By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Gaming Discussion - IDC Predicts Worldwide Game Console Shipments Will Be Up In 2013 with PS4 Outselling Xbox One This Holiday Season

 

IDC - Press Release

02 Oct 2013 

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., October 2, 2013 – A new connected game and entertainment console forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC) concludes that the number of game console bundles shipped worldwide in 2013 will be marginally higher than the 2012 total of approximately 33 million bundles, ending a four-year slide that began in 2009. The forecast also suggests that Sony PlayStation 4 (PS4) bundle sales will edge out Microsoft Xbox One sales this holiday season due to a variety of factors, most notably the PS4's lower price point.

IDC predicts that prepaid full-game, micro-game, and add-on download revenue derived through connected console channels (Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Store and eShop) will exceed that of worldwide PC-based prepaid full-game, micro-game, and add-on download revenue (i.e., digital PC games distributed through Steam, Origin, and Amazon.com) for the first time this year. Connected console subscription revenue (Xbox LIVE Gold and PlayStation Plus) is also rising in 2013 while subscription-based PC game revenue (i.e., World of Warcraft) is in decline.

"The number of online console gamers around the globe is on pace to exceed 165 million by 2017," said Lewis Ward, Research Manager, Gaming at IDC. "As a result, the opportunity to sell these gamers digital assets through Wii U, Xbox One, and PS4 online storefronts will grow substantially in the next several years." Ward adds that the Chinese government's recent decision to lift the ban on consoles should lead to millions of additional hardware bundle sales for the likes of Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony within three years.

The forecast also considers the outlook for gaming-capable smart TV, microconsole, and set-top box (STB) gaming. IDC anticipates that video game software revenue generated on smart TV, microconsole, and gaming-capable set-top box (STB) platforms from cable/telecom companies – and including cloud-streaming options from some of these providers – is rising quickly but will still represent less than 10% of all TV-centric, digital game-related spending in 2017.

"The differences between traditional game consoles, PCs connected to HDTV's, and a variety of set-top-boxes and smart TVs that can play games will eventually be semantic," explained Ward. "And it appears unlikely that Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony will be driven out of the living room from a gaming perspective by 2017 as result of non-console competition from the likes of Valve/Steam, OUYA, cable/telecom companies, or related hardware and Web service providers."

The IDC report, Worldwide Connected Game and Entertainment Console and Connected Smart TV, Microconsole, and Set-Top Box Gaming 2013–2017 Forecast (Doc #243033), breaks out North American totals from a combined rest of the world (ROW) region and distinguishes connected console hardware, online gamers, and revenue along a number of dimensions. The outlook for gaming-capable smart TV, microconsole, and set-top box (STB) game revenue is also considered in the 82-page report.

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24365413



Around the Network

Sorry about the wall of text, it's how the article is. Still very interesting points though.



Somini said:

Sorry about the wall of text, it's how the article is. Still very interesting points though.


i would remove the "about IDC" part as i am sure nobody really cares about that



bananaking21 said:
Somini said:

Sorry about the wall of text, it's how the article is. Still very interesting points though.


i would remove the "about IDC" part as i am sure nobody really cares about that

You're right! Well there, it looks better now i think lol.



I don't think too many people will argue that the PS4 will outsell the XB1 this holiday. The difference i would think is that it will be caused by hardware availability. I think both systems will essentially sell out through January. It seems pretty clear that Sony is way ahead of M$ as far as production goes.



Around the Network

I agree, but IDC cannot be trusted with their figures/estimates/predictions. They've been caught out lying before.



 

landguy1 said:
I don't think too many people will argue that the PS4 will outsell the XB1 this holiday. The difference i would think is that it will be caused by hardware availability. I think both systems will essentially sell out through January. It seems pretty clear that Sony is way ahead of M$ as far as production goes.


Are you saying the Xbox One would outsell the PS4 if Microsoft could produce enough units and launch in as many countries as the PS4 will?



Somini said:
landguy1 said:
I don't think too many people will argue that the PS4 will outsell the XB1 this holiday. The difference i would think is that it will be caused by hardware availability. I think both systems will essentially sell out through January. It seems pretty clear that Sony is way ahead of M$ as far as production goes.


Are you saying the Xbox One would outsell the PS4 if Microsoft could produce enough units and launch in as many countries as the PS4 will?

You're pretty consistent in your lack of comprehension and actually reading posts.    I clearly said that both systems will sell out through January.  It won't matter how many either produces.  So, if both had produced 3 million, then they both would have sold 3 million.  Did I ever say that the XB1 will outsell the PS4?  No, because both systems will be supply constrained.



landguy1 said:
Somini said:
landguy1 said:
I don't think too many people will argue that the PS4 will outsell the XB1 this holiday. The difference i would think is that it will be caused by hardware availability. I think both systems will essentially sell out through January. It seems pretty clear that Sony is way ahead of M$ as far as production goes.


Are you saying the Xbox One would outsell the PS4 if Microsoft could produce enough units and launch in as many countries as the PS4 will?

You're pretty consistent in your lack of comprehension and actually reading posts.    I clearly said that both systems will sell out through January.  It won't matter how many either produces.  So, if both had produced 3 million, then they both would have sold 3 million.  Did I ever say that the XB1 will outsell the PS4?  No, because both systems will be supply constrained.

What's your problem? I worded my question in a way so you wouldn't understand wrong, but it hasn't helped i see!

I was asking if you think MS could sell more consoles were supplies not a problem. In other words; SAY both companies succeed in producing, i don't know, 20 million units, which do you belive will sell more?



It's a decent guess based on the information we all have right now. But predicting the future is a risky business. I'd give it to the PS4 too right now, who wouldn't?