PC Gaming Hardware Market to Recover from Supply Problems
Jon Peddie Research
July 14, 2021

PC Gaming Hardware Market to Recover from Supply Problems

The high-end PC gaming hardware segment 5-year forecast is 20.38% CAGR from 2020.
TIBURON, CA — Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, has released its newest gaming market study regarding the PC gaming hardware market, which consists of personal computers, upgrades, and peripherals used for gaming.

The PC gaming hardware market both flourished and suffered during the past year. It flourished financially, however not in a way most would hope. Because of supply problems, a large portion of the consumer spending did not make it back to manufacturers, with an abnormal amount going to resellers who charged inordinately high prices for PC components. 

This phenomenon leads to how it suffered. Gamers with average budgets could not always get what they needed, and new entrants sometimes put off, or even worse, abandoned the platform or hobby adoption. New entrants are very important to the long-term health of any gaming platform. A stark warning to hardware companies in the PC gaming space that long-term growth is dependent on having products available and priced within reach of mass-market consumers. Also, a warning that total dependency on imported products and just-in-time inventory systems can be a weakness during market anomalies like the COVID pandemic.

But help is on the way. “PC Gaming Hardware companies are reviewing their just-in-time strategies and beginning to adopt just-in-case inventory levels. As a result, we expect inventory and sales of high-wnd products to grow dramatically in the coming years. Additionally, ultrawide and 4K+ displays are now available at big box stores and online for historically low prices. This helps drive CPU and GPU demand, full builds, and accessory sales to gamers," says Ted Pollak, senior analyst for the game tech industry. 

Jon Peddie, President of JPR, added, "Pent-up demand resulting from anomalously high prices will be satisfied in the coming years. High-end graphics cards (add-in boards) maintain MSRP well and can be sold as mid-range products for years after production. This may encourage manufacturers to aggressively stock high-end inventory levels to prevent what we saw happen since COVID-19 lockdowns were initiated.”

“The Worldwide PC Gaming Hardware Market” report series by Jon Peddie Research, which covers 33 countries, notebooks, desktops, DIY, and accessories, comes in three versions: entry-level, mid-range, and high-end, with a subscription price of $27,500 including a global summary. Subscribers receive all reports twice a year. Reports are also available by segment at $8,250 per issuance.