Research: Consoles Most Used Device for Streaming Video - gamrFeed

A recent survey from ABI Research finds that video game consoles are the most used consumer electronic device in North America for streaming video, specifically Netflix.

Participants in the survey said that, on average, they spent seven to eight hours a week watching online video on consoles. Senior analyst Michael Inouye says that Microsoft and Sony, in particular, are pushing to make their consoles more central to the digital living room. "Nintendo is not as aggressive in this regard yet, but with the Wii U they might try to make a bigger push into the over-the-top content delivery market," he adds.

However, ABI found significant disparities in game console connectivity rates in other regions of the world. China and South Korea, for example, have connectivity rates of 13.1 and 6.3 percent respectively, compared to 38.7 percent in the U.S. and 37.3 percent in the UK. ABI believes China's low numbers can be attributed to the fact that game consoles are largely banned, while piracy issues and the popularity of online and PC gaming in South Korea have limited the demand for consoles there.

As for the future of the game console market, ABI Digital Home Practice Director Jason Blackwell believes the market still has plenty of life left. "Some industry insiders have started to envision the demise of game consoles - an end expected to come at the hands of mobile devices," he says. "While mobile devices might soon match the processing power of game consoles, there are a number of issues such as storage and portability that could hinder the transition to mobile. The game console has a higher degree of persistence in the living room, giving more household members access to the device at any time of the day, whereas most mobile devices are designed for portability and a more personal experience."

Source: http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/87696/research-consoles-most-used-device-for-streaming-video/