I found this interesting infographic on Visual.ly about the potential demise of the Console. I think it has pretty much pegged it. This info graphic brings to thought is the console dying? Take a look at the graphic below and decide for yourself.
Consoles Still Make Money
It is interesting to note that with games like Call of Duty Black Ops II earning over $500 million, and Halo 4 earning $200 million. I would think that the Console is still going strong. Even if they are getting to be over 5 years old now!
New games still cost $60.00 on average! I can see why both the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 haven’t been replaced yet. It is expensive! Not only for the manufacturers but to the game companies who have to figure out how to be able to port their games to the new systems.
Consoles for Entertainment
I typically only use my Xbox 360 for watching Netflix. I originally bought it to play Kinect games – which were fun for awhile. But now? The red eye on top of my TV stares at me asking when am I going to use it again. The answer? Probably never.
So it is not surprising that the graphic above states over 50% of all Netflix traffic comes from a Console now. This makes sense – at least until consumers have replaced their current TV to SMART TV’s that will already have apps like HULU and Netflix installed in them.
Ouya – A New Independent Console Contender?
If you haven’t heard about this? They have already raised $8.8 million dollars to get this project off the ground. This independent third party is trying to break into the potentially lucrative console gaming market. Can they pull it off? Since there isn’t a unit currently in production? We will have to wait and see when it is released in March 2013.
If you want to read more? You can check it out on Wikipedia!
The Bottom Line: Its a Mobile World
No, the Console is NOT dying though. Its just that everything has shifted in the tech world to being mobile. With the mass influx of smart phones and tablets it isn’t surprising to see more and more casual gamers turning to these devices to get their gaming fix. That and the fact that most games are about 90% cheaper than new console games or they offer a free version certainly helps!
What Do You Think?
What do you think though? Is Console Gaming dying or still living strong? With Microsoft and Sony waiting until 2013 to release their new consoles have this hurt them or helped them do you think? Leave a comment below!
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