1UP.com User Study Reveals Gamers' Purchase Intent in 2006 -- Posted by XanTium on January 17 20:56 EST
From the press release:
[QUOTE]
1UP.com, Ziff Davis Media Game Group's online destination for gaming enthusiasts, today announced the results of its 2006 user study. The study discloses a number of noteworthy findings, including the latest trends regarding the gaming community's media usage, its gaming habits, attitudes towards hardware ownership, and next-generation console purchase intent.

Some Key Findings:
* 1UP.com users plan to spend an average of $245 on games in the next two months.
* 77% plan to purchase a new game system in the next year, and 45% say they are likely to buy a portable or handheld system.
* They are extremely loyal to brick-and-mortar videogame stores, shopping in stores 13 times per month.

Some Current and Future Brand Attitudes, Preferences and Purchase Intent:
* Before the 2005 holidays, 17% of 1UP.com users had already bought Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360 gaming console, and among users who say they're likely to purchase a system in the next year, 59% of them plan to purchase the Xbox 360.
* But Sony still dominates gamers' purchase intentions: 73% plan to purchase a Sony PlayStation 3. Half of gamers on 1UP.com also say they will purchase a Nintendo Revolution.
* 1UP.com users' purchase enthusiasm extends to other gaming-related electronics. For example, 23% plan to purchase an HDTV in the next six months, confirming the high-definition trend identified by game console manufacturers. A quarter of 1UP.com users already own an HDTV, and 82% of them own a DVD player.
[/QUOTE]

Read the whole press release here.

Quote: Half of gamers on 1UP.com also say they will purchase a Nintendo Revolution.


Way to go Nintendo.

You know what I find funny?

Standalone Blu-Ray players were announced at the CES show to cost ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. That's $1,800 folks -- no typo!

With that said, how in the world can Sony swing less than twice the price of the Xbox 360? Now obviously Sony is a hardware manufacturer (whereas MS is software) so of course they will get minor discounts on integrating a Blue-Ray player into their PS3. However, there is no reason that this discount would be, upon speculation from the CES announcements, more than a couple $100 dollars.

So, where does this leave us? The people who SAY they plan to buy a PS3 will change their minds (most of them) when they find it to have a $600-1,000+ price tag. IMO, and this is coming from soemone with a masters degree in business, Sony's only option of success is to offer two versions: One with and one without the Blu-Ray player (simply because, as noted above, Blu-Ray containing PS3's show no sign of being anything short of the most expensive console ever -- and by FAR.

Ridiculous.

that means more people are going to buy or already have a 360 because 17% already have one and 59% intend to buy one so 17+59=76% topping Sony by 3%

Not exactly. You're right, but wrong numbers. 17% of 1UP users have already got an Xbox 360 before the 2005 Holiday. So say for simple math reasons, that there are 100 1UP users. That means 17 people have an Xbox 360. Then it says, "...among users who say they're likely to purchase a system in the next year, 59% of them plan to purchase the Xbox 360." Keywords being "among users who say they're likely to purchase a system in the next year. The figures for that are 77%, so 77 people are planning on buying a new system. And it is 59% of those 77 that will buy an xbox 360, so that's about 45.5 people.

So, 45.5 + 17 = 62.5

However, 73% of the 77 people plan on buying a PS3 which only equals 56.2 people(even more of a lead for Xbox than your numbers).

So yes that basically means more people have bought or plan on buying the Xbox360, but that's only good for 1 year. If the figures stay the same the year after, more people will be buying the PS3. Plus, with the head start Xbox 360 has it is not that much of a lead. And that's only 1UP.

I'd like to see 1up do this same "study" after the PS3 price is announced and some playable game demos hit.

I'm not saying PS3 won't be hot... I'm saying that it won't be as hot as the Sony hypemachine is making it out to be. I will probably buy one if it doesn't cost more than $400 (also depends on game prices). That said, I think Live and XBLA will be the deal breaker once PS3 hits.

Sounds pretty accurate, although shopping in game stores 13 times a month seems a bit overboard. Kinda puts the cost of gaming in perspective too.

Oh, and I love nintendo, and really hope they do well this time around. I'll definatly have a revolution at launch.

I'm not saying it's inaccurate. I just think it's a little early to tell who will be buying a PS3 and who won't. Alot of people say "I'm gonna get a new BMW when I get my raise," only to find out that it costs a bit more than they originally thought. I'll bet if the PS3 comes in at $600, that 73% will drop significantly. And I would really like to know how Sony is going to offset the cost of the PS3's Blu-Ray drive. Their own standalones are coming in at $1000; and those don't even have Cell/RSX chips in them (that we know of ). Anyway, I don't want to start a price debate, I'm just curious how you guys think the public (and in turn, this study) will react after hearing the PS3's pricetag.

I guess that it will drop by 15%

73% would drop to 0% if they cannot meet the schedule.