Source: Slashdot: Hardware
After a decade of relative stability, the installed base model for consoles is breaking down. US hardware sales are down 25% year-over-year, a signal that neither Microsoft nor Sony can rely on a generational console cycle to anchor their gaming strategies. Players aged 18-35 are increasingly comfortable with Game Pass streaming, cloud gaming, and cross-platform mobile play, making a $500 box feel optional rather than mandatory. Both companies are shifting away from hardware vendor economics toward subscription services and third-party platform deals—models with thinner margins but greater reach into where gamers actually spend time.