Smartphones are making console-only gamers rarer despite PS4 and Xbox One

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have both reached millions in system sales, but they aren’t preventing people from also adopting other devices for gaming.

People who play on multiple platforms is the only segment of gamers that is growing, according to a report from industry research firm The NPD Group. That chunk of the market, which NPD calls “omni gamers,” grew from 16 percent to 22 percent of the total gaming population in the U.S. from 2013 to 2014. The biggest group, mobile-only gamers, maintained its 29 percent hold on the market. Casual, “core-console,” “family,” “PC-only,” and social gamers all lost up to 2 percentage points. This suggests that even as dedicated gamers drop $400 on new PlayStation 4s, they are also spending time gaming on their iPhone or Android devices.