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Analysts Predict Consoles Sales Peak Reached

Posted by simoniker on from the all-downhill-from-here dept.

Thanks to Yahoo News for reprinting the press release regarding financial analysts' predictions that the current videogame console cycle has peaked. According to a spokesman for U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, "We believe spring 2003 marked the midpoint of the current video game cycle", suggesting 2003 "will be the peak year for unit sales of current generation hardware." This may mean leaner times before the next generation of console hardware debuts, predicted by Piper Jaffray for "autumn 2006", and meanwhile, the company is forecasting "...that 22.3 million hardware units will be sold in North America in 2003, a modest increase from 21.1 million units in 2002 and will subsequently decline in 2004 to sales of 20.3 million units as the installed base of video game hardware becomes saturated."

3 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Afterglow by BeProf · · Score: 4, Funny

    In other news...

    The major console companies all had a post-peak cigarette today. Nintendo was quoted as saying, "Hold me."

    Unfortunatly, the lovefest came to a quick end when Sony and Microsoft got into a fight over who would have to sleep in the wet spot.

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  2. Re:Leaner times? by simoniker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But then again, if the amount of console software out there are still rising at a certain rate, but the hardware no longer increases at that rate, it still may be a problem - although I agree, not a cosmically bad situation.

    Actually, I think more a problem toward the end of a console's life cycle is the amount of good quality older games available at budget prices, and the quick pricing-down of new titles because there's such a glut on the market. But this is probably separate of install-base.

  3. An odd report by edwdig · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Every mention of sales so far this year says that year-to-date sales of consoles are lower than they were last year. GameCube sales are up, but that's not enough to counter a large drop in PS2 sales combined with a small drop in Xbox sales.

    Check Nintendo's recent press releases. I think the PS2 year-to-date sales are down 17%, Xbox 5%, and the GameCube up a few percent or so.

    Looks like 2002 might've been the peak, unless something unexpected happens next year to drive up sales.