Wii U Will Force Sony and Microsoft to "Rethink Schedules" for Next Gen

A new market research report from iDate states that Nintendo's competitors are going to have to "rethink their schedules for rolling out their next gen consoles."

The report also indicates that PSP Vita will have a large effect too: "By end-2011, smartphones and handheld consoles will eventually converge, with the commercial launch of the Playstation Vita (PS Vita), available in two versions: with a wireless or 3G connection."

Also included in the report are these tasty titbits:

• In 2011, the world video game market (equipment + software) will total EUR 52.1 billion, up from EUR 51.9 billion in 2010.

• The slight improvement (+0.4%) between 2010 and 2011 is explained by the dynamic performance of the market segments for online games and games for mobile phones, which is compensating for the decline in revenues from the home console games segment.

• From 2012 on, the sector's total revenues should see healthy growth once again (+5.3%), reaching double digits in 2013 and 2014 with the commercial launch of new generation
home consoles.

• Almost 40% of video game revenues is generated from digital distribution or income from online practices (item selling, etc.).

• 2012-2015: the advent of a new generation of home consoles. With the imminent release of Wii U next year, Nintendo's competitors will clearly have to rethink their schedules for rolling out their next gen consoles.

•By end-2011, smartphones and handheld consoles will eventually converge, with the commercial launch of the Playstation Vita (PS Vita), available in two versions: with a wireless or 3G connection.

• Tablets: likely to take off in 2011-2012. A new device creating new usages within the digital home, the tablet provides an ideal interface for video games, now the most popular type of application on this device.

• Facebook, the most recent game platform to date! The social network has pursued its casual gaming endeavors, broadening the base of gamers and converting general consumers to video gaming. The gamble seems to have paid off, although only time will tell at what pace games will be exploited in this segment.

• The age of ubiquitous games: increasingly asynchronous access to the same game via several interoperable platforms. Gamers ultimately have just one centrallymanaged account, regardless of whether sessions are played on Facebook, a smartphone, developers' websites or connected TV, etc.

• The emergence of games on connected TV: Onlive and Playcast Media are the most prominent companies to invest in games on this platform. However, this nascent segment is also drawing the interest of a wide number of Internet, TV and video game players, as well as ISPs, manufacturers of consumer electronics, smartphones and set-top-boxes, and telcos, etc.

Source: iDate