Internet-connected Game Consoles - A game console is a kind of video game box that you connect to your TV, or other display device. The three most popular game consoles (in random order) are PlayStation from Sony, Wii from Nintendo and xBox from Microsoft. Most of these game consoles now-a-days have the ability to connect to the Internet. These Internet-connected gaming consoles make it possible for you to connect to one or more people outside of your home and play a game in real-time with them. Updates, advertisments and more can thus also be accessed online.

Game consoles are the most Internet connected type of set top box (as of late 2009). Blu-ray players (BD-Live) used for gaming can also be Internet-connected and are experiencing substantial growth.

Jupiter predicted that one in ten households in the U.S. will have a connected game console in 2008 and they forecasted that percentage to double by 2011.  They also predicted that digital distribution of gaming and other content via the Internet will have contributed to revenues of $800 million in 2008 and that will grow to nearly $2 billion in 2011. (This prediction was made before the economic crash.)

The proliferation of broadband Internet access and to a lesser extent home networks, are among the reasons that the gaming industry is shifting to digital distribution via consumer electronic devices.



Broadband Game(ing) Console

Digital Media Adapter - (DMA)

Gaming Consoles - (Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo)

Home Theater PC

Home Media Adapter

iTV (Apple TV)