Game consoles are very popular today.  It’s not only kids that play with this interactive entertainment, but adults as well are enjoying all it has to offer, and that goes beyond gaming.  As a matter of fact, game consoles are now being used for family bonding.  With a wide variety of games and services offered, who could dare resist this fun temptation?

Game consoles, according to ABI Research, are said to be the most used connected consumer electronics device in North America for streaming Netflix content.  According to the survey, people are spending an average of seven to eight hours a week watching online video on consoles.

“Companies such as Microsoft and Sony in particular are pushing to make the consoles more central to the digital living room,” says Michael Inouye, senior analyst, digital home.

“Nintendo is not as aggressive in this regard yet, but with the Wii U they might try to make a bigger push into the over-the-top content delivery market.”

Contrary to game consoles’ popularity, there are also other parts of the globe that have lower rates of console connectivity.  Though Asia was reported to be the future of the mobile Internet, the console rate has been low in the region.  This low rate of connectivity has something to do with the banning of most consoles in China wherein the connect rate is only 13.1%.  In South Korea, the reason of having a low console rate of 6.3% is that PC gaming has dominated the country, not to mention battling issues on piracy.  On the other hand, game consoles are a hit in Western Europe and the United States.

ABI Research’s Jason Blackwell has also emphasized the relevance of game consoles to home entertainment experience and that home console market “still has plenty of life.”

“While mobile devices might soon match the processing power of game consoles, there are a number of issues such as storage and portability that could hinder the transition to mobile.

“The game console has a higher degree of persistence in the living room, giving more    household members access to the device at any time of the day, whereas most mobile devices are designed for portability and a more personal experience.”

Meanwhile, Netflix, whether through applications, game consoles or connected TVs, is on its way to dominate our living rooms, giving it the nickname as the King of the Living Room.  In addition, since game consoles are the most used connected CE to stream Netflix content, this has made more opportunities for the internet streaming media provider.  With Netflix’s controversial price hike, the company’s rate for their service is still considered cheap.

Of course, the topic wouldn’t be complete without discussing the latest from Sony and Nintendo.  Last month, the two giant game console developers were reported to have suffered the brunt of revenue declines over the past fiscal year.  This situation has kept Microsoft in the lead with the Xbox and Kinect technology.

The market for game consoles is still alive, especially in Western culture.  Just because Sony and Nintendo’s revenue standing is shaky, the passion of people for game console is always there.  Having said this, will this be a great and strong opportunity for Google to enter the market?  Lately, Google has made impressive moves in expanding their reach, especially into gaming sectors, and has faced every risk from a strategic standpoint.  Will Google’s courage push them to dominate in the gaming console market?  It’s a lucrative market though Google’s best bet is likely with mobile, Chrome and netbooks.