Just release were some figures from an 1800 person survey done by Frank N., Magid Associates on the U.S. Gaming Market.
The questions revolved around 'next gen' console purchases, online gaming and game longevity. The report findings were presented by Mike Vorhaus at the London Game Summit which concluded earlier in the month.
Vorhaus says his findings indicate the next gen race is going to be a tight one. The one year lead that Microsoft has had with the Xbox 360 is definitely going to play in their favor. However, he believes that Sony with its Playstation 3 will win this race but by a much smaller margin. Of the 1800 people who responded, 3% already owned an Xbox 360 while an additional 5% said they were definitely going to get one. However 7% of the respondents said they were intending on purchasing a Playstation 3 when it was available. Wii held up the rear, which is no surprise, with only 4% saying they want to get the Nintendo console alternative. What's surprising is how close the race is between Wii and Xbox 360 for future purchases. So when all is said and done, Vorhaus predicts that the Playstation 3 will have a 6:4.5 or 6:5 lead in installation base by the end of this 'next gen' battle. Microsoft is definitely closing the gap on Sony.
There's no question that Microsoft's push for online gaming is their defining contribution to console gaming. An amazing 15% of Xbox 360 owners say they only game online while another 19% say that they game online frequently. Taking a step back to a study done in the original Xbox era, only 5% responded they only game online and 9% said they gamed online frequently. So, Microsoft's message about how great online gaming can be in a closed network is definitely getting across.
The pre-owned game market continues to pick up speed. Retailers make substantially more profit selling a pre-owned game than a new game at retail. It's no surprise that we're seeing tactics at retail outlets to try and get you to buy that used game for a few dollars cheaper than the new game.
An amazing 35% of respondents said they went into a retailer intending to buy a new game and walked out with a used one instead. This means billions of dollars a year in profit being shifted from the developer and distribution chain to the pockets of the retailer. Before you buy a used game, ask yourself who you want to give the profit to, the guys who made the game or the guys who are selling the game. To show how big the used game market has become, an amazing 57% of the respondents have said that they purchased a used game in the last year.
Lastly, how long are we playing our games? I know for me personally I'm in the two to four week range unless it's really good, then it might stretch to eight weeks. According to 360voice.com the game I put the most time into was Battlefield 2 which was 46 days (although their records are slightly inaccurate). According to this survey, 14% of previously engaged players drop their game in less than six months with 48% saying they stopped playing because they got busy and 40% because they got bored with it and lost interest.
So to sum up the survey, Microsoft will end the 'next gen' behind Sony but not by much this round. Online gaming is on the rise, used game sales are also on the rise and game longevity seems to be six months or less here in the USA.
Source: www.gamasutra.com
Vorhaus says his findings indicate the next gen race is going to be a tight one. The one year lead that Microsoft has had with the Xbox 360 is definitely going to play in their favor. However, he believes that Sony with its Playstation 3 will win this race but by a much smaller margin. Of the 1800 people who responded, 3% already owned an Xbox 360 while an additional 5% said they were definitely going to get one. However 7% of the respondents said they were intending on purchasing a Playstation 3 when it was available. Wii held up the rear, which is no surprise, with only 4% saying they want to get the Nintendo console alternative. What's surprising is how close the race is between Wii and Xbox 360 for future purchases. So when all is said and done, Vorhaus predicts that the Playstation 3 will have a 6:4.5 or 6:5 lead in installation base by the end of this 'next gen' battle. Microsoft is definitely closing the gap on Sony.
There's no question that Microsoft's push for online gaming is their defining contribution to console gaming. An amazing 15% of Xbox 360 owners say they only game online while another 19% say that they game online frequently. Taking a step back to a study done in the original Xbox era, only 5% responded they only game online and 9% said they gamed online frequently. So, Microsoft's message about how great online gaming can be in a closed network is definitely getting across.The pre-owned game market continues to pick up speed. Retailers make substantially more profit selling a pre-owned game than a new game at retail. It's no surprise that we're seeing tactics at retail outlets to try and get you to buy that used game for a few dollars cheaper than the new game.
An amazing 35% of respondents said they went into a retailer intending to buy a new game and walked out with a used one instead. This means billions of dollars a year in profit being shifted from the developer and distribution chain to the pockets of the retailer. Before you buy a used game, ask yourself who you want to give the profit to, the guys who made the game or the guys who are selling the game. To show how big the used game market has become, an amazing 57% of the respondents have said that they purchased a used game in the last year.Lastly, how long are we playing our games? I know for me personally I'm in the two to four week range unless it's really good, then it might stretch to eight weeks. According to 360voice.com the game I put the most time into was Battlefield 2 which was 46 days (although their records are slightly inaccurate). According to this survey, 14% of previously engaged players drop their game in less than six months with 48% saying they stopped playing because they got busy and 40% because they got bored with it and lost interest.
So to sum up the survey, Microsoft will end the 'next gen' behind Sony but not by much this round. Online gaming is on the rise, used game sales are also on the rise and game longevity seems to be six months or less here in the USA.Source: www.gamasutra.com
