IDC Report Claims Consoles Will Remain Top In Gaming Through 2014 And Beyond

A report from the International Data Corporation claims that consoles will remain at the top of the totem pole in the world of gaming for the foreseeable future. Of those gaming consoles, the Xbox 360 is the best selling device, according to the NPD Group. For now, tablets, smart TVs, and set-top boxes are not a threat to consoles in the grand scheme of things.

Likewise, the IDC report says that discs will be the main source of gaming revenue for quite some time despite the rough last two years developers and publishers have had. Game disc sales are expected to stabilize next year and then rise in 2014. This isn't to say that discs' digital counterparts aren't having an effect, with the report stating that disc sales are expected to decline by 3-percent annually through 2016.

IDC's Research Manager Lewis Ward offered this statement. "It doesn't appear that alternative platforms – set-top boxes from cable companies, Web-connected smart TVs, and so on – are positioned to materially disrupt the trajectory of the 'big 3' console OEMs in 2013 or 2014. Discs will remain the console game revenue mainstay for years to come."

As far as the Xbox 360 goes, Microsoft states that its console held 7 out of 10 top bestselling games, including Black Ops 2, Assassin's Creed III, Halo 4, and Far Cry 3. Microsoft sold 1.4 million consoles last month, making its 24th straight top-spot month in a row. The company has stated it expects the Xbox 360 to hold strong through this year.

[via IDC]