Is the Golden Age of Console Games Coming Back Worldwide?

Console Yielded Dominance to Mobile Game Success
Attention on Mood Shift with PS5 and Xbox Series X Launches

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] With the launch of next-generation console game devices approaching, a global resurgence of the console gaming era is being anticipated. Sony and Microsoft (MS) are set to consecutively unveil next-generation consoles with unprecedented performance to the worldwide market this November. Both companies have sparked sell-out situations immediately after pre-orders began, reflecting the unprecedented excitement among console gamers.

According to the Korea Creative Content Agency on the 9th, the global gaming market is estimated to be approximately $178.2 billion, with the console gaming market accounting for about $32.7 billion. Mobile games hold a 35.8% share worldwide, while console games account for 27.5%.

Console gaming has been a major pillar of the global gaming industry. Consoles are devices specifically designed for gaming, offering hardware advantages. They provide tactile control through dedicated controllers and ease of use without the need for upgrades or additional component replacements.

However, console gaming has shown a decline compared to its heyday due to the rise of PC and mobile games. While markets like Japan still maintain strong console gaming, globally, the increase in mobile usage has led mobile games to become the dominant force in the gaming industry.

Nonetheless, the next-generation consoles boasting the highest performance in console history, released about seven years after Sony’s PlayStation 4 (PS4) and MS’s Xbox One, are captivating gamers’ hearts. These are Sony’s PS5 and MS’s Xbox Series X. The PS5 is scheduled for worldwide release on November 12, and the Xbox Series X on November 10 of the same month.

Pre-orders for the PS5 and Xbox Series X were recently conducted domestically and internationally, resulting in sell-outs within minutes of opening. Sony apologized for the early sell-out of PS5 pre-orders conducted worldwide and announced plans to supply additional units. Since the 18th of last month, Sony has been taking pre-orders for the PS5 in the first global sales countries including Korea, the United States, Japan, and Europe. However, server crashes and sell-out chaos during the pre-order process caused dissatisfaction among consumers worldwide.

The intense global consumer interest is partly due to the generational shift in consoles and the expansion of related cloud services such as 'digital downloads' beyond just the console devices themselves. An industry insider explained, "With the shift to digital download methods, the PS5 and Xbox Series X will represent an important generation in the transition to digital distribution for console games." He also predicted, "As digital downloads become the main distribution method for console games, high-consumption console accounts will find it difficult to migrate to other gaming platforms."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.