PC gaming revenue to surpass consoles by 2014

[J T]

I can't say that I'm particularly surprised given the success of Steam and other digital distributors, On Live, Free-to-Play gaming, the strong PC indie community growth, the continued evolution of PC graphics & processing power, a decline in Japanese imports, easy solutions for connecting a PC to a TV, and the fact that modern consoles feel more like computers than game consoles. Nvidia predicts PCs will return to being the main way that people play videogames in the near future. These predictions are based on linear trends of recent years projected into the future.

http://techgage.com/article/nvidia_talk ... ng_trends/

[o.pwuaioc]

I don't think that graph is legit. It's been going up since 2008, and they predict it to go down in 2012...based on what?

Edit: Fixed image.

[FiftyDollarCurse]

The first graph confuses me. It says "PC Gaming Software Sales Growing Fast!", but the graph is measuring "Games Software Revenue". Revenue is different than sales.

Also the author of the article seems to think PC gaming sales will increase because Battlefield 3's graphics are better? I'd be curious to see what percentage of these PC game revenue numbers can be attributed to Bejeweled, FarmVille and their ilk.

[Gnashvar]

The graph can be misleading if you think about it but it does say the truth. PC is leveling up because the distribution methods have changed. So they make more money but I still think console total sales are quite strong.

Edit: I guess someone above beat me to it. I agree.

[ZeroAX]

I don't think that graph is legit. It's been going up since 2008, and they predict it to go down in 2012...based on what?

Decline of Wii/DS sales?

The first graph confuses me. It says "PC Gaming Software Sales Growing Fast!", but the graph is measuring "Games Software Revenue". Revenue is different than sales.

I don't think the business people care. Heck more revenue compared to more sales means retailers and the second hand market take a lesser cut.


But yeah, the main reason PC gaming will be up won't be traditional game sales. It will be everything else everyone has mentioned. Hope consoles follow (as they always do) and we see multiple distribution channels on console

[Hatta]

[DinnerX]

I hate it when people over extrapolate graphs.

[BoringSupreez]

I guess this is ok, although I liked it best when PC and console gaming were neck-at-neck like in the late 90s/early 2000s. I just hope most of this growth isn't just Farmville and Mafia Wars and that sort of shovelware. I want real games.


What reason is there to believe that in 2012 console revenue is going to start going down? The Vita and Wii U are coming next year, console sales will increase if anything. Only counting 2011 and previous years, the chart seems to predict that PC and console games will both continue to increase. I think someone pulled the extrapolations on that chart out of their butt.

[MrPopo]

If you look at the curve of the console graph from 2008 to 2011 you can see that the period from 2009 to 2011 is a very distinctive bell curve. If I was going to fit a trend line to that data the most I would do is have it turn into an asymptote at a level not much higher than the 2011 levels. They also don't show the sales revenue for the period following the 360 and PS3/Wii launches. I would be curious to see if those also see a general dip in initial revenue which would then be applied to the launch of the WiiU and the future MS/Sony consoles.

[AmishSamurai]

PC Gaming- happily dying since 1980.