U.S. Video-Game hardware sales drop 21% - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. video-game sales declined 21 percent to $3.99 billion last month, led by a drop in purchases of hardware such as consoles and handheld players. Retail sales of hardware tumbled 28 percent, while software purchases shrank 14 percent, researcher NPD Group Inc. said today in an e-mailed statement. Accessories declined 27 percent, NPD said. Sales for the year fell 8 percent to $17 billion, according to the Port Washington, New York-based researcher.[/QUOTE] [url]http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LXPLOB6K50XS01-7ELFPOL596OO1289RBNNAC5P4N[/url] I guess it's due to smartphone games are cheap and lots of F2P, MMO, or "Lots of content per dollar" games (Steam games like TF2, tons of indies like Dungeon Defenders, etc). The source doesn't include why since it's just an economics site, but it does make sense if you look at all the people who JUST play TF2, or JUST play League of Legends.

Well there really hasn't been any decent new consoles out lately. There is also a distinct lack of games that are great anymore too. It's all fillershit.

[QUOTE=RedBlade2021;34185565]Well there really hasn't been any decent new consoles out lately. There is also a distinct lack of games that are great anymore too. It's all fillershit.[/QUOTE] this with all the consoles approaching 5-6 years old it's no wonder

We are also in the middle of a recession.

I'm honestly not surprised. Generic games for old consoles.

I think most of the people that want a wii/360/ps3 already have one by now, anyways. They're all quite old.

Wii U will probably spike hardware sales. (because it can play Wii games and everyone who just bought a wii will get it so that they can get new games and wii games) [but nintendo said they'll still support the Wii because people are still buying it] {brackets}

[QUOTE=Medevilae;34185650]Recession (U.S.) ended around September.[/QUOTE] Then why do we have an 8.5% unemployment rate and a 15.225 trillion national debt?

[QUOTE=Medevilae;34185740]^ Doesn't understand what the word 'recession' entails[/QUOTE] re·ces·sion/riˈseSHən/ Noun: A period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced --- Videogame hardware sales dropping 21% sounds like reduced trade to me.

[QUOTE=PollytheParrot;34185788]re·ces·sion/riˈseSHən/ Noun: A period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced --- Videogame hardware sales dropping 21% sounds like reduced trade to me.[/QUOTE] At a national level. An individual comodity or service does not represent a recession at a national or international level. That being said, though, we've been in and out of the recession twice, but we've dumped back in not long ago. We may be pulling out soon, but we are still in a recession. Regardless, economic times haven't gotten any better. Real unemployment is closer to 12.5% and underemployment included we're at 15% or higher.

I think it's mostly because there hasn't been a huge game in a while. I think Skyrim and Arkham City were the only games I bought last year. If developers want my money, they need to make better games.

It doesn't matter about the exact definition. People don't have as much to spend these days as they did half a decade ago, and that is contributing to the decline of gaming hardware.

Chances are someone is going to blame this on people who pirate games.

[QUOTE=Bryanrocks0;34185862]I think it's mostly because there hasn't been a huge game in a while. I think Skyrim and Arkham City were the only games I bought last year. If developers want my money, they need to make better games.[/QUOTE] It's not too late to buy: [t]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-klSFIbfgXOg/TWizTseZyRI/AAAAAAAA0X0/dSW3VlVPVvY/s1600/thor_god_game.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Croshi;34185692]Wii U will probably spike hardware sales. (because it can play Wii games and everyone who just bought a wii will get it so that they can get new games and wii games) [but nintendo said they'll still support the Wii because people are still buying it] {brackets}[/QUOTE] Subtract from that the casual audience that the original Wii was geared toward, because they're gone. Smartphones took them away and Nintendo isn't getting them back. Couple that with a bunch of other things working against them, and the "spike" will likely look like a "lump" in comparison to how the Wii did.

[QUOTE=Medevilae;34185829]The recession = period in which the economy experienced negative growth. Economic growth reached the '+' side for the first time since 08' around Sept., and as such, the recession ended. Effects of the recession =/= the recession, but even if that was your argument, unemployment is dropping and the economy is growing.[/QUOTE] You're just arguing semantics. Regardless of what you call it, we're still in the middle of an economic shithole.

[QUOTE=Aredbomb;34185933]Subtract from that the casual audience that the original Wii was geared toward, because they're gone. Smartphones took them away and Nintendo isn't getting them back. Couple that with a bunch of other things working against them, and the "spike" will likely look like a "lump" in comparison to how the Wii did.[/QUOTE] Yeah well what about when Smash Bros 4 comes out

i dont like console games or pc games that much either i'm boring playing federal debt simulator games is more fun than COD11: SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS edition

[QUOTE=Medevilae;34185740]^ Doesn't understand what the word 'recession' [b]entails[/b][/QUOTE] that's a bit of a stretch, o master wordsmith [quote]en·tail verb (used with object) 1. to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence: a loss entailing no regret. 2. to impose as a burden: Success entails hard work. 3. to limit the passage of (a landed estate) to a specified line of heirs, so that it cannot be alienated, devised, or bequeathed. 4. to cause (anything) to descend to a fixed series of possessors.[/quote]

FINALLY. Now Rockstar would finally stop making shitting ports.

[QUOTE=Croshi;34186122]Yeah well what about when Smash Bros 4 comes out[/QUOTE] Damn it Im so sick of sequels, I want a developer to make something new and original instead of being pussies and sticking with the same shit every year. I'm not surprised that hardware sales are dropping, the 5-6 year old machines are becoming more and more obsolete.

[QUOTE=OhHello;34186378]Damn it Im so sick of sequels, I want a developer to make something new and original instead of being pussies and sticking with the same shit every year. I'm not surprised that hardware sales are dropping, the 5-6 year old machines are becoming more and more obsolete.[/QUOTE] What an inane thing to say. Now even one game in the series per console is too much for you people? I think the game industry would be absolute awful if good ideas were tossed out because they've been used once, and all we had left was whatever people came up with just to seem new.

[QUOTE=Croshi;34186122]Yeah well what about when Smash Bros 4 comes out[/QUOTE] The casual crowd still won't care?

I think the only AAA games I bought last year was Saints Row: The Third and Portal 2. Just about everything out nowadays is just a imitation of CoD or it's some gimmicky crap that doesn't really work out well.

Market saturation from not having a new console in six years.

Ugh, this means more consoles are going to come out so I'll feel extremely obliged to buy the Wii U or something if I want to play certain games. Why can't Nintendo ditch the motion controls and port a Zelda or Mario game to PC just for shits and giggles and to see what happens?

[QUOTE=usaokay;34186955]PSVita and Wii U will probably bring hardware sales back up.[/QUOTE] PS Vita would have a much more positive outlook if they really started marketing the damn thing. 90% of the people who come into our Gamestop have no idea that the PS Vita actually exists, much less that it's coming out in a month and a half.

Considering how well the industry was doing relative to the rest of the economy, this is kind of a surprise.

[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;34187026]PS Vita would have a much more positive outlook if they really started marketing the damn thing. 90% of the people who come into our Gamestop have no idea that the PS Vita actually exists, much less that it's coming out in a month and a half.[/QUOTE] It is a bit odd that there hasn't been much advertising for it yet. But Taco Bell is going to have a vita sweepstakes, so that might get peoples attention.

I wonder if this is effected at all by the fact that PC gaming is becoming more popular (if I remember correctly. I read somewhere about that, I may be wrong though)