CEA predicts 18m gaming hardware shipments in Q4
Average consumer will apparently spend $232 on electronics over Christmas
A survey by the Consumer Electronics Association has predicted that 18.24 million units of gaming hardware will ship to US retailers in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The 17th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study was conducted via phone, with 1003 respondents answering questions.
The results show that an average American consumer will spend $232 on electronic items during 2010's holiday period, a five per cent increase on last year, despite a 2 per cent decrease in overall holiday spending.
The 18.24 million figure, as reported by Reuters, would put the gaming hardware market above that for TVs, MP3 players, and digital cameras. According to the survey, videogame systems were ranked ninth in the list of most wanted gifts by surveyed adults.
The CEA has not yet made clear what constitutes 'gaming hardware', and whether this definition includes items such as Kinect, iPads or iPhones. GamesIndustry.biz has contacted the organisation for comment.