So one of the more common arguments I hear for the eventual success of the PS3 and 360 is that HD market penetration will boost sales. However, according to the NPD, not even half of the current owners of these systems know what HD graphics are:
Microsoft and Sony have both been pushing high-definition visuals this generation, but do people care? So far, the hardcore have been the early adopters of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while the mass market waits for the right games (i.e. Grand Theft Auto IV) and price drops to make this generation financially viable. Naturally, then, you might assume gamers with machines now are aware of their HD capabilities, right?
Right?
As it turns out, not so much. The NPD Group released results from their "Next Gen Functionality & Usage" report and some of the numbers are surprising.
According to the results, only 40% of PlayStation 3 owners polled were aware the machine had a Blu-ray player and about 50% of that number had popped in a Blu-ray movie during the last 10 times they turned on the machine -- the other half didn't use the feature. The study didn't poll about Xbox 360's HD-DVD add-on, as it's not a standard feature with the Xbox 360 SKU. For reference, about half polled knew about the DVD-playback potential of Xbox 360.
The lack of awareness (or interest) isn't limited to movie watching, either -- and here's where you should start paying attention for an idea on how the mass market will respond in the next few years. Only 30% of Xbox 360 owners were aware of the HD graphics capabilities of the machine, whereas that number rises to 50% with PS3. Considering the inclusion of a cheap Blu-ray player in the PS3, that's not so surprising, but, either way, a startling number of "HD gamers" don't know about -- or don't care about -- HD.
"The industry is still in its infancy with regard to this "next-gen" and all the expanded capabilities of the systems," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier to 1UP. "Gameplay is still king, and it may take awhile for the awareness and usage of the additional features to really take hold with consumers."
If so few are even aware of the HD functions, how many who are in-the-know are even taking advantage of it? Speaking anecdotally, my Dad picked up an HDTV a few years ago from Costco and every time I'm home, he's watching everything in SD because he doesn't know better. To him, he's watching TV on the "HDTV" and actually switching to a HD-capable channel doesn't cross his mind -- it's the illusion of having the HDTV feature that makes him think he's actually watching a better picture. In fact, he's making standard definition look worse!
I guess the Wii isn't the only system that's been purchased as an impulse buy. More than half of current 360 and PS3 owners don't even know what hardware they bought for $400-$600. What does this say about the industry? Does this show that there are a lot more casual system buyers out there than originally thought?
linkage: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3161833
