Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Are Gamers Abandoning PSP and DS For Their Phone?
Rumors have persisted for months that Sony’s next PSP will be a phone-like device. And while there is good evidence to support this, maybe these rumors also reflect a greater trend surrounding gamer culture. It seems that people are slowing turning off traditional gaming devices like the PSP and DS in favor of their smart phones.
According to IndustryGamers a new Interpret study shows that 43.8 percent of the mobile gaming market (i.e. phone, DS, PSP) are made up of cell phone players. This shows an increase of 53.2 percent just within the last year. In contrast, game playing on the DS and PSP has fallen by 13 percent.
These are interesting numbers, but any gamer can tell you that there weren’t a lot of great handheld titles for the DS and PSP this year. Perhaps this study merely reflects the fact that game development has already shifted to the next generation of handheld devices. Nintendo’s 3DS will be out early next year, and Sony will likely announced its plans for the next PSP shortly, so it will be interesting to see if this trend continues through 2011.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
