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$NTDOY - IDC: Game Console Shipments to Rise for First Time in Years

Oct 2, 2013 09:08:08 (ET)


By Ben Fox Rubin

International Data Corp. predicts the number of game console bundles shipped world-wide this year will be "marginally higher" than the 33 million bundles shipped in 2012, potentially snapping a four-year slide in shipments as the next generation of consoles hits the market.

The tech industry research provider also forecast that the new Sony Corp. (SNE) PlayStation 4 will edge out Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) new Xbox One in sales during the holidays, thanks in part to the PS4's lower price point.

IDC said connected console subscription revenue, from Xbox LIVE Gold and PlayStation Plus, is expected to rise in 2013 while subscription-based PC game revenue, for games such as "World of Warcraft," will decline, amid a trend toward connected console gaming.

"The number of online console gamers around the globe is on pace to exceed 165 million by 2017," said Lewis Ward, a gaming research manager 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," referring to Nintendo Co.'s (NTDOY) Wii U console.

IDC also anticipates that videogame software revenue generated on smart TV, microconsole and gaming-capable set-top box platforms from cable or telecom companies is rising quickly but will still represent less than 10% of all TV-centric, digital game-related spending in 2017.

Write to Ben Fox Rubin at [e-mail]

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 02, 2013 09:08 ET (13:08 GMT)