What are Xbox 360 SmartGlass and Wii U getting into?
The uptake of tablets is having its impact on games, from a consumer as well as a business perspective. With Xbox 360 SmartGlass and the new Wii U announced at E3, it is time to take a look at how the second screen already has entered the entertainment eco-space of console gamers.
Consumer research of Newzoo shows that 41 percent of 70 million Xbox 360 gamers in the US and Western Europe already use a tablet. This totals 29 million consumers that could directly benefit from the intended Xbox 360 SmartGlass game extensions. The Wii U will have its own second screen, even though 35 percent of its current user base already uses a tablet, totaling 34 million people. For families with kids, the Wii U gamepad could be a solution but the future will have to prove that the Wii U will be able to compete with the increasingly immersive game experiences offered by the tablets already out there.
The share of tablet users for PS3 gamers is comparable to Xbox 360 gamers with 40 percent and a total of 24 million gamers from the US, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. Of all 181 million console gamers in the six countries, 33 percent actively uses a tablet. Forty-four percent of those 60 million people already plays games on their tablet. Almost half (49 percent) of all console gamers also plays games on their smartphone.