Report: Portable Gaming to Exceed $10B by 2007
A new report from DFC Intelligence predicts that total global portable sales will exceed $10 billion by the end of this year, lead primarily by Nintendo’s DS and Game Boy lines followed by Sony’s PSP. Analyst David Cole added that the DS “has the potential to be the best-selling interactive entertainment platform ever.”
The prediction is extremely ambitious. Portable gaming is sure grow, but keep in mind total sales including both consoles and handhelds equaled a combined and record setting $12.5 billion in 2006. If handhelds alone are to reach $10 billion by the end of this year, they’ll need to “tip” on a whole new level.
Due to the expected growth, the report also predicts the future entrance of a new portable system — perhaps by a new manufacturer (Microsoft?) — by 2009. Cole went on to say that “under the right scenario, by 2011 the combined installed base of the DS and PSP could exceed that for the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.” If a reality, portable gaming would surpass console sales for the first time.
Whatever happens, opportunities abound on handhelds as adult usage continues to grow. The stop-and-go nature of portable games will only get more popular as demands on gamers’ time increase.
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I share Blake’s skepticism about DFC’s projections, but if you consider games played on mobiles to be part of the portable market, then the DFC is probably low. It seems to me, that by 2009, mobile phones will be even more gameplay friendly. After all, mobile games are going to a major revenue source for carriers, especially once someone figures out a way to users to try mobile games before they buy them.
BTW, the N-Gage was deliberately not mentioned. :)