Analyst: Wii success may lead to cheaper video game platforms

According to IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon, the commercial success of the Wii may drive platform developers to develop cheaper, consoles in the future. If you want to find out more about this, head on over to the full article by clicking on the “read more” link below.

IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon has made an interesting prediction regarding the future of gaming consoles.He pointed out that the commercial success of the Wii may spur platform developers to create cheaper, less-cutting edge consoles in the future.

Pidgeon pointed out that both Microsoft and Sony will be successful this cycle, but their current  business strategy may be more difficult to pull off in the future. Here’s what he had to say about this:

Microsoft and Sony will attain successful business on this generation, but catering to the early adopter hardcore gamers with a technology leader strategy will be difficult in 2011.

Interestingly enough, Pidgeon noted that the next platform may not even be a console at all. It may actually turn out to be a device to which software can be distributed via a network such as a PC, a set top box, or even a smartphone.

He added that the viability of this concept only started to emerge recently and would have been thought of as unachievable if one were to look at the video game industry before this generation. So before we go, here’s a short statement from the IDC analyst:

I would have dismissed this idea as unachievable last cycle when only Xbox could provide a promising connected console experience, but it is entirely possible that the PS3 is the last bleeding edge console hardware we will see.

Via Next Generation