Gaming PCs and Monitors Achieve Double Digit Growth in 2Q19
September 30, 2019 | IDCEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
Global shipments of gaming desktops, notebooks, and monitors reached 10.4 million units in the second quarter of 2019 (2Q19), up 16.5% year over year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker. A combination of better comparisons against an abysmal 2018, easing CPU shortages, and improved GPU inventory helped the overall market achieve growth.
Gaming notebooks continued to hold the largest share of the gaming device market in 2Q19 and grew 12.7% year over year, boosted by the launch of models that support ray tracing along a wide spectrum of price points. Gaming desktops, which saw a string of tough quarters from 2018 thru the first quarter of 2019, finally recovered with shipments growing 3.3% year over year due to an improved supply of Intel CPUs, an easing of previously excessive GPU inventory, and a revamped pricing structure for ray tracing-capable GPUs. Fears of additional price hikes due to Chinese import tariffs also played a role, boosting overall device shipments in the U.S. Finally, demand for gaming monitors remained strong, posting a record high quarter in volume and continuing to outpace the other two categories in terms of year-over-year growth.
"Even as the second quarter saw a general reprieve for gaming desktops, the decline of gaming desktops in emerging markets, particularly in China, is concerning for vendors and signals the larger trend of moving toward more mobile form factors that can still get the job done," said Jay Chou, research manager for IDC's Personal Computing Device Tracker. "Gaming notebooks increasingly bring that value proposition of portability while also narrowing the performance gap against desktops."
Beyond the current quarter, IDC anticipates the market for gaming desktops, notebooks, and monitors will grow 9.6% for the full year of 2019, reaching 42.8 million units. Compared to the previous forecast, IDC has increased its short-term outlook but lowered the long-term forecast for desktop and notebooks while increasing the outlook for gaming monitors. Continued investment in hardware and an increasingly pervasive and accessible gaming ecosystem are expected to help to sustain steady, if modest gaming device adoption, resulting in an expected 55.2 million units by the end of 2023.
Gaming notebooks are expected to still take the lion's share of volume and revenue with the form factor seeing strong innovations in thinner dimensions and performance. Further entrants in the entry and mid-level notebook space will also bring intense competition. While desktops will remain the most powerful gaming device, cannibalization from its notebook sibling has led IDC to revise its outlook for this category. Continued developments in other arenas such as mobile gaming can also distract spending and prolong life cycles, while emerging usage models like cloud gaming could expand the gamer base while potentially challenging non-premium systems in the mid to long term.
Taxonomy Note: IDC identifies Gaming PCs as desktops or notebooks that have a Premium or Performance grade GPU. This includes the mid-range and high-end offerings from Nvidia and AMD. Professional grade GPUs, such as the Quadro or Radeon Pro, are excluded from IDC's Gaming PC definition. For monitors, IDC identifies Gaming Monitors as those with a refresh rate of 100 Hz or higher.
IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker provides detailed, timely, and accurate information on the global PC gaming market. This includes data and insight into global trends around desktop (DT) and notebook (NB) gaming systems as well as gaming monitors. The program provides insightful analysis, quarterly market share data, and a five-year forecast that can be broken down by key geographies.
About IDC Trackers
IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools.
About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading media, data and marketing services company.
Suggested Items
Warm Windows and Streamlined Skin Patches – IDTechEx Explores Flexible and Printed Electronics
04/26/2024 | IDTechExFlexible and printed electronics can be integrated into cars and homes to create modern aesthetics that are beneficial and easy to use. From luminous car controls to food labels that communicate the quality of food, the uses of this technology are endless and can upgrade many areas of everyday life.
iNEMI Packaging Tech Topic Series: Role of EDA in Advanced Semiconductor Packaging
04/26/2024 | iNEMIAdvanced semiconductor packaging with heterogenous integration has made on-package integration of multiple chips a crucial part of finding alternatives to transistor scaling. Historically, EDA tools for front-end and back-end design have evolved separately; however, design complexity and the increased number of die-to-die or die-to-substrate interconnections has led to the need for EDA tools that can support integration of overall design planning, implementation, and system analysis in a single cockpit.
Koh Young Showcases Award-winning Inspection Solutions at SMTconnect with SmartRep in Hall 4A.225
04/25/2024 | Koh Young TechnologyKoh Young Technology, the industry leader in True 3D measurement-based inspection solutions, will showcase an array of award-winning inspection and measurement solutions at SMTconnect alongside its sales partner, SmartRep, in booth 4A.225 at NürnbergMesse from June 11-13, 2023. The following offers a glimpse into what Koh Young will present at the tradeshow:
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Plasmatreat: Innovative Surface Preparation Solutions
04/25/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOIn this interview, Editor Nolan Johnson speaks with Hardev Grewal, CEO and president of Plasmatreat, a developer of atmospheric plasma solutions. Plasmatreat uses clean compressed air and electricity to create plasma, offering environmentally friendly methods for surface preparation. Their technology measures plasma density for process optimization and can remove organic micro-contamination. Nolan and Hardev also discuss REDOX-Tool, a new technology for removing metal oxides.
Nanotechnology Market to Surpass $53.51 Billion by 2031
04/25/2024 | PRNewswireSkyQuest projects that the nanotechnology market will attain a value of USD 53.51 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 36.4% over the forecast period (2024-2031).