Games consoles have provided millions of households with fun and entertainment for many years now. Video game consoles became popular in the 1980s and since then have gone from strength to strength, evolving from clumsy-looking devices that supported only the most basic of games and graphics to today’s state-of-the-art consoles, with their slimline designs and incredible graphics.
However, despite the quality of the consoles of today it seems that games consoles are going to have to move over and make way for another type of device that is set to become even more popular according to a recent report from Informa Telecoms and Media. The London-based market research and consulting firm claims that this year will see the sales of internet-enabled television (IETV) sets surpass those of video game consoles from the likes of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
Informa expects HDTV manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and Sony to sell a staggering 52 million internet-connected TVs over the course of this year on a global basis. This will compare to around 37 million games console sales – ranging from the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) to the Nintendo Wii and 3DS – in the same period.
Andrew Ladbrook, analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, said that consumer demand and appetite for connected devices is on the rise, with consumers keen to access a range of services for such devices including web-connected televisions. He said that by 2016 sales of in-home video devices, including tablet PCs, will increase by 800 percent to 1.8 billion sales, and 70 percent of those will be able to connect to the Internet.
He added that previously many of these devices were designed with the video game console in mind. However, he said that connected TVs were set to bring these services to a mainstream audience. The biggest TV brands – for example Samsung, LG and Sony – are set to make the largest gains according to reports.
