Jon Peddie Research (JPR) predicts WW PC gaming hardware spending will get a welcome +27% gain this year, jumping to over $22b across the entire market.
The analyst says such a jump is due to a number of influences-- the natural PC harware purchase cycle (as seen from historical inflection points), modern PC games' increasing system demands, cheaper high-resolution displays, SSDs, and digital distribution services' (like Steam and Direct2Drive) convenience.
Gamers are also tiring of current consoles' limitations, meaning such factors help increase PC gamers' appetites for high quality accessories (such as speakers, headsets, mice, cases, cooling and the like).
JPR also remarks on growth in interest in 3D-capable machines and displays-- as well as in demand by gamers for "wide gamut" displays with resolutions exceeding 1080p (the kind traditionally used by graphic designers).
Finally the analyst highlights the multi billion dollar market opportunities for companies marketing their sub $1000 PCs' game capabilities, thanks to growing customer interest in games on social networks. This is especially relevant for Intel and AMD, as they push the graphics processing within their integrated chips.
Go Jon Peddie Research Announces 2011 International PC Gaming Hardware Estimates
