There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding this year's PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launches, but analysts are already starting to offer their thoughts on how the market plays out.
Ampere Analysis' research director for games Piers Harding-Rolls today released a report sizing up where the console market stands as Sony and Microsoft prep their new systems for launch.
Despite periodic statements from people within the industry that the console market is losing relevance, Harding-Rolls is convinced that innovation on the hardware, software, and business model fronts will help ensure it remains a primary form of gaming for at least the next generation.
However, he expressed skepticism about its growth, noting that the combined lifetime sales of Sony and Microsoft's consoles peaked with the original Xbox and PlayStation 2 (179 million units combined), and have declined in the two generations since (171 million for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 157 million for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One through March of this year).