If PC gaming is for the master race and console gaming for peons then mobile gaming are for slaves.

Assuming that every console sold last gen sold to a different human and no one person owned more than 1 console we would have 300m different people on consoles. With 7+b people in the world that means about 4% of people play video games on consoles. Now, knowing that some people buy every console each gen and such that percentage goes down.

Yes, in the grand scheme console gaming is niche. Is what it is.

Everything is marginal compared to it but we get a better idea of where industries stand when using it, console gaming as industry is dwarfed by other industries when everything is compared to it as other industries touch a much larger percent regardless so yes that makes it niche, that 120m is an estimated average of total platforms moved per gen while factoring overlap of userbases the actual number is likely smaller when all factors are taken into account and looked in to.

Nothing about the word niche indicates decline.  Video game consoles are, however, a narrow market.  Not to say it can't be expanded, but it is niche.  Especially when you take it as part of its product intention of entertainment.

Console gaming is niche in terms of % of total gamers. It is not niche in terms of % of total revenue.

Console gaming is essentially premium gaming. It is far better than flash games or mobile games or facebook games, etc..., but customers also have to pay for this premium experience. I'm sure someone like Yoshida is looking for ways to get those other gamers to spend money on the types of games that Sony delivers. That is what I am getting out of his statement.

 People are misusing the term, niche is used to describe a specialised segment of a mainstream market, also Yoshida was talking about console gaming and like Rol pointed out it accounts for 25 % of the total games market , it was a poor choice of word, he obviously was trying to demonstrate that the deal for Sony impacts a lot of divisions not just the gaming division,but instead he decided to play down the gaming division rather than playup the plan.

Now in regards to the 120m,if you total up Sony Nintendo and Xbox consoles it comes to around double that number and the percentage that own multiple units is most likely offset by figures that show higher  active user numbers,still this is irrelevant since console gaming isn't a specialised segment of itself .

People need to look up the term because it is being used incorrectly niche isn't just a segment of a mainstream market but one of specialisation.

We really seem to be downplaying the business, gaming is now larger than the movie and music businesses combined and consoles make up 25% of that business.

Niche also describes how something compares overall in the big picture and as it stands he's not wrong in that it's niche.

Even if you total up platforms sold by all holders it'll still likely be less than the 120m estimate as the are not only people who own multiple platforms the are factors like people buying more than one variant of a certain platform, the are people who sell one platform to buy another or don't buy anything after, the are people who may buy a platform to try the hobby out and figure it's not for them and don't bother in future, the are people who after gaming for a long time who just stop and move on from the hobby the are people who buy platforms maybe more not for their own personal use like youth centres etc...

Factors like these are why the estimate I gave is very likely overestimating how many gamers the actually are and why if two platforms sell 80m each it doesn't mean the are 160m gamers and also why the industry performance each gen is some what random in what platforms will actually sell.

I called a Nintendo/Apple team up years ago and saw them going up against MS and Sony...but separately. But this makes sense.

I really dont think I'm jumping the gun either. This is major and should be applauded. It's time to put the war to rest. At least for a while. This way creative flourishes. Nintendos game genius and Apples platform and tech. Microsofts online vision with Sonys marketing and strategy.

Things would get very interesting.

It really depends what context he was trying to say it from.

Niche is true if he is say comparing it to how people are currently gaming and or getting their entertainment.

Here he talks about streaming, so in his eyes, streaming of entertainment is a much bigger pie then console games only. If they can find the magic sauce that will allow their streaming service to work, on tvs, smart phones, tablets and computers, then suddenly the userbase is bigger. Suddenly those who cannot see the value in owning dedicated hardware may be willing to pay $20/m to stream games to their living rooms.

Personally i hate to see this happen, as I like collecting physical games lol