Janco Partner's Mike Hickey said in a Tuesday research note, "We think hardware sales could pace at over 30 million units annually for the next several years, as the gaming category continues to attract mainstream audiences."
In an e-mail to Edge, Hickey said that he's "guessing roughly" over 33 million in hardware sales for calendar year 2008, a figure that includes home and handheld consoles. Annual sales in the years ahead rely on factors such as the economy, pricing, content and other variables, he said.
NPD Group is releasing December U.S. videogame sales data on Thursday.
He added, "We do not expect a next generation console release until 2012-2013, providing a medium term profile of uninterrupted earnings growth, in our opinion."