Nielsen's List of Most Played Consoles of 2008

[The 1 2 P]

Atleast one of the top four will surprise some, just not me: http://play.tm/wire/click/2298586/

Video Game Console Usage
PlayStation 2 - 31.7% Usage Minutes
Xbox 360 - 17.2% Usage Minutes
Wii - 13.4% Usage Minutes
Xbox - 9.7% Usage Minutes
PlayStation 3 - 7.3% Usage Minutes
GameCube - 4.6% Usage Minutes
Other - 16.2% Usage Minutes

Data from Jan - Oct 2008. Usage Minutes % is the percent of all measured console minutes. 'Other' consists of any other console systems found in the home.

[Nebagram]

Not surprised PS2's still top, that thing was so pervasive it'll be around for decades. Xbox is a bit of a surprise but as (I'm assuming) we're talking North America only, the amount of Halo-addicts still clinging to their original Xbox is likely to be higher than first thought.

It's the 'other' that surprises me most, unless they've copped out and included DS and PSP in there- or even the PC. Dare we hope a sixth of the time spent gaming last year was on Dreamcast and previous?

[geneshifter]

Yeah, not too surprising given all the things I've heard through the year. I knew PS2 was still no.1 and that people are buying Wii's but not playing anything on them. I was shocked that the PS3 minutes played was lower than xbox 1. I know most people that have one use it for movies only but I had no idea that it was so widespread.

[swlovinist]

Then there are always those people who are using the PS3 to play PS2 games....what category would that be considered in?

[geneshifter]

Then there are always those people who are using the PS3 to play PS2 games....what category would that be considered in?

Yeah, that's a really good point. I bet it's included with the PS2 numbers, right? Also, that would be a small subset of PS3 owners anyways considering the exclusion of BC in most models.

[Leo_A]

I'm sure it would be included with PS3 usage, their equipment wouldn't be able to tell I'm sure that the PS3 was playing a PS2 title.

Unless this is all tracked by hand.

Also, I believe the vast majority of PS3's have some form of PS2 compatibility, I think only the post MGS4 80 gigs don't have any compatibility, along with that Uncharted bundle with a big hd that came out recently. So only the last two or three months of PS3 purchases can't play PS2 titles.

Edit - Forgot about the 40 GB model, but still, a significant percentage of PS3's have some form of PS2 compatibility.

[bones11]

Unless I'm mistaken it's self-reported survey data - Nielsen has no way of tracking time by console in any sort of automated way.

[Leo_A]

Someone here I believe has told of doing this in the 90s and having his rf switches modified to do just that.

[Retsudo]

Im not surprised by the PS2, but not shocked at the PS3. I play mine about every other day and for about an hour when I do. I play the PS2 more.

[Eric Dude]

Yeah, not too surprising given all the things I've heard through the year. I knew PS2 was still no.1 and that people are buying Wii's but not playing anything on them.

No, I think it's just that people who buy Wiis don't spend all their time in online games calling each other faggots. It's more a 'well adjusted' person's kind of system.

[Garry Silljo]

Unless I'm mistaken it's self-reported survey data - Nielsen has no way of tracking time by console in any sort of automated way.

Incorrect. I'm a Nielson home and they have all my systems sending data to the box. I find the Xbox data suspect for only one reason. It doesn't say what it's being used for. As said, I have a Nielson box, but my Xbox is just about never used for gaming, it's primarily my daughters DVD player. So we are transmitting a whole lot of minutes to them, but the data they are reporting doesn't explain why.

[j_factor]

It's the 'other' that surprises me most, unless they've copped out and included DS and PSP in there- or even the PC. Dare we hope a sixth of the time spent gaming last year was on Dreamcast and previous?

It must have been, as portables and PC aren't included. I'd really like to see the breakdown...

[Rob2600]

people are buying Wii's but not playing anything on them.

The Wii is only 3.8% behind the Xbox 360 in usage minutes. In your mind, that mean nobody plays the Wii?

[unwinddesign]

The Wii is only 3.8% behind the Xbox 360 in usage minutes. In your mind, that mean nobody plays the Wii?

Considering the Wii has sold 4.7 million more consoles in the USA than the Xbox 360, or approximately 30% more (20 million v. 15.33 million -- from VGChartz), it's slightly curious as to why the Wii is played 25% less than the 360.

[Rob2600]

Considering the Wii has sold 4.7 million more consoles in the USA than the Xbox 360, or approximately 30% more (20 million v. 15.33 million -- from VGChartz), it's slightly curious as to why the Wii is played 25% less than the 360.

According to this Nielsen study from mid 2007 (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14848):

Wii = 102.6 minutes per day usage

Xbox 360 = 134.2 minutes per day usage

That's a difference of 25%...or 31.6 minutes per day. An extra half hour doesn't seem like a huge deal to me.



I find the Xbox data suspect for only one reason. It doesn't say what it's being used for. As said, I have a Nielson box, but my Xbox is just about never used for gaming, it's primarily my daughters DVD player.

The same could be said for the PlayStation 2, which also doubles as a DVD player.

[swlovinist]

I think part of the resaon why the Wii is being played less minutes is because of the type of games that probably most people play on the system. I could do a Wii bowling session in about 15 minutes. With that being said, as I get older and have more responsibilities, I enjoy a "mini-session" of game time.

[walrusmonger]

Or the wii could have less minutes because the core user generally has a bedtime of 7 to 9pm, while the 360's core user goes to sleep at 3am and plays FPS while drinking bawls and red bull while eating meatsa trios from pizza hut every other night.


stereotypes ftw

[dbiersdorf]

Considering the Wii has sold 4.7 million more consoles in the USA than the Xbox 360, or approximately 30% more (20 million v. 15.33 million -- from VGChartz), it's slightly curious as to why the Wii is played 25% less than the 360.

Protip: Never use VGchartz for sales numbers, they are mostly made up.

Current US hardware numbers (source NPD)

Wii: 15,391,000
360: 12,449,000
PS3: 6,062,000

And Japan for the hell of it (source Famitsu)

Wii: 7,212,966
PS3: 2,537,348
360: 732,947

[Bojay1997]

I'm still skeptical about some of these numbers, although I do know some people who still play Halo 2 on a daily basis because they prefer it to Halo 3, so those are some Xboxes still getting lots of use. In addition, I agree with the comments that the types of games available for the various systems have an impact on these numbers. The fact that tons of JRPGs are still coming out for the PS2 combined with the installed base probably explain the PS2 numbers. Similarly, there are lots of long Xbox and 360 RPGs and far fewer on the Wii.

[heybtbm]

No, I think it's just that people who buy Wiis don't spend all their time in online games calling each other faggots. It's more a 'well adjusted' person's kind of system.

Irony overload.

[unwinddesign]

According to this Nielsen study from mid 2007 (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14848):

Wii = 102.6 minutes per day usage

Xbox 360 = 134.2 minutes per day usage

That's a difference of 25%...or 31.6 minutes per day. An extra half hour doesn't seem like a huge deal to me.



No one said it was a big deal. It's just interesting that with all the talk about "omgz wii domination" that it isn't played as often as the Xbox 360. I have no idea why you quoted those numbers, they just prove the point even more. Now, at the end of 2008, there are even more Wiis out there, and they aren't being played any more than they were before. This could lead one to a few interesting hypotheses.

1) The Wii demographic is different.
2) The Wii has less lengthy games than the 360.
3) Wii owners purchase less games.



Protip: Never use VGchartz for sales numbers, they are mostly made up.

Current US hardware numbers (source NPD)

Wii: 15,391,000
360: 12,449,000
PS3: 6,062,000

And Japan for the hell of it (source Famitsu)

Wii: 7,212,966
PS3: 2,537,348
360: 732,947

Those numbers are old. The 15.19 million number is from September 30th. That's from Nintendo's balance sheet, by the way.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2008/081030e.pdf#page=11

They sold a shit load of Wiis in October, November and December. 800,000 in October and 2 million in November. Add that to the 15.19 total...and you have 18 million. And that's not including December, biggest holiday shopping season of the year.

[dbiersdorf]

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2008/081030e.pdf#page=11

They sold a shit load of Wiis in October, November and December. 800,000 in October and 2 million in November. Add that to the 15.19 total...and you have 18 million. And that's not including December, biggest holiday shopping season of the year.

2006: 1.08 million
2007: 6.29 million
2008: 8.00 million (as of November)

Which I rounded and you get a total of 15.37 million. Did you even read the link you provided? The numbers they provide are shipped, not sold. Sold data in the United States is widely available, go look it up yourself and you'll get the same numbers as me. December numbers haven't been released yet, so it's pointless to speculate that into the total.

Again, VGchartz numbers are made up, and use some stupid algorithm equation that is used to "predict" the current sales. Don't use it as a source, it's pointless.

[Rob2600]

it's interesting that with all the talk about "omgz wii domination" that it isn't played as often as the Xbox 360. I have no idea why you quoted those numbers, they just prove the point even more. Now, at the end of 2008, there are even more Wiis out there, and they aren't being played any more than they were before.

My point isn't that people play the Wii the most.

Geneshifter posted that since the Wii is a few percentage points behind the Xbox 360 in the Nielsen survey, that means nobody ever plays it, which is false. I posted data that shows on average, people play the Wii for more than an hour and a half a day.

Also, you wrote that people are playing the Wii 25% less than they play the Xbox 360, which seems like a pretty big difference...but I pointed out that it really only equals a difference of 30 minutes (an hour and a half a day vs. two hours a day).

[scooterb23]

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli

[The 1 2 P]

I'm still skeptical about some of these numbers, although I do know some people who still play Halo 2 on a daily basis because they prefer it to Halo 3, so those are some Xboxes still getting lots of use. In addition, I agree with the comments that the types of games available for the various systems have an impact on these numbers. The fact that tons of JRPGs are still coming out for the PS2 combined with the installed base probably explain the PS2 numbers. Similarly, there are lots of long Xbox and 360 RPGs and far fewer on the Wii.

I agree with the skepticism but their(NPD) whole process for conducting this survey is explained at the bottom of the link. Furthermore, I am one of those people that still uses his Xbox to play games more than any of my other 13 systems in my house. So that really didn't surprise me. That it beat the PS3? Again, not a surprise because the PS3 has been out for 2 years while the Xbox has been out for 4+(supported) years. The Xbox still has a better selection of games than the PS3. That should change in the next few years but it still remains to be seen.

[Leo_A]

It must have been, as portables and PC aren't included. I'd really like to see the breakdown...

They only monitor tv usage, the data you want isn't relevant to them, or easily tracked.

[Bojay1997]

I agree with the skepticism but their(NPD) whole process for conducting this survey is explained at the bottom of the link. Furthermore, I am one of those people that still uses his Xbox to play games more than any of my other 13 systems in my house. So that really didn't surprise me. That it beat the PS3? Again, not a surprise because the PS3 has been out for 2 years while the Xbox has been out for 4+(supported) years. The Xbox still has a better selection of games than the PS3. That should change in the next few years but it still remains to be seen.

Yes, except using a sample of 1,200 "gamers" is probably not very representative and not even close to the sample size they use for TV viewership which is in the tens of thousands. Although I would love to believe that millions of people are still using their Xboxes daily, I still kind of doubt it, especially since nothing of any note has come out for the Xbox in over three years now. Given the criteria they used to build this pool, I suspect they are skewing older (i.e. adults in larger households who may care less about the newest games or who can't get their spouse to agree to let them upgrade) and younger (i.e. kids in households who can't get their parents to buy them a new system) than the actual mainstream gaming population which is made up of a lot of 18-35 year old men, many of whom are single and may not have a dedicated land line or otherwise don't fall into the potential group of Nielsen households.

[Eric Dude]

Irony overload.

Ok, so the best you've got is to say "No, you're not well-adjusted!". I can live with that.

Cut me some slack. It was a knee-jerk response to the guy saying nobody's playing anything on their Wiis.

Anyway, yeah this thread is kinda pointless, because the sample size is ridiculously small, and the info they're tracking is so irrelevant that the whole thing was almost a waste of time.

[swlovinist]

On a very side note: Does getting your 360 to boot up properly or rebooting time getting it to play a game count as game time? :)

[erik]

I just read over this list and found it to be a very interesting read, though it hardly surprises me that the PS2 is still the most-played system. I still play mine far more than my 360 or Wii. I do not own a PS3, because I already own a blu-ray player anyway. One major issue that I must address is the fact that games of this generation just are not that original or fun anymore. I know I will take some shit from some 'modern gamers' on this site, but all evidence points to the 360/PS3 generation being a big letdown for the hardcore gamer(I don't care what the sales numbers say.)

Why does it have to be this way? How did it end up this way?? I don't really know for sure, but I think game development costs are so high that only the biggest companies can afford to make games anymore. Companies such as EA are giving us derivative games that only appeal to casual gamers(how much Need for Speed do we really need??) Don't get me wrong - there still are some fun and original titles such as Bioshock, Gears, GTAIV, Mario Galaxy and the excellent and highly original Braid on XBLA. Other than a dozen games or so, there is nothing else that I would find myself playing 5 or 10 years from now. In my opinion, that is the most profound change in the industry.

[Sudo]

I just read over this list and found it to be a very interesting read, though it hardly surprises me that the PS2 is still the most-played system. I still play mine far more than my 360 or Wii. I do not own a PS3, because I already own a blu-ray player anyway. One major issue that I must address is the fact that games of this generation just are not that original or fun anymore. I know I will take some shit from some 'modern gamers' on this site, but all evidence points to the 360/PS3 generation being a big letdown for the hardcore gamer(I don't care what the sales numbers say.)

Why does it have to be this way? How did it end up this way?? I don't really know for sure, but I think game development costs are so high that only the biggest companies can afford to make games anymore. Companies such as EA are giving us derivative games that only appeal to casual gamers(how much Need for Speed do we really need??) Don't get me wrong - there still are some fun and original titles such as Bioshock, Gears, GTAIV, Mario Galaxy and the excellent and highly original Braid on XBLA. Other than a dozen games or so, there is nothing else that I would find myself playing 5 or 10 years from now. In my opinion, that is the most profound change in the industry.

This is just your opinion, it's far from being fact.

[unwinddesign]

I could probably only name 15 or 20 AAA, legendary titles from each generation, so that fact doesn't change...neither does the fact that like 50% of games are complete and utter crap. People may remember the days of the SNES and so forth fondly, but there were so many sacks of shit on there it was nigh unbelievable. You just didn't hear about them, because there wasn't internet in every home and they didn't get advertised that much.

Now, games only rarely slip quietly out the door, and almost every game gets reviewed, so everyone knows about all the complete and total turds out there, like that Ninja Bread Man game for Wii.

[jcalder8]

Might Nielsen have classified some 360's as Xbox's which could account for their higher numbers.

[Nature Boy]

I'm not surprised by any of it. They're measuring *useage,* which certain counts but is definitely not limited to playing games, especially for the Xbox and PS users.

I love using my consoles as more than just games machines. I watch mpegs and listen to music all the time on my 360 and Xbox. I watch DVDs on my PS2.

The machines that can be used more than one way *should* be at the top of that list!

[The 1 2 P]

The machines that can be used more than one way *should* be at the top of that list!

Good point.

[Poofta!]

It must have been, as portables and PC aren't included. I'd really like to see the breakdown...

incorrect, the ds and psp (and pc) do not connect to a nielson box. so it would be dreamcast and below.

[j_factor]

incorrect, the ds and psp (and pc) do not connect to a nielson box. so it would be dreamcast and below.

How can you say "incorrect" followed by something that completely agrees with what I said? :confused: