POE said:
No it´s not. |
3DS is definitely doing quite well. I think a dedicated handheld with a reasonably cheaper price point than most big name powerful smartphones definitely has a place in the market. The 3DS retails at around $150 and the more expensive smartphones are several times that price. So hardware-wise 3DS should do okay at least.
Unfortunately software is where the dedicated handheld is taking a hit because of all the free games on the app stores. But at the end of the day quality software will stand out over free crap even if it comes for a premium price and there will always be people who want quality. I think a slightly lower price point for games (nothing above $30) with downloadable versions costing $5 less or so would do the handheld market a lot of good.
The sales are surprisingly good, although I feel that they will drop off soon, I don't see it becoming as big as the DS was.
| UltimateUnknown said: Unfortunately software is where the dedicated handheld is taking a hit because of all the free games on the app stores. But at the end of the day quality software will stand out over free crap even if it comes for a premium price and there will always be people who want quality. I think a slightly lower price point for games (nothing above $30) with downloadable versions costing $5 less or so would do the handheld market a lot of good. |
Rough check (VGC data, retail only) suggests it trending behind DS after 2 years in attach rate, but at the level of PSP (3 for DS, 2.5 for PSP and 3DS), not too shabby given price point. But I wouldn't mind more cheap digital games and more cheaper digital versions of retail games, otherwise there's just no point in buying them digitally (especially if they cost less in real stores).
kitler53 said:
|
What do you want to bet?
Yes it´s still alive, but in the West, its best days have passed and we´ll probably not see a GameBoy (the original, not the GBA) and DS phenomenon again.
POE said:
What do you want to bet? |
sure, we use vgchartz numbers up the the week ending on december 29th so it corresponds with last year's numbers ending on the december 30th.
kitler53 said:
|
2 days is a lot, maybe we can take the 20% of the first week of January?
mai said:
Rough check (VGC data, retail only) suggests it trending behind DS after 2 years in attach rate, but at the level of PSP (3 for DS, 2.5 for PSP and 3DS), not too shabby given price point. But I wouldn't mind more cheap digital games and more cheaper digital versions of retail games, otherwise there's just no point in buying them digitally (especially if they cost less in real stores). |
Exactly my point with digital downloads. Its great on paper but its ridiculous that digital copies cost almost upto 50% more than their retail counterparts (some games on Live cost twice the retail versions wtf). Plus digital games don't drop in price as much as retail games. There is no reason to buy a digital copy as you said if retail copies cost less. I suppose Nintendo/Sony/MS don't want to undercut and screw around with their retail partners who promote and sell their games. Unfortunately business practices take precedence over consumer friendliness.
| Pineapple said: It's going to be the weakest handheld year since the 2005. 2005: 20.6 million (DS 10.6 million, PsP 9 million). Likely to be a bit higher due to the GBA still selling a bit. 2006: 30 million (DS 20.5 million, PsP 9.5 million) 2007: 42 million (DS 29.5 million, PsP 12.8 million) 2008: 44 million (DS 29.5 million, PsP 13 million) 2009: 37 million (DS 27 million, PsP 9 million) 2010: 30 million (DS 21 million, PsP 9 million) 2011: 30 million (3DS 13.25 million, DS 9 million, PsP 7 million, Vita 0.5 million) 2012: 20 million (3DS 11 million, DS 3 million, PsP 3 million, Vita 3 million). Plus whatever they sell the next few weeks.
In other words, the handheld market is the weakest it has been since the DS launched. Considering 2005 lacks GBA sales, it's likely 2005 was actually higher than 2012.
However, the reason for the drop isn't necessarily smartphones. The total revenue for smartphone games is at just 2 billion dollars a year, while the handheld market is still well above 10 billion. It's less that the smartphones have stolen the market, and more that the 3DS simply doesn't have the appeal of the DS, and the Vita is nowhere near the appeal of the PsP. The decrease is due to internal problems, rather than external. Which means there's still plenty of time to turn it around. |
Dont you think that is more because the Vita failed to appeal to consumers?
About Us |
Terms of Use |
Privacy Policy |
Advertise |
Staff |
Contact
Display As Desktop
Display As Mobile
© 2006-2026 VGChartz Ltd. All rights reserved.
