{"id":15742,"date":"2018-03-14T17:26:45","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T17:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dfcint.com\/dossier\/?p=15742"},"modified":"2018-06-04T17:28:32","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T17:28:32","slug":"playstation-4-comes-out-strong-in-video-game-consumer-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dfcint.com\/dossier\/playstation-4-comes-out-strong-in-video-game-consumer-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"PlayStation 4 Comes out Strong in Video Game Consumer Survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

2017 was an incredible year for the video game industry.\u00a0 As discussed in the latest DFC Intelligence Worldwide Video Game Forecasts reports<\/a>, game software sales soared past the $100 billion mark, a year before originally predicted.\u00a0 Much of this was because of greater than expected growth in mobile games and Asian markets.\u00a0 However, the core PC and console markets also showed healthy sales.\u00a0 The results of our recent Video Game Consumer Survey<\/a>, indicate a strong interest in console systems, led by the PlayStation 4.<\/p>\n

On the PC side of the equation, the battle royale genre became the latest mega-hit with games like PlayerUnknown\u2019s Battleground and Fortnite.\u00a0 Meanwhile, on the console side, we not only had the successful launch of the Nintendo Switch, but also the launch of Microsoft\u2019s Xbox One X.\u00a0 However, the one system that had the strongest sales was the original Sony PlayStation 4, which had its best year ever.<\/p>\n

Going into 2018, our goal was to better understand the attitude of core console gamers.\u00a0 In February, DFC partnered with Bowen Research to survey over 800 console gamers in the United States.\u00a0 The results are now available and have provided excellent guidance for our forward-looking forecasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that the survey specifically focused on older gamers.\u00a0 The minimum age was 13, but the reality was most respondents were in their 20s and 30s, or older.\u00a0 This is a key demographic for future growth.\u00a0 A system like the Nintendo Switch appeals to a younger audience and we wanted to see if it has potential for older consumers.\u00a0 Also, we wanted to understand how much importance sophisticated game consumers put on high-end graphics and processing power.\u00a0 Obviously, systems like the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro are betting that a large number of consumers will pay significantly more for a system that will play games in 4K.<\/p>\n

Of course, looking at sales for the high-end systems this theory is definitely in doubt.\u00a0 However, low sales could be due to the limited installed base of 4K television systems.\u00a0 This survey went into major detail around the features of each console system and offered respondents the opportunity to give their likes and dislikes for each individual system.\u00a0 The results proved very enlightening.<\/p>\n

To summarize some key overall results:<\/p>\n