By hardcore I mean those people who argue about stuff like video game DRM on internet gaming forums. People who actually spend time on internet gaming forums. People who make a big deal about how much better a game is if it got a 90 on Meta and the other game only got a pathetic 89. People who debate whether sales = quality.

Those people.

If say 80% of those people walked away from PS4 and Xbone because both of them introduced anti-consumer DRM measures into their console and they went to Wii U and / or Ouya how much market share would MS and Sony lose?

And they can't flip over to PC because that would be the height of hypocrisy given, at worst, MS and Sony will basically be trying to emulate the sort of DRM that already exists in PC-land.

Using this console generation's sales as PS4 and Xbone's sales potential if they do not introduce any DRM. By how much would each console fall short if the hypothetical backlash were to occur?

Go!

Bascially what I'm asking is how important a consumer force do you think the internet dwelling gamer fan is?

I voted 10 million, but didn't fully understand the question. It would probably be a couple of million, there aren't many hardcore gamers like that.

The backlash isn't going to be from hardcore gamers only though.

I'd say 5-10 million. There's definitely a lot of us, more than enough to stir shit up and actually change things, but the problem is we're all talk.

when MSony's reveals can get near 10M live stream viewers during the middle of the day when there are a ton of people like me who had to wait to watch until after work...

>15M easy.

edit: crap your poll is confusing.  lose each?  well those stated 15M easy are the hardcores which obviously is spread across MS/Sony/Nintendo/Steam.   ...but let me also say that the "non-core" tend to buy the system their friends have.  if the first 15M core (aka early adopters) all shun one in favor of the other they can turn the entire market in one direction.

OK, what aspect of the question was unclear? I'll try to fix it.

<1%, but it won't happen. Hardcore gamers will buy the Xbone or the PS4 anyway.

If you'd exclude just those people maybe 5 million or so. But the problem would be these would be mostly first day purchases, no more word of mouth (or only negative) from those people and both will be in big trouble.

I was just unsure whether you were asking how many customers Sony and Microsoft would lose in total due to DRM or how many hardcore customers Sony and Microsoft would lose.

It's ok, I just misunderstood.

basically, the thread title lumps sony/ms so my first impression is you wanted me to estimate the entire market.  the OP isn't exactly leaning one way or the other but then your poll question throws in an each which i missed before voting and posting.

Maybe 2% of people would be pissed off enough not to get the PS4/Xbone. Which would make it 3 million total I guess. If even half of them went Nintendo...