Gamers prefer their iPhones and Android smartphones over hand held consoles including Nintendo’s 3DS and Playstation Vitas in 2013, a new report has revealed.
During 2013, both Apple’s iOS App Store and Google Play saw their in-store game revenue rise, leaping further on handheld consoles for the first time, which was three times the combined amount of the game-optimised handheld market in Q3
According to the report by market intelligence firm App Annie, gamers poured more money on gaming apps for smartphones compared to games for handheld consoles last year.
App Annie corporate communications vice president Marcos Sanchez said that smartphones’ ease of use, low price point (due to subsidies), and multi-functional use as gaming and primary communications device have given them a ubiquity across a broad demographic that portable consoles will never have.
"Add apps that are fun and engaging, and that deeper penetration can equate to big dollars for game app developers," Sanchez said.
Regionally, US, South Korea and Japan generated majority of sales, while Brazil, Russia, India and China also experienced rise in download and revenue growth.
