An influx of 'AAA' hardcore titles and a constrained supply for the Wii could shift the video game market's focus to more traditional consoles like the Xbox 360 and PS3 this holiday season, Janco Partners' Mike Hickey believes.

While Nintendo and the Wii have been credited with expanding the gamer audience over the last year and bringing in more casual players, it's actually Microsoft's Xbox 360 that may prevail during this crucial holiday season, according to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey.


As part of an investor note for Electronic Arts (which is expected to announce its Q2 earnings on November 1), Hickey commented that this holiday may see more of a hardcore focus. "We believe the recent release of killer content (Halo 3 - BioShock), lower hardware price points, and limited Wii (hardware/software) supply could shift market focus from Wii casual to 360 hardcore this holiday," he said.


Ultimately, if there is a general shift towards the hardcore audience, it should help EA, Hickey noted. "A market shift toward core gamer platforms (360/PS3) and a potential PS3 price cut (November) should benefit ERTS this holiday," he said.

VIA: GameDaily