Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Console unit sales continued decline
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- Figure 1: Total US unit sales and fan chart forecast of video game consoles, at current prices, 2010-20
- Previous generation still leads in consumer ownership
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- Figure 2: Video game console ownership, by console generation, June 2015
- Significant purchase intent for Steam Machine
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- Figure 3: Selected video game device purchase intent, June 2015
- Consumers questioning the value of consoles
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- Figure 4: Video game console purchasing attitudes, by gender and age, June 2015
- The opportunities
- Leverage the emphasis on software
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- Figure 5: Attitudes toward video game consoles – Any agree, by age, June 2015
- Increase consoles’ value with customizable bundles, backwards compatibility
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- Figure 6: Attitudes toward video game consoles – Any agree, by age, June 2015
- Leverage brand loyalty among early adopters
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- Figure 7: Attitudes toward video game consoles – Any agree, by age, June 2015
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Console unit sales in decline
- Close competition for gamers’ time
- Internet speeds still a barrier to streaming
Market Size and Forecast
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- Console market shifting focus to software
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- Figure 8: Total US unit sales and fan chart forecast of video game consoles, at current prices, 2010-20
Market Perspective
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- Equal share of gamers play on computers and consoles
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- Figure 9: Platforms used to play video games, February 2015
Market Factors
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- Video game streaming still limited by consumers’ internet speeds
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- Figure 10: Average internet speed, by state, Q1 2015
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Nostalgia can work for consoles too
- Nintendo’s Wii U struggling
- Content is king for consoles
What’s Working?
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- Increasing the value of consoles with nostalgia
What’s Struggling?
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- Nintendo struggles with the Wii U
What’s Next?
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- Continued shift toward software and services
- A resurgence in online subscriptions may be on the horizon
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- Figure 11: Incidence of playing video games online, 2011-15
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- Figure 12: Incidence of kids playing video games online, by age, November 2013-December 2014
- Figure 13: Incidence of teens playing video games online, by age, November 2013-December 2014
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Majority of adults own at least one console
- Hispanics show heightened purchase interest for new devices
- Gamers pressured by time constraints
Video Game Console Ownership and Purchase Intent
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- More than half of adults report owning or playing video game consoles
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- Figure 14: Video game console ownership, June 2015
- Current generation consoles still lag behind previous generation
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- Figure 15: Video game console ownership, by console generation, June 2015
- Purchase intent for virtual reality, Steam Machine and NVIDIA Shield
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- Figure 16: Selected video game device purchase intent, June 2015
- Consumer ownership of older gaming consoles
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- Figure 17: Old generation video game console ownership, by age, June 2015
- Hispanics show higher purchase intent for current generation and future consoles
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- Figure 18: Old generation video game console purchase intent, by Hispanic origin, June 2015
- Price, competition from other devices present barriers to console ownership
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- Figure 19: Reasons for not owning video game consoles, June 2015
Perception of Video Game Console Brands
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- New gaming devices have not yet cemented their brands in consumers’ minds
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- Figure 20: Correspondence analysis – Video game console brand perceptions, June 2015
- Figure 21: Video game console brand perceptions, June 2015
Time Spent Playing Video Game Consoles
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- Majority of console owners playing the same amount of time as last year
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- Figure 22: Time spent playing video game consoles, June 2015
- Consoles in tight competition for gamers’ limited time
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- Figure 23: Time spent playing video games in the last seven days, by gender and age July 2015-March 2015
Role of Video Game Consoles in Consumers’ Lives
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- Avid console gamers concerned with content variety
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- Figure 24: Attitudes toward video game consoles – Any agree, by age, June 2015
- The majority of console owners consider themselves brand loyal
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- Figure 25: Attitudes toward video game consoles – Any agree, by age, June 2015
- Hispanics, Blacks more likely to view consoles as significant forms of entertainment
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- Figure 26: Attitudes toward video game consoles – Any agree, race, and hispanic origin, June 2015
Importance of Video Game Console Features
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- Older console gamers less interested in social features
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- Figure 27: Important video game console features – Any rank, by gender and age, June 2015
- Personalization especially powerful for lower-income households
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- Figure 28: Important video game console features – Any rank, by gender and age, June 2015
- Hispanics a key audience for social media, mobile integration
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- Figure 29: Important video game console features – Any rank, by race and Hispanic origin, June 2015
Attitudes toward Buying Video Game Consoles
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- One fifth of console gamers not planning to buy another console device
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- Figure 30: Video game console purchasing attitudes, by gender and age, June 2015
- One fourth of parents buy higher-quality TVs as a result of video game consoles
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- Figure 31: Video game console purchasing attitudes, presence of children in household, June 2015
- Opportunity: Gaming as the focus of retailers’ entertainment and media sections
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- Figure 32: Video game console purchasing attitudes, presence and age of children in household, June 2015
Video Game Consoles and Kids
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- Nintendo shows strong lead among kids
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- Figure 33: Kids’ video game console brand ownership, November 2013-December 2014
Video Game Consoles and Teens
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- Console ownership varied among teens
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- Figure 34: Teens’ video game console ownership, November 2013-December 2014
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Console ownership data
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Correspondence analysis methodology
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – Market
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- Figure 35: Total US unit sales and forecast of gaming consoles, 2010-20
- Figure 36: Total US unit sales and estimate of gaming consoles, by company, 2010-15
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Appendix – Consumer
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- Video games played in the last seven days
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- Figure 37: Time spent playing video games in the last seven days, July 2014-March 2015
- Online services used to play video games online
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- Figure 38: Incidence of playing video games online, July 2014-March 2015
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- Figure 39: Incidence of playing video games online, 2011-15
- Kids and video game consoles
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- Figure 40: Incidence of video game playing among kids, November 2013-December 2014
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- Figure 41: Kids’ video game console ownership, November 2013-December 2014
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- Figure 42: Kids’ video game console ownership, November 2013-December 2014 (continued)
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- Figure 43: Incidence of kids playing video games online, November 2013-December 2014
- Teens and video game consoles
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- Figure 44: Incidence of video game playing among teens, November 2013-December 2014
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- Figure 45: Teens’ video game console ownership, November 2013-December 2014
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- Figure 46: Teens’ video game console ownership, November 2013-December 2014 (continued)
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- Figure 47: Incidence of teens playing video games online, November 2013-December 2014
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