At the time, the Chinese authorities cited possible negative effects on the mental health and well-being of players. Of course, since then consoles have been available at a premium cost through China's enormous black market.
For those unwilling to break the law, PC gaming is more than enough in the $14 billion market.
China's State Council announced the temporary suspension of the sales ban on its website, but did not elaborate on how long console sales will be permitted, or why the ban was lifted now.
Internet cafes in China are frequently packed with online gamers, as PC gaming dominates the market with over a two-thirds share. Browser gaming accounted for 15.4 percent of the market, followed by mobile gaming at 13.5 percent.
The Chinese gaming market grew to 83.17 billion yuan (US$ 13.7 billion) in 2013, up 38 percent from 2012.
Written by: James Delahunty @ 7 Jan 2014 5:04
