CEA survey: Gaming to drive 3D TV purchases

According to a new survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association, one in four respondents who identified as a "gamer" is interested in 3D gaming at home. In a presentation today at the LA Games Conference, Shawn DuBravac, CEA's chief economist, suggested that gaming would strongly drive the adoption of 3D televisions. Of those surveyed who'd seen a 3D movie, half said they would be interested in 3D games, and one in five gamers surveyed said that 3D-gaming support was the factor most likely to drive their purchase of a new TV. "It's the first time I've ever seen new televisions coupled with games as a promotion," said DuBravac, "and that's really exciting."

Additionally, DuBravac suggested that the gaming demographic at large would grow with the sale of new devices in the iPad-size category. There's currently a "device void" in the 8–12-inch screen space, according to CEA's research, but DuBravac expects that to fill up with approximately 20 million units sold of these mid-size devices just this year -- and those sales will lead to new gamers. As seen in the slide above, when the CEA asked consumers why they don't play games, almost 20 percent identified themselves as "not a gamer." DuBravac and company believe that these respondents are likely to become "gamers" through their purchases of new devices and technologies, like 3D.

As for dismissing 3D as a fad? Try it first, said DuBravac, who admitted that the technology is far from widespread adoption. By the CEA's count, roughly eight percent of consumers claim to have doubts about 3D technology, but, "it's about half of that, around 4 percent, after they see it in action."