Bottom line: For the year, IDC forecasts total shipments of gaming desktops, gaming laptops and gaming monitors to reach 42.8 million. By the end of 2023, the firm anticipates the collective figure to climb to 55.2 million - that is, if other arenas like mobile gaming don't distract spending and extend life cycles.

The gaming industry turned in a solid performance in the second quarter as shipments of gaming desktops, laptops and monitors shot up 16.5 percent year-over-year to 10.4 million units according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker.

IDC credited a combination of broader availability of select CPUs and easing GPU inventory issues as key factors in helping the overall market realize growth.

Individually, gaming laptops held the largest share of the gaming device category with growth of 12.7 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Sales in this category were bolstered by the launch of new models supporting ray tracing across a variety of price points, IDC said.

Gaming desktops had their first positive quarter in a while with shipments growing to 3.3 percent but it was gaming monitors that shined above all else, posting a record high quarter in terms of volume while outpacing the other two categories in year-over-year growth.

Masthead credit: PC gamer by Gorodenkoff