Vision - March 2009 - (Page 31) by steve Koenig ] • [ industry researCh MArket insider ceived unique capabilities. Nearly half (47 percent) of PS3 owners cited unique system capabilities as a reason to buy. With consumers considering non-game console elements, it’s no surprise they also are thinking beyond the console to other CE products to enhance the experience. Some 17 percent of game console owners report they also purchased a ‘big screen TV’, while 18 percent purchased a surround sound receiver. Another 14 percent purchased cables and one in ten owners bought gaming furniture. Goodshoot/Photolibrary Adding to the Experience Accessories are another facet in the video game market opportunity. Shipment dollars of gaming accessories are expected to top $1 billion in 2009—a 15 percent increase over 2008’s volume of $905 million. Console owners report most game accessories purchases are focused on additional/replacement controllers. CEA forecasts confirm the market opportunity for controllers, with shipment revenues expected to account for roughly one-quarter of shipment dollars next year. Memory cards are another top game accessory purchase, according to the study. This is not surprising given the number of games utilizing memory to store game data or downloaded content from networked services like Xbox Live. Stepping back a moment to games, the study found console game owners on average have a library of 24 games and tend to purchase six games a year. CEA estimates wholesale revenues from game shipments will hit $15 billion this year. This figure should give some hope to game publishers and developers, who against a chilled business climate are increasingly selective in green-lighting new, unproven titles. And although not addressed in the study, the raft of infotainment and services proffered through online game console portals present an entirely new set of possibilities where the industry can take advantage. So no matter what your market play is in the video game arena, you are likely to find ample opportunity. Even traditional home audio/video products likely will benefit from consumers’ increasing attraction to video games. It’s a classic win:win scenario. • March/April 2009 M Video Game Market Achieves High Score The study shows games remain the priuch more than just gaming devices, today’s game mary purchase driver for game consoles, consoles are infotain- but a shift towards social gaming is magnement portals connect- tizing new customers in droves. In a 2005 ing consumers to music, video game market study, CEA found just movies, news, weather and much more. At seven percent of console gamers played the same time, video games themselves are games mostly or always with others. In the more innovative and entertaining than ever 2008 analysis, this percentage more than doubled to 18 percent. One might through motion-sensing controlthink online gaming is responsible lers and game titles that engender for this increase, but actually gama social quality through group play. ers are playing together more often As a result, the video game market in person thanks to titles like Guiis attracting new audiences and tar Hero and Rock Band. In turn, posting record sales that add up to substantial opportunity. titles like these are generating addiVideo games have gone mass Steve Koenig tional sales opportunities through market. They no longer are the accessories and other CE purchases domain of hardcore gaming fanatics or to expand the ‘play box’. early technology adopters. CEA’s recent The 2008 study also shows other nonstudy: The Video Game Market—Attract- game elements are beginning to factor into ing New Audiences, Creating New Oppor- the equation to buy a game console. The tunities found 70 percent (122 million) of Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controlonline adults play video games on either lers are likely the idea behind 41 percent a PC or game console. More than half (86 of owners citing the Wii’s unique system million) of online households own at least capabilities as a reason to buy. Meanwhile, one game console. But what is motivating the Sony Playstation 3’s built-in Blu-ray these purchases? player likely has much to do with its perwww.ce.org 31 http://www.ce.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.