Report: Consoles, handhelds driving online gaming growth

A recent report from market analysis and research firm In-Stat is projecting explosive growth in worldwide console and handheld online gaming over the next four years.

The report, titled "Console and Handheld Online Gaming: Overshadowing the PC," forecasts growth in the market from 2004's 3.4 million online console and handheld "subscribers" (which includes those using the free online play of systems like the PlayStation 2, DS, and PSP) up to and possibly exceeding 30 million by 2009. Though the report's title makes reference to the online PC gaming market, it does not include any projections on that segment's growth in the coming years.

On the subject of next-generation systems, In-Stat sees the Xbox 360's online subscriber base experiencing just under 50 percent annual growth from 2004 to 2009. As for the PlayStation 3, the firm merely noted that Sony's decision to keep online gaming free for the system or move to a paid subscription format will have a big impact on online gaming growth for the system.