The value of gaming PCs is expected to grow to $37.69bn by 2020 according to the latest report on the computer graphics market from Jon Peddie Research. That’s some considerable growth in regards to the entire $125bn market, yet the research company is still reporting a significant “wobble” in the hardware and software market after its rapid growth from 2013 to 2016 – and VR is not yet pulling its weight.
The value of gaming PCs dwarves both games consoles and graphics-charged workstations – some insight into the market that both AMD and Nvidia are vying for – yet even that is less than half of the mobile phone market. Even the massive mobile segment is not able to stand on firm ground, however, as the report suggests the market will decline in value by 2022 to below 2018 numbers.
The games console market is sure to see some a surge in the latter half of 2019, however, when both the next-gen Playstation and Project Scarlett are set to launch. Jon Peddie puts the market jump at $11.06bn in 2019 to $15.14bn in 2020. And you know who’s set to gain from all that? Yes, Microsoft and Sony, but also AMD, who is providing the custom Zen 2 / AMD Navi silicon that both consoles will be built upon.
So that’s more good news for team red, but it’s looking good for Nvidia, too. The green GPU company has been increasingly focusing on the professional graphics market, and that market is expected to continue to grow over the next few years. It is, however, a market dominated by CAD and CAM, or computer-aided design and manufacturing, on the software side. Jon Peddie Research puts the content creation market at 79% CAD/CAM; 16% digital video; 3% rendering, visualisation, and simulation; and just 2% modeling and animation.
Yet one segment that is perpetually waiting in the wings is virtual reality, the reports says.
“Virtual reality, which has gained so much attention, is hardly a factor in either hardware or software, and despite some glowing forecasts, we don’t think it will be for a while. The main point of exploration for VR today is in content creation where it is used for virtual production, a glamorous but tiny market, and design for professionals, its traditional market.”
So while we’re all commending the Valve Index at the moment, the wider market is still yet to jump on the VR bandwagon. Just give it time, soon we’ll all be enjoying the adrenaline-fueled action that is Derail Valley.