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Console gaming sales down 24 percent in September
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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All of this is because you can find most of console's game title on PC version too
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Zilpha said:
I don't even understand why we have consoles anymore. Console makers can just set up their gaming OS as a standalone service, stream it to peoples' pcs, and we can just hook into our living room systems to capture the "console" experience.
In this day and age, the PC is the superior choice on every level, and the only thing that I even like about playing on consoles is the ability to use a controller and lounge on the couch. Even so, a lot of the games I have on pc work with a controller, so I just connect the laptop into the TV and use a wireless logitech.
I'd be happy never touching another console again if more developers would release 2 sets of interfaces with their PC games, one for keyboard and mouse and one for a controller in lieu of that console version they would have developed anyway. Problem solved, and they'd probably save a bit on development costs.
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Its due to too many games......consoles,handheld consoles,pc,tablets & smartphones. My personal belief is that tablets and smartphones are dominating the market and will continue to do so. Not everyone can have it all so they go with what they like the most, and since Apple & Android are trending the last several years, consoles will hurt the most. Which may be a good thing, Consoles such as Xbox have been gouging consumers with DLC content, yearly subscriptions for years. I am seeing this trend with smart devices as well but the cost isn't as high (I don't agree with paying for any extra content personaly) once you buy a game, that should be it and extras should be free or none at all.
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