iOS and Android are stomping on Sony and Nintendo’s portable game businesses
Why spend money on a mobile gaming platform when you can play lots of high-quality games on your tablet? That’s the reality that portable game console manufacturers Sony (SNE) and Nintendo (NTDOY) have to deal with as Android and iOS tablets have become powerful enough to host some high-quality games such as “Infinity Blade.”
As Fortune reports, the latest research from Flurry Analytics shows that Android and iOS devices last year accounted for 58% of all mobile gaming revenues in the United States while the Sony PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS accounted for just 36% of mobile gaming revenue in the U.S. For some perspective, consider that back in 2009 Nintendo alone accounted for 70% of all mobile U.S. gaming revenue.
Fortune also quotes Cowen analyst Doug Creutz, who says that smartphones and tablets have been instrumental in leading to growth of the mobile gaming industry.
“We believe that consumer preferences may be switching decisively to mobile games, given that game quality is similar, if not better, and mobile games have the added advantage of being playable at any time, anywhere,” he wrote.
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