Console gaming sales down 24 percent in September

Rick

Posts: 4,512   +66

It appears the U.S. console gaming industry has fallen into an autumn slump, generating $250 million less revenue in September than the same time last year. All in all, NPD Group analysts report that revenue was down about 24 percent. This figure includes only consoles, physical games and accessories. What the report does not include are used sales, rentals and digitally distributed games.

Once again, Microsoft's venerable Xbox 360 weighed in as the top console in terms of sales. This marks the system's 21st consecutive month as number one, holding about 49percent of video game system market share.

However, the 360's run is expected to be abruptly cut short next month by the Wii U, Nintendo's upcoming console offering. The Wii U is expected to debut for $299, a price point the company can manage because of its modest hardware. Perhaps the system's most defining feature is its controller though, which will tout a versatile 6.2-inch LCD display.

The reason for the decline is not discussed in-depth, but a substantial drop in hardware sales indicates part of the problem may simply be stale equipment. The report suggests aging consoles have already reached their saturation points as American consumers look forward to next-generation hardware.

In terms of console game sales, Borderlands 2 came in at second place, just behind Madden NFL 13 which occupies the top slot. Considering Borderlands 2 had only been around for about two weeks during September, the folks over at Gearbox will probably sleep soundly tonight. 

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Borderlands 2 was the first game worth a damn in a long time. Otherwise I haven't seen anything worth 60 bucks.
 
quote="NTAPRO, post: 1240771, member: 280760"]Maybe it's because some game are easier to get and are cheaper on pc :eek:

"Borderlands 2 and Madden 13 dominate September video game sales: http://g4.tv/QgemXZ "[/quote]

There was a time long ago when this was true. Then for a few years it wasn't. But I agree that this is true more and more.

Goop post NTAPRO.

Dave
 
Two word fix:
NEW HARDWARE!
Market has been stale for years. Need some innovation out there.
Looking forward to picking up a Wii U when they come out.
 
Yeah, gamer family here, and we're just enjoying the games we already own and saving for new hardware. Not really a slump, in as much as we're time shifting when we'll spend money.
 
WAIT A MINUTE!

The Wii U is debuting in the US for $299!!!

In the UK its coming to us at £350! WTF Nintendo!?

Think I might setup an ebay account and get a friend in the US to send me some Wii U's and make a profit out of it ;)
 
WAIT A MINUTE!

The Wii U is debuting in the US for $299!!!

In the UK its coming to us at £350! WTF Nintendo!?

Think I might setup an ebay account and get a friend in the US to send me some Wii U's and make a profit out of it ;)
I'll do it if I get some profit :D
 
To the guy who said when school begins people don't have time to play. The numbers are down from the same time last year. More than likely its due to the huge sales of pc games like world of warcraft. When black ops 2 gets release next month console sales will go back up.
 
I think most people who wanted a current generation console have already bought one. Now who is left are 3 categories:

1) Gamers who already own a console but wand a 2nd or 3rd console for more exclusive games (a small part of the market);

2) Gamers whose console died and is out of warranty

3) Gamers who held out because the price was too high and are waiting for sales on current consoles to buy.

Since Xbox 360 and PS3 still have not even reached $99-149 price points, and even not $199 for PS3, it's no wonder the hardware market for consoles is shrinking. Then you have shrinking sales of games which is also expected since 2012 didn't have many great games and the number of new IP exclusives coming to consoles in the next 2 years before being replaced by PS4 and Nextbox can probably be counted on 1 hand. I think even the Wii U will not stop the console slump. There are other factors at play here are more casual gamers are choosing to play cheap games on smartphones and tablets than drop $40-60 on a console game.

I think the golden age of consoles is behind us. I think the next 3 major consoles from Nintendo, MS and Sony will sell less in aggregate than the current generation. There is a lot more competition for consoles than ever. If Free to Play games become the future of gaming, it'll make console gaming even less attractive imo.
 
WAIT A MINUTE!

The Wii U is debuting in the US for $299!!!

In the UK its coming to us at £350! WTF Nintendo!?

Think I might setup an ebay account and get a friend in the US to send me some Wii U's and make a profit out of it ;)

You should try out the almost $450 they are going to sting us Aussies
 
Because WoW and Diablo3 totally rocks so thats why their is no one buying for console
(note: its sarcastic)
 
Emulator kills the console :p
Emulators are a pain in the arse you will end up trying to get them running more then you will play a damn game. The wii one is the only one I remember for this gen of consoles and what a head ache it is.

The emulators for old consoles aren't to shabby though. If you think your gonna emulate the next gen of consoles you better have a damn amazing computer and years of patience they still don't have the ps3 or xbox 360 and they are like 7 years old!
 
The UK price of the Wii U is £260 for the basic unit, the equivalent of the $299 one. Still expensive, but certainly not the figure quoted here.
 
I bet this has to do with people waiting for Halo 4 and Blackops 2 coming out next month?? Two of the top selling gaming franchises of all time? Maybe it's just me...
 
Even with Xbox360 250GB dropping to $249 and Sony having a $269 PS3 bundle (http://www.gamrreview.com/news/89370/xbox-360-price-cut-at-gamestop/), that's still to expensive to waste on either console where in 1-1.5 years these consoles are basically dead. Most gamers realize over 6-7 years the cost of gaming is largely in software not hardware. Why waste $250-270 on a 6-7 year old console when you can wait 1 year and just put that $ towards a $400-500 new console that will have a 6-7 year lifespan, better graphics, more media features, etc? If you want to play the old library of 360 / PS3, I am sure MS and Sony will sell games online via their digital distribution services.
 
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