The length, breadth and depth of the console cycle is increasing. The PS3/Xbox 360/Wii will stay longer in living rooms than any previous box. They do much more than any previous generation (7th gen if you measure from Atari!): things like net connectivity, multiplayer, real hard drive space, media storage and HD. And tie ratios are increasing: the games sold to recuperate the losses on the printer-cartridge model of consoles are approaching 3-5.
A gaming wallpaper from 4chan for your enjoyment. Click for fullsize. ^^
With each console cycle, gaming captures an ever larger share of the entertainment budget - in money as well as time. Demographics are becoming more mainstream - older and more female. In some online categories, women far oustrip men in willingness to pay.
So it shouldn’t come as a suprise that while everyone reports doom and gloom, sales of video game hard- and software were up 57% year on year in 1Q08. When the going gets tough, the tough stay at home and play games.
