For home videogame players, it's all about learning the drill on the gaming console and playing to their strengths.

Gaming consoles have spawned new fads with companies like Microsoft and Sony bundling more entertainment features to stay ahead of the pack. The gaming console comprises of interactive electronic device loaded with multimedia features.

As the race for the numero uno position picks up momentum in a market that has seen sluggish sales, arch rivals, Microsoft, which sells the Xbox, and Sony, with its PlayStation (PS) series, are incorporating more compelling entertainment options such as music downloads, photo-sharing, and IPTV to push sales and grow subscriber base in India.

According to a FICCI-KPMG media & entertainment report, revenue from console gaming is pegged at Rs 410 crore and is expected to touch Rs 940 crore by 2013.

Jehil Thakkar, executive director at research firm KPMG's media and entertainment division said, "These firms are looking to grow their subscriber base for console gaming."

However, other industry observers say that Xbox had to take the entertainment route since Sony's PS3, which has already incorporated similar features six months back.

Jaspreet Bindra, regional director at Microsoft India's entertainment and devices division, said "Officially, our division belongs to the interactive entertainment business of Microsoft. So we are not just providers of gaming. We are working to incorporate other entertainment aspects with the Xbox such as the picture-sharing feature that allows gamers to plug a digital camera with the Xbox."The subscriber base in India for both PS and Xbox have not grown at the expected pace. PlayStation has 7 lakh users (including the grey market), while Xbox has touched 1.5 lakh since its launch about a year and a half back. Thakkar added that the culture of hardcore console gaming has not taken off in a big way.

Microsoft's Bindra said that one way to increase the gaming culture in India is by converting it into an entertainment suite loaded with features. "Options like the ability to interact with gamers sitting in different time zones will draw gamers' attention given that Indian youth love to stay connected through social networking sites."

Among the other deterring factors are prices and the lack of broadband connectivity that has hindered the mass adoption of console gaming.

KPMG's Thakkar said, "Although the prices of gaming consoles have come down from Rs 25,000 in 2006 to Rs 7 500 in 2008, the price of the gadgets cost 40% more due to high customs duties and import taxes." Console gaming is facing stiff competition from PC gaming. "Both mobile and PC gaming are affordable and have a large subscriber base. Thus, for console gaming to take off, it's the interesting price points that matters," added Thakkar.

Number crunching
PlayStation and Xbox adoption in India have been below expectation at 7 lakh and 1.5 lakh users (including grey market numbers)
Console gaming is facing stiff competition from PC gaming. Both mobile and PC gaming are affordable and have a large subscriber base
According to a FICCI-KPMG report, revenue from console gaming is pegged at Rs 410 crore and is expected to touch Rs 940 crore by 2013
This is despite console costs falling more than half in two years in India

game's on
what's in PLAYSTATION 3
Games:  You can play PLAYSTATION3 games on Blu-ray Disc (BD), thousands of PS one games as well as your CDs and DVDs on the PLAYSTATION 3
Movies & Videos:  Watching your favourite movies on Blu-ray Disc (BD), DVD or saved/downloaded videos in a variety of formats. Supported video formats are MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (PS / TS), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG-4 SP
Music: Enjoy all your CDs as well as saved/downloaded audio files in many popular formats. Supported audio formats are ATRAC (.oma / .msa. / .aa3), AAC (.3gp / .mp4), MP3 (.mp3), WAV (.wav)
Photos: View photos on your PLAYSTATION 3, chose from a variety of slideshow options and file formats. Supported Image file formats are JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP
Internet: PLAYSTATION 3 system is ready to be connected to the Internet straight away. Once online, you can browse web pages as you would on a PC
Link to PSP: Link up to a PSP using Wi-Fi connection and access files stored at home on your PLAYSTATION3's hard disk. Game developers are working on new and innovative ways of integrating the PSP system into  PLAYSTATION3 games

Amit Tripathi/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication