Video gaming is a giant that keeps on growing. Studies have shown that the estimated number of gamers worldwide is set to grow from around 2 billion to approximately 3 billion by 2023. The Asia Pacific market is the largest video market for gaming, with around 1.48 billion gamers, who generated between them a combined revenue of 78.3 billion US dollars.
Video consoles: joining popular culture
Think of video games and you’ll likewise think of the consoles on which they’re played. Many gamers remember fondly the days when Nintendo and Sega first stared bring out consoles and engaged in all-out war, battling for customers with new consoles that strived to one-up their competitor’s.
Nintendo were perhaps the first to use video game character(s) to endear themselves to players, which they did with the Super Mario Brothers game. Sega soon hit back, though, with Sonic the Hedgehog and won a few fans.
For decades, the war between the two companies has rumbled on, with each seeking to delight their fans with innovative new consoles on which they can play their favorite games. The one thing both Sega and Nintendo will be united on, however, is their unhappiness at the arrival of two new heavy hitters on the gaming scene: Microsoft, with their Xbox, and Sony, with their PlayStation. Now all four are locked in a battle to offer the best console on the market.
The best-selling consoles of all time
There are three main consoles which have sold the most units worldwide than any other console in terms of their lifespan on the shelves:
The PlayStation 2, on which the built-in DVD player and the option to play PS1 games helped make it such a hit
The Nintendo DS/3DS, which won gamers with a wide catalogue of titles, including Brain Training, and a welcoming interface.
The old classic, the Game Boy, to which people warmed because of the simple design and multiplayer capabilities. PlayStation has an especially loyal following and the number of accounts has been increasing steadily over the last few years.
The site also reports that the Nintendo Switch outsold the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in terms of lifetime sales. The company (Nintendo) have sold more than 89 million units of the console. It’s still got some way to go to compete with the PS2, however, which is said to have sold more than 155 million units since its launch.
The move towards mobile
As popular as console gaming is, it’s hard to deny the existence of a shift towards mobile gaming. So much gaming is now taking place on handheld devices. Back in 2018, the mobile network company giffgaff, quoting data from games and esports analytics firm Newszoo, reported on their blog that mobile gaming had overtaken console gaming for the first time.
Mobile gaming had started off as contributing just a small portion to the revenue from gaming. By 2018, however, the contribution had ballooned to 50%.
Impact of mobile gaming on video gaming
Mobile gaming may have offered console gaming some serious competition, but some don’t see the end being near for console gaming. It’s more a question of an uncertain future than one of it all being over for console gaming. The billions of gamers around the world prove console gaming has more than just a handful of fans.
In fact, mobile gaming has been good for video gaming as a whole and even for society, with online gaming creating a pathway for social interaction between people.
Often, mobile games are quick and easy to play, which makes them highly engaging, and they can transform a non-gamer into more serious gamers. People who are considering investing in console gaming but are reluctant because of the expense may try mobile games first and, if they like them, take the plunge into console gaming.
Casino gaming: succeeding and contributing
Many video games have seen a huge growth in popularity since the transition to mobile phones, however casino games have seen one of the biggest success stories.
Since the transition to mobile phones, casino gaming fans who don’t wish to head out to a brick-and-mortar establishment, or who don’t have one near them, can now log in to an online casino site and play their favorite games online instead.
Online gaming operators are well aware of developments in technology. It’s a crucial part of running an online casino. They understand the popularity of mobile gaming and have seen to it that people wishing to play casino games on their phone can do so comfortably on the operator’s app or website via a search engine.
As well as offering the convenience of being able to play on the go and general ease of access, online casinos have become popular for a range of reasons. One of the main reasons is that players don’t have to wait for the casino to open. As long as they have access to the internet, they can log in at any time of the day and play.
Playing at an online casino is also affordable, especially if the players wish to play on the slots, of which operators provide a wide variety. They know players can get bored easily, log out and never return, whereas if the player can choose from lots of different games, their visits to the online casino will remain fresh and engaging.
Video console gaming, despite the popularity of mobile gaming, remains incredibly popular and is going to be around for some time yet. While console companies compete to offer the best console, fans can sit back and just enjoy the products as gaming goes from strength to strength.