Consumer adoption of mobile gaming and streaming media devices impacting traditional console adoption
Parks Associates recently announced new European research showing a steady decline in gaming console adoption in France, Spain, and the U.K. while remaining flat in Germany. Continued consumer adoption of mobile gaming as well as the availability of gaming on streaming media devices has played a key role in the decline.
“France’s gaming console adoption dropped from 59% in 2013 to 49% in 2015, and the impact reaches beyond gaming,” said Brett Sappington, Senior Research Director, Parks Associates.“Game consoles remain one of the key elements of the connected home, but other devices are gaining importance, including smart TVs and streaming media players. As penetration of game consoles declines in global markets, companies will have to make difficult decisions regarding which platforms to support as they fund video games or digital media apps.”
Parks Associates presents its global connected home and IoT research today at TV Connect, where Jason Paris, Director, Business Development, Parks Associates, is chairing the “IoT, Connected Entertainment & the Smart Home” track and participating in the Fireside Interview. TV Connect 2016, April 26-28 in London, is the principal global-based show focusing on the evolution of the connected entertainment industry.
In its recent NUMBERS™ research for the U.S., Parks Associates estimated gaming consoles, which have long been the most common Internet-connected entertainment devices, will dip below 50% broadband household penetration by 2019, following nearly 10 years of declining sales. The decline will make gaming the next major source of alternate revenue for CE makers.
“Most major device makers, including Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Sony, are focused on offering gaming through their connectable devices,” Sappington said. “Although high-performance gaming will not match the experience on consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox, these connected devices can reach non-traditional gamers. The challenge will be to expand the customer base by motivating consumers to play more casual games on TVs and streaming devices in addition to mobile devices.”
Virtual reality (VR) and cloud-based gaming services that can be played on a variety of streaming media devices are also pushing the gaming industry into a new stage. Gaming consoles are now used most often for streaming media among younger consumers, while older consumers use smart TVs most often for streaming media.
Parks Associates’ 20th-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, held May 24-26 in San Francisco, will examine the steady decline of gaming console adoption and how upcoming innovations will impact the industry. The event will also address many key issues facing the connected home, including technology adoption and trends, forecasts of new products and services, evaluation of new business strategies, and recommendations about technology innovations, strategic partnerships, monetization opportunities, and value-added services.
More information is available at www.parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview or to request specific research data, please contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com.
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