NPD: PS3 Tops Purchase Intent Survey

November 13, 2006 | By: James Brightman

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A new NPD study that examines factors affecting consumers' purchase intent towards the next-gen consoles found that the majority of gamers looking to buy just one console will pick up the PlayStation 3. Content and backward compatibility were cited as top factors affecting a purchase. We speak with NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

The NPD Group has released a new report that looks at factors driving consumers' purchase intent of the next generation consoles. According to the NPD's Next Generation Purchase Intent, there are certain "must-have" features that drive consumers to buy a new video game console at launch, no matter what the cost.

87 percent, out of an online survey of 16,670 NPD Consumer Panel members, said that having an appealing games portfolio was the number one factor when it comes to buying a new console. And while the PlayStation 3 is the most expensive system, of those interested in buying just one console 62 percent responded that it would be Sony's.

"Price is definitely a factor, but not as much as is content," said Anita Frazier industry analyst, The NPD Group. "I've long been a believer that it isn't any particular technical capability that will win this next console battle. The story continues to be content."

Interestingly, at 68 percent, backwards compatibility was listed as the second most important factor. This could be a disadvantage for Microsoft's Xbox 360, which only features limited compatibility with certain original Xbox titles. The PlayStation 3, however, can play most of Sony's back catalogue of PS1 and PS2 titles. And Nintendo's Wii will play GameCube games in addition to games from older Nintendo systems, if downloaded via the Wii's Virtual Console.

"What I gleaned from the feature section is that 'has the games I want to buy' and 'backward compatibility' were both very important, which again indicates that GAME content is at the center of consideration for system purchase. All the other bells and whistles might be icing on the cake, but the industry cannot lose sight on the fact that compelling games are what drives sales. So, yes, with that feature being very important, to the extent that any of the three systems has challenges in the content area, that could definitely impact the next-gen race," Frazier told GameDaily BIZ.

The report also found that males and those under age 35 appear to be the most passionate about the overall features of the next generation systems. Heavy Gamers, as classified in the NPD's Gamer Segmentation report—those who spend the most time and money on video games—"are more likely than all other segments to emphasize the importance of these systems having appealing game titles, backward compatibility, wireless controllers, Wi-Fi capability, and the ability to play online."

While the PS3 was tops for people looking to buy just one new console, among the Heavy Gamer segment the Wii garnered slightly more purchase interest than Sony's platform (79 percent vs. 70 percent). We made the assumption that perhaps this was driven by price, since Wii is the least expensive and these gamers are already spending more than anyone else. Frazier disagreed, however.

"Again, I think it's about content. Keep in mind that our segmentation study revealed that a good portion of heavy gamers are kids & teens. Nintendo has some great proprietary content that is attractive to and suitable for these heavy gamers that aren't necessarily playing 'mature content.' So I think it's less about price for the heavy gamer group, and quite a bit about the great games (e.g. Zelda) that these heavy gamers enjoy playing," she explained.

As for the NPD's other gamer segments—Infrequent gamers, Secondary gamers, and Prefer Portable gamers—all expressed purchase interest of 40 percent or more for the PS3 and Wii. Most of these people, however, are obviously not going to be early adopters.