
"Prognostications that consoles have peaked as a product category are premature," said Lewis Ward, a gaming research manager at IDC. "I expect that the launch of the Wii U, a revamped interactive entertainment console from Microsoft in the 2014 timeframe, and the arrival of Sony's 'PS4' circa 2015 – along with more than a few exclusive, innovative games – will help drive a new wave of console-centric spending in the next several years."
IDC expects there to be about 257m active consoles worldwide by 2015, or 12.7 per cent of anticipated households that year, down about a percentage point when compared to 2011's numbers.
And one final fact for the fanboys: the PS3 will have the largest active installed base of any game console worldwide by 2015, IDC said, adding that the PS2's "long tail" may ultimately repeat. ®
COMMENTS
LOL
Look at the PS3 fanbois trying to justify there purchase , its been years children , you still have not passed the xbo360 and by the time you do , it will only be becuase Microsoft has tsopped selling the sucker. But hey if it allows you to sleep at night, WTH :)
well
I had this discussion with a large group of friends and work colleagues a few months back when I was writing a little feature on cost-cutting for the works magazine, and it actually turns out that they're quite high up the list of discretionary spending for various reasons;
lots of ladies are shelling out on wii's & wii fit / dance / zumba games etc in order to get fit / lose weight (delete as appropriate), some of those same people are likewise shelling out on xboxen and kinects in addition to the wii for "variety". Others are simply going down the xbox route instead of the wii route. either way the argument goes along the lines of "by the time i've shelled out on gym fees for a few months, travelling expenses, clothing and equipment, i've saved a fortune by getting the wii/xbox and exercising at home". I should point out that these people have achieved real, measurable results with their chosen exercise regime in the 4-6 months since I wrote this feature.
Another argument is that they are being used for home entertainment (duh) as in a night out at the cinema typically costs around £100 for four people around here, whereas a four player console game can easily be had in tesco's for £25-40 - and is not then a one off experience. Certainly a "night in with the boys playing Halo / COD" is a much more regular feature than a night on the town these days.
When I wrote the feature I did a facebook poll of my friends list and the results were quite startling- Every single parent(s) who replied to the poll had at least one of wii/PS3/xbox, and over 3/4's of the singles had a console of some sort. we're talking about a 700+ person friends list here of a 31 year old male who is in the second year of a degree and works full time.
Blu-ray effect?
PS3 having blu-ray playback and easily upgradable firmware has surely helped its sales over the years.
Why on earth didn't Microsoft add this as a feature when HD-DVD died off?
Actually it is possible
XBox is starting to flag a little, mainly going after the Wii market, I am sure MS are planning a new console soon, as are Sony.
PS3 will be kept on similar to the PS2, but the wider choice of games for the PS3 (not necesary more games, more game types) will make it a better choice when you have £200 to spend.
Wii U I feel will be a flop.
YLODs
Do happen, just not as much as RRODs
But YLODs are fixable normally but I need to sort out reballing with leaded solder.
Yes it is solder which causes YLODs that horrid lead free stuff is too brittle.
Slims seem to be YLOD proof.
