Kids 8 and under are still playing with toys quite a bit. Then we see a drop off at 9. Boys have gone to video games. Girls have gone to instant messaging, e-mailing and cell phones. The whole socialization aspect is big. |
Microsoft's lead time in building share for this console generation is real. The longer that lead time is, the greater the initial risk for Sony. |
Scene It? increased its sales in this category by more than 60 percent, fueled largely by new items such as the Harry Potter, Disney and TV versions. |
That was a new brand, and certainly now that it's established with a very loyal following and given the amount of hype and buzz they created, that is one barometer of what possibly could have been. |
That would certainly be an interesting development in the market. |
The accelerating change of technology ? it's changing the way we shop and the way we play games. |
The convenience factor is playing into it more than anything else. |
The introduction of the Xbox 360 was a defining moment for the industry in 2005. However, it goes without saying that the full impact of next generation consoles on the consumer market won't unfold until later this year when Sony and Nintendo's video game consoles hit U.S. retail shelves. |
The introduction of the Xbox 360 was a defining moment for the industry in 2005. However, it goes without saying that the full impact of next generation consoles on the consumer market won't unfold until later this year when Sony and Nintendo's video game consoles hit U.S. retail shelves. The real story for 2005 was the incredible expansion of portable gaming. The GBA continued to realize stellar sales, and the introduction of the DS and PSP to the market brought older gamers to the portable format. |
The introduction of the Xbox 360 was a defining moment for the industry in 2005. However, it goes without saying that the full impact of next-generation consoles on the consumer market won't unfold until later this year when Sony's and Nintendo's video-game consoles hit U.S. retail shelves. |
The monthly/annual subscription fees can be hugely significant, as they are for WoW from Blizzard, but unless you get a critical mass of players to make the game interesting to participate in, it's likely to die quickly. So it can be profitable or not, depending on its retail and subscription success. |
The real story for 2005 was the incredible expansion of portable gaming. |
The real story for 2005 was the incredible expansion of portable gaming. The GBA continued to realize stellar sales, and the introduction of the (Nintendo) DS and PSP to the market brought older gamers to the portable format. |
The seeds of change are taking root, and we'll see the results in a few years. It isn't here yet. |
The toy industry continues to wrestle with the new digital reality of kids' lives. Kids aren't really 'getting older younger,' they're just playing differently than they have in the past. However, despite this shift, it's important to note that toys continue to be one of the top choices for kids when choosing leisure time activities. |