Infographic shows how the PC has fared against other platforms over 50+ years of gaming

[midian182]

Bottom line: Video games, no matter what platform they're on, are big business. The amount of money they generate has increased enormously over the last 50+ years. And while the PC may have outperformed consoles for the last decade, their combined income still can't match the behemoth that is mobile gaming.

Visual Capitalist's infographic of the video games market since 1970 highlights how much the industry has grown and evolved over the years. From 1971 when arcades made $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) through the likes of Pong, to 2022, when games generated $180 billion. With some of the greatest and most popular titles launching last year, that number will likely be even higher for 2023.

Console gaming had outperformed what the PC could manage for decades. Famous consoles from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s meant the console market was regularly the bigger money maker, but that changed in 2013. PC games made $1 billion more than consoles that year, the same one when Starcraft 2 arrived, and the platform has been ahead ever since.

In 2022, The console market generated $30 billion while PC games brought in $45 billion. But even their combined totals couldn't match mobile, which reached $101 billion. The figures, from UK-based market intelligence firm Pelham Smithers, measure revenue rather than individual sales, which is why mobile games, which mostly have a free-to-play-with-microtransactions model, are such big earners.

Also read: 20 Years of Steam: From Half-Life 2 to the Steam Deck

The chart also illustrates the decline of arcade games after they peaked in the mid-80s. Their popularity might have waned, but arcades still made $2 billion in 2022.

It's also interesting to look at the handheld market. It peaked in the mid-to-late 2000s thanks to the Nintendo DS but the launch of the iPhone in 2007 spelled the beginning of the end for traditional handheld gaming. The industry has failed to break the $1 billion threshold since 2020 – the Nintendo Switch is classed as a portable console rather than a handheld in this report.

The chart also includes the virtual/augmented reality platform. Since the launch of the first Oculus Rift in 2016, the market has regularly earned over $1 billion. It peaked at $6 billion in 2021, falling slightly to $5 billion in 2022.

Masthead: Nvidia / Rachid Lotf

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https://www.techspot.com/news/101437-infographic-shows-how-pc-fared-against-other-platforms.html

 

[bviktor]

Wow, just wow. Incredible chart, I've been looking for something like this for years, thanks a lot.

Also, that mockup on the top is just great, catches the 2000s vibes so friggin' perfectly. Q3, C&C, Matrix, CS, Nirvana, UT, BG, Planescape, AVP, Heroes 3, Freespace 2, System Shock... damn. I miss being a kid lol.

 

[Beerfloat]

We're truly living in the future. But I'll happily be gaming like it's 1996. Playstation and Nintendo 64 on the TV, id software and Voodoo graphics on the PC, Diablo about to arrive, and Street Fighter 2 and Daytona USA tearing up the arcades.. mobile games need to get off my lawn!

 

[Aus spot]

Mobile games are great time wasters when you don’t have much time. But serious games live on the PC.

 

[Atmajaya2020]

Wow, look at the number on the chart..
well, its not so shocking since who doesn't play mobile games nowadays..?

 

[Dr Roboto]

I have been through all of this (man I am getting old) and it has been an interesting ride. I have a lot of nostalgia for those days of the arcade. I still love a good game of pinball or finding an old school arcade, not those cheesy ticket things nowadays. The arcade environment was exciting and a great place to socialize. Still does not hold a candle to my experiences with Half Life or Duke Nukem 3D on the PC. Now I see my kids hiding away in their bedrooms, faces glued to their cell phones playing COD or other games all the time. But, then again, I find myself hiding away in my office playing my recently purchased Halo Master Chief Collection and Crysis Remastered Trilogy on my PC for hours at a time, so who am I to judge. Things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. The world goes around. Blah, Blah, Blah.

One thing I did recently realize, are microtrasactions really that different than old school arcade games that you had to keep feeding one quarter at a time to continue to play? How much money did we blow on those games. Stacks of quarters every time you played. $1 in 1985 is now about $3 in today's money. I routinely pumped a dollar or so into an arcade game back in my day. So, maybe things are a lot more the same than you think.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I have been through all of this (man I am getting old) and it has been an interesting ride. I have a lot of nostalgia for those days of the arcade. I still love a good game of pinball or finding an old school arcade, not those cheesy ticket things nowadays. The arcade environment was exciting and a great place to socialize. Still does not hold a candle to my experiences with Half Life or Duke Nukem 3D on the PC. Now I see my kids hiding away in their bedrooms, faces glued to their cell phones playing COD or other games all the time. But, then again, I find myself hiding away in my office playing my recently purchased Halo Master Chief Collection and Crysis Remastered Trilogy on my PC for hours at a time, so who am I to judge. Things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. The world goes around. Blah, Blah, Blah.

One thing I did recently realize, are microtrasactions really that different than old school arcade games that you had to keep feeding one quarter at a time to continue to play? How much money did we blow on those games. Stacks of quarters every time you played. $1 in 1985 is now about $3 in today's money. I routinely pumped a dollar or so into an arcade game back in my day. So, maybe things are a lot more the same than you think.

Yeah, they're different, since if you were skilled you could, theoretically, beat those arcade games in one sitting with one quarter. Micro transaction laden mobile trash, OTOH, is built to psychologically manipulate you into spending money, locking stuff behind paywalls, and general gameplay is ruined to push monetization.

Nobody at atari was hiring doctors to squeeze every last quater out of space invaders. They just made a genuinely fun game.

Wow, look at the number on the chart..
well, its not so shocking since who doesn't play mobile games nowadays..?

Me. I cant stand them. Full of ads and trying to steal my money. I havent downloaded a mobile game since the days of angry bird star wars.

I just stick to emulated GBA games these days.

 

[EdmondRC]

What would make the most sense of this chart? People are losing interest in dedicated devices and multi-purpose devices (PCs, mobile phones) make more sense going forward for gaming platforms? Why is PC suddenly overtaking consoles? Competitive gaming? Chinese market?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

What would make the most sense of this chart? People are losing interest in dedicated devices and multi-purpose devices (PCs, mobile phones) make more sense going forward for gaming platforms? Why is PC suddenly overtaking consoles? Competitive gaming? Chinese market?

On the PC I can have full control of my games, I can play stuff dating back to the 90s, I can get all the exclusives from both MS and Sony, and I can emulate almost anything else. I dont have to pay to play online, I can mod my games, and I can use it for other things besides gaming!

The benefits of a console, the low price, the plug in and play aspect, and the exclusive games, are all a thing of the past. PS5s are $600 minimum now. Games are $70 and rarely go on sale, meanwhile on PC you can get those same titles a year later for $30. When my console has massive framerate issues (think just cause 3 on PS4/xbone), dropping textures, the same buggy glitchy mess that PC gamers are used to on new releases, microtransactions, subscriptions, and all the annoying online BS, why exactly would you buy an underpowered console over a PC? The experience is the same these days, and the PC ironically has way more exclusives.

In the internet connected age, the PC is the superior choice. The more inconvenient consoles become, the more people will switch over. One look at a 144+hz monitor running COD or halo and they'll never forget what buttery smooth looks like.

 

[LetTheWookieWin]

On the PC I can have full control of my games, I can play stuff dating back to the 90s, I can get all the exclusives from both MS and Sony, and I can emulate almost anything else. I dont have to pay to play online, I can mod my games, and I can use it for other things besides gaming!

The benefits of a console, the low price, the plug in and play aspect, and the exclusive games, are all a thing of the past. PS5s are $600 minimum now. Games are $70 and rarely go on sale, meanwhile on PC you can get those same titles a year later for $30. When my console has massive framerate issues (think just cause 3 on PS4/xbone), dropping textures, the same buggy glitchy mess that PC gamers are used to on new releases, microtransactions, subscriptions, and all the annoying online BS, why exactly would you buy an underpowered console over a PC? The experience is the same these days, and the PC ironically has way more exclusives.

In the internet connected age, the PC is the superior choice. The more inconvenient consoles become, the more people will switch over. One look at a 144+hz monitor running COD or halo and they'll never forget what buttery smooth looks like.

Couldn’t have said it better. Plus, I can use my PC for a ton of other productive purposes besides just gaming (office, programming, photo processing, video). Even with gaming of late I’ve had fun using OBS to record gaming on the same system.

 

[RandomWAN]

Wow, look at the number on the chart..
well, its not so shocking since who doesn't play mobile games nowadays..?

/me raises hand.

 

[BadThad]

Cool chart! Thanks for the article!

 

[BobHome]

On the PC I can have full control of my games, I can play stuff dating back to the 90s, I can get all the exclusives from both MS and Sony, and I can emulate almost anything else. I dont have to pay to play online, I can mod my games, and I can use it for other things besides gaming!

The benefits of a console, the low price, the plug in and play aspect, and the exclusive games, are all a thing of the past. PS5s are $600 minimum now. Games are $70 and rarely go on sale, meanwhile on PC you can get those same titles a year later for $30. When my console has massive framerate issues (think just cause 3 on PS4/xbone), dropping textures, the same buggy glitchy mess that PC gamers are used to on new releases, microtransactions, subscriptions, and all the annoying online BS, why exactly would you buy an underpowered console over a PC? The experience is the same these days, and the PC ironically has way more exclusives.

In the internet connected age, the PC is the superior choice. The more inconvenient consoles become, the more people will switch over. One look at a 144+hz monitor running COD or halo and they'll never forget what buttery smooth looks like.

One other advantage of PCs is input: keyboard and mouse. A lot more control and precision available than using a handheld controller. I've read that a lot of cross-game console players get irritated by this. (Which probably led to things like Steam Deck that can use these inputs.)

 

[pencea]

Regardless of platforms, consoles, PC and such. Forget about debating which platform generates more revenue or has superior specs or better titles.

Let's just all be happy and celebrate as fellow gamers that the gaming industry is alive and kicking well. For us older gamers, it's magical to have lived and witness the progression of games as a medium. For younger and newer generations of folks, you have plethora of choices of gaming contents to enjoy today.

It's a great time to be alive for gaming.

 

[TopHat]

So I'm guessing sales relating to things like the Steam Deck aren't counted as handheld? Or is the revenue from that so small that it's not noticeable?

 

[Atmajaya2020]

So I'm guessing sales relating to things like the Steam Deck aren't counted as handheld? Or is the revenue from that so small that it's not noticeable?

handhelds triumph again in 2023, while the charts only show until 2022...
but, are handhelds (steamdeck, ROG Ally) actually considered PC gaming or mobile gaming..?

 

[RudyBob]

I never had the coordination or speed of thought to play consoles or I might have enjoyed them. I find controllers unmanageable. I bought my daughter a ps2 and we played two games...Tony Hawk which I really liked but could not play and one with crazy monster cars which was great fun but I could not do that either. I need a keyboard. I did have a Mattel Intellivision and that I could do but the games were slow

 

[toooooot]

I never had the coordination or speed of thought to play consoles or I might have enjoyed them. I find controllers unmanageable. I bought my daughter a ps2 and we played two games...Tony Hawk which I really liked but could not play and one with crazy monster cars which was great fun but I could not do that either. I need a keyboard. I did have a Mattel Intellivision and that I could do but the games were slow

Born and raised keyboard user. Someone got me an xbox 360 controller once.
I tried it in assassin's creed and liked it a lot over a keyboard.
I use a controller for some games since, but not fps.

 

[gamerk2]

Born and raised keyboard user. Someone got me an xbox 360 controller once.
I tried it in assassin's creed and liked it a lot over a keyboard.
I use a controller for some games since, but not fps.

This is most people now; for online FPS I still go KBM, but otherwise I use a XB1 controller.

 

[whoever81]

In the internet connected age, the PC is the superior choice. The more inconvenient consoles become, the more people will switch over.

There is no superior choice. It's all about preference and convenience.
I got a PS5 DE ($400) for all my gaming needs and I have a sff PC for everything else.
Both are connected to an oled LG C2, which...is indeed a superior choice.

 

[RandomWAN]

There is no superior choice. It's all about preference and convenience.
I got a PS5 DE ($400) for all my gaming needs and I have a sff PC for everything else.
Both are connected to an oled LG C2, which...is indeed a superior choice.

PC is objectively superior. Outside of title availability limitations, it can do anything a console can do and more. You can build a single PC to handle productivity, gaming, and couch gaming needs. It has the flexibility and upgradability that a console can never touch.

 

[tesseramous]

Most people already own PCs and mobiles to work, live, and do 20 other things. Its easy to just load a game on your PC or mobile you already own. However to to play on console you need to shell out money (now $500+) on a new device that only does one thing, gaming (maybe you stream tv on it too). You might also need to buy a TV.

 

[BbN48]

Wow, look at the number on the chart..
well, its not so shocking since who doesn't play mobile games nowadays..?

Quite a few people don't bother with mobile games... Only game I played on my phone in the last 5 years was when I put SW KOTOR on it for travel. Didn't end up spending much time on it.

 

[AdamNovagen]

I like this info a lot, but my only question is: are we really not considering the Switch Lite as a handheld? I know that internally, it's basically the Switch which is decidedly *not* a purely handheld console, but the Switch Lite can't be docked to anything so that would still make it a dedicated handheld in my eyes. Considering how many units that thing's sold, I feel like the handheld category's a bit unfairly diminished here.

Not that it's super important though, because **** Nintendo anyway lol