Teen interest in consoles growing - Survey

For all the concern about the future of the console market leading into the current generation, interest in the machines has held up well. A recent survey from investment bank and asset management firm Piper Jaffray, as reported by Investor's Business Daily, found that interest in consoles among teens in the US is actually growing.

The semiannual survey, which polled 9,400 teens across the US, found that about 80 percent of them (7,500) considered themselves video game players. And of the gamers, 73 percent either own or intend to buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4. That's up from 67 percent last fall, and 70 percent last spring. Actual ownership of the consoles was considerably less, with only 39 percent currently owning one (up from 26 percent a year ago and 37 percent in the spring).

"We believe the combination of next-gen console uptake and a robust lineup of AAA titles will lead to sustainable software growth through second-half 2015 and into 2016," Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson said.

However, the rising tide isn't lifting all ships. With the new consoles' focus on digital distribution, the popularity of used games in particular is slipping. In the latest survey, 61 percent of teen gamers said they bought pre-owned games, down from 62 percent in the spring and 63 percent a year ago. At the same time, the percentage of respondents saying that at least half of their games would be downloaded nearly doubled from 19 percent in the spring to 37 percent in the latest survey.