PC Gaming Hardware Revenue Hits $30 Billion In 2016, A New Record - Report

Research firm Jon Peddie Research has announced some new data regarding the PC gaming market. According to JPR (via Game Informer), PC gaming hardware alone drove $30 billion in revenue worldwide in 2016, setting a new record. It wasn't mentioned in the report what the previous record was.

The $30 billion figure includes things like pre-built and custom-made gaming rigs, as well as upgrades like new cards. Accessories and audio systems are also factored into the number.

According to JPR, the PC gaming market for hardware is going to grow by 6 percent (compound annual growth rate) through 2019.

The research firm added that the Asia Pacific market is the global leader in terms of market size and growth for PC gaming hardware, accounting for $11.3 billion in 2016. JPR said this is due to "an entrenched PC gaming culture, large population, and a lack of significant console traction."

"Global consumers continue to embrace the PC platform for video games due to multiple factors," JPR analyst Ted Pollak said. "The desktop ergonomic is popular because the display distance offers increased detail when using HD and UHD monitors. Additionally there is superior control with mouse and keyboard control interfaces. This has been validated with esports overwhelmingly being played on PCs.

"Additionally, product designers have given PC gamers thousands of options for complete customization from a functionally and aesthetic perspective," he added. "Examples of this include dedicated driving and flight systems, multi-display setups, super-powerful graphics boards, and a wide selection of gaming notebooks ranging from desktop substitutes to innovative 'thin and light' offerings. Liquid cooling, lighting, solid state drives, genre specific gaming mice, mechanical keyboards, notebook graphics amplifiers, and Xbox accessory compatibility offer gamers more choices than they have ever had."

You can read more from JPR's PC gaming hardware report here.