Nielsen: People prefer playing original Xbox over PS3 in '08
by Majed Athab 
{ Jan 3rd 2009 at 8:00AM }
It's not too hard to believe that people are spending more time playing on Xbox 360 or Wii than they are with the PS3. It's also not too difficult to hear that the PS2 is the most played console in 2008 -- everyone and their pet lizard owns one. However, there is one thing which stuns not only us but our comrades as well, and that is hearing that the original Xbox is roping in more gamers than the PS3 for a share of TV time. It's a bit tough to stomach, we know, but that feeling of queasiness should subside within the hour.Media research group Nielsen reports the PS3 ranks 5th in 2008's "Video Game Console Usage" from data collected during the months of January through October. In that period, PS2 took the top spot with a 31.7 percent share followed by the 360 and Wii with 17.2 and 13.4 percent, respectively. The PS3 is right under the original Xbox's 9.7 percent share by a meager difference of 2.4 percent.
But hey, it's not all doom and gloom. Our choice console did beat out the GameCube by a whopping 3.3 percent. The full statistics can be found after the break.
[via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
lee @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:16AM
BS tbh
how do they even figure out the numbers anyway?
Hashbrown Hunter @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:40AM
Nielsen chips inside TVs. It's in most new TVs, but not all of the ones everyone has that maybe be a few years old. So this isn't everyone, but it's a good estimate.
Kspraydad @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:03AM
Nielsen Television Ratings are gathered by one of two ways; by extensive use of surveys, where viewers of various demographics are asked to keep a written record (called a diary) of the television programming they watch throughout the day and evening, or by the use of Set Meters, which are small devices connected to every television in selected homes. (Wiki)
There is NOT a tracking device in every TV.
MakaiOokami @ Jan 3rd 2009 3:25PM
Let's look at some facts shall we?
1. Halo is one of America's most beloved franchises.
2. Xbox's are cheap.
3. Xbox's can be homebrewed for lots of things. I know people who modded or hacked their Xbox for tons of extra stuff.
4. This is an American survey. We all know most Americans in general don't have very good taste. That's why Gangsta Rap is so popular. That's why most high rated movies now adays blow compared to 4 or 5 years ago. That's why that's so raven do so well.
Let's go to a real country with some real tastes and some real people. A lot of people thought Sarah Palin was a good candidate, or voted for McCain. Plus the PS3 is like 8-10 times as expensive as an Xbox roughly
Jed Leonard @ Jan 3rd 2009 5:14PM
They send you a dollar to report what you are watching for 2 weeks. I guess the people that are still playing xbox really need that dollar.
There is no way these numbers are right, not with a console that has been totally abandoned by its manufacturer.
Someguy @ Jan 4th 2009 6:13AM
Not every man and his lizard own a PS2. I for example don't (neither a lizard - not that I'd want one for that matter, nor a PS2 - because it's still so damn expensive 170USD for a FREAKIN PS2... damn... you can get a 9800GTX for that money...)
Hashbrown Hunter @ Jan 4th 2009 8:02AM
Oh. Haha sorry. WIKIPEDIA LIED!
Lars @ Jan 5th 2009 8:17PM
Actually, there's 3 ways, Kspraydad. They'll sometimes conduct phone surveys.
After participating in one of their studies I will never ever trust their numbers at all. The questions they ask are poorly thought out and paint a picture of your household which could be quite different than reality.
Nathanical @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:21AM
it makes me wonder how they get this kind of information short of spying on us. How would they KNOW i spend more time on my ps3 than my ps2 short of invasion of my privacy? Id take these figures with a GREAT BIG pinch of salt, either that or we need to start thinking about overthrowing our govenments -.-
Gatorman0303 @ Jan 3rd 2009 12:32PM
Neilson bases these numbers off samples of the population which gives them accurate data. I seriously hope you were kidding with your invasion of privacy statement, maybe you were and I didn't catch it. Statistics my friend, not a corrupt government that spies on your video game playing.
HarryPS3 @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:20AM
This is just hilarious, what kind of monkeys did they study to come up with these figures?!
"It's not too hard to believe that people are spending more time playing on Xbox 360 or Wii than they are with the PS3." This quote may apply to you but i completely disagree with this nonsense!
lee @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:23AM
+1, i havent played on my 360 since completing GOW 2
and my wii, i cant even think back that far
iamkid @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:07AM
same for me lee(about the wii). it must have been at least 4 months since its even gone outside of its box.
Shashwat @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:51AM
lol it's not hard to believe because many ps3 owners who own a xbox 360 will play more on that just because of the fact that everybody owns a xbox. Since most people spend most of their time in multiplayer, and since Live has such great mutliplayer this isn't much of a surprise.
I still love my PS3 but I use it less simplly because of xbox live features. However, I still have around 170 hours in Warhawk.
Smitty @ Jan 3rd 2009 12:15PM
I have now gone a full year without touching my Wii... I actually feel guilty whenever I see it in the corner by the smaller TV; just gathering dust and looking up at me with its sad console eyes. Yes, we did have a lot of fun with Wii sports.
My typical excuse is that I don't want to have to replace the batteries again. But that's just me.
ice~ @ Jan 3rd 2009 12:51PM
@Shashwat
that's exactly it. I own both a PS3 and a 360, and i love them both...however all of my friends play 360 more because all of their friends play it and so on. I also own 30+games on 360, and i have 3 on PS3....and i'm an achievement whore. I love my PS3, and I wish my friends would buy one so I had people to talk to and play with on it.......but they're thick headed 360fanboys........You gotta love both systems to get the best gaming experience, that's how I feel, but there is no convincing them to drop $400 (or $500 idk how much it is now) on a PS3....
Nick @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:09PM
See, for me it's the other way around. I use my PS3 for my HD media, Blu-Ray, etc - but I haven't touched it for games in eons. I'm instead playing darn near everything on my 360, which I use NIGHTLY.
The Wii, on the other hand, is a dust bunny right now. But you have to remember, people that have the Wii usually have kids that are younger. It doesn't apply to a situation like those who post on PS3/360 message boards :)
If my kids were older, there would be a ton of play time in a whole bunch of games.
C-Onor @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:18PM
but, you, harry, and you, lee, are not most people. they meant that a lot of people are spending more time on their xbox than their ps3. they werent specifically talking about you two
ZombieDeity @ Jan 3rd 2009 2:52PM
I sold my Wii and it games and accessories to buy a PS3. I recommend you do the same since it won't get any more valuable.
yog-sothot @ Jan 3rd 2009 3:04PM
What are you talking about ?
Who said that somebody with both a Wii and a PS3 would play his Wii more ? That's not in the article.
Those numbers don't mean that a player who has a wii and a PS3 will play more with his Wii. It just means that if you count the total number of hours played on the Wii by the entire population, it's higher than the amount of hours played on the PS3 by the entire population. Therefore this is directly linked to the installed base of each consoles ! Those numbers are based on "total number of console X" times "average time spent by a player on console X". All this "blabla people play the 360 because their friends are" has absolutely nothing to do with those statistics (or just a little for the couple of people with several consoles)
Moe-Ali @ Jan 3rd 2009 4:27PM
WOOOOWW this sounds like the biggest bs ever
i always play with my ps3 .. unless im busy with school/ or im working
i don't have a wii but honestly the friends of mine that own it never use it anymore unless a couple of other friends are over
the 360 ... i can't say much about this .. i don't own one and all my friends that own it play it regularly
Jed Leonard @ Jan 3rd 2009 5:14PM
The only reason I got a 360 was for Halo, and other exclusives. I buy all my multiplat games on the ps3. I had a wii for a little while, but I traded it in after it sat there for 6 months.
Neuromancer @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:19PM
The numbers don't lie.
tlarkin79 @ Jan 4th 2009 9:10AM
Well, this is the PS3fanboy site, of course you play more PS3. This is talking about a general sample of the population.
lasolas @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:33AM
I say BS too. I still love my original Xbox, but I haven't turned it on at all in 2008. I do 90% of my gaming on my PS3, only did Fable 2 and Gears 2 on my (3rd) 360. Speaking of... started Gears 2 last few days... snooze. Resistance 2 I enjoyed much more at this stage of the game (4 or 5 levels in).
Shashwat @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:53AM
what is up with people on this site always dissing gears 2 and loving R2? Well, i guess i'll have to rent Resistance 2 to see what you are talking about, though most people i know love Gears 2 more. I for one found Gears 2's campaign bigger, better, and more badass.
Prothean @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:32PM
Not necessarily a dis. Graphically, yes, it's amazing... but overall it feels exactly like Gears 1... which in and of itself is fantastic, but there's not much different. Resistance 2 was a huge improvement over Resistance 1 which is why to me it was much more engaging. I didn't really care for the extremely scripted parts of Gears 2 I've experienced so far, felt like a spectator on a roller coaster. I loved the first Gears, and I'm sure once I finish Gears 2 I'll love it too, but so far it feels like much more of the same.
RPMd70 @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:43PM
@ Shashwat
"i guess i'll have to rent Resistance 2 to see what you are talking about"
"I for one found Gears 2's campaign bigger, better, and more badass."
how can you say that GoW2 was better without even playing R2 to compare it to? yeah guy... you think about that...
skin.bintin @ Jan 3rd 2009 6:47PM
You are lying!
blkant @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:42AM
perhaps its because people who play PS3 actually spend time doing other things as well. Instead of living on their asses.
blkant @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:46AM
Also does anyone notice the twilight zone picture? it says that you have crossed over but it has the equation E=mc^2 on it. Thats a true equation.... why would that be in the "twilight zone" if its correct.......
maidsandharem @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:41PM
I find this survey to be true. But you are also correct as you get older you lose more freetime( a.k.a freedom). But what the hell is usage % minutes? You're telling me that people actully play their ps3 for 7.3 minutes? The survey to me is correct but it should not be taken to a negative light towards the ps3 itself, for example im still paying for my 60gb+games+4 xtra controller+kick ass tv+hdmi that i GOT FROM LAUNCH (thanks 10.99% apr :P).
Stef @ Jan 4th 2009 4:26AM
This is sort of biast.
The Wii is a console. The Xbox 360 is a console. The playstation 2 is a console. The Playstation 3 is a multimedia device thingy.
I spend a lot of my time on my PS3 watching bluray or watching/listening to the media I've stored on there. On Xbox 360 I only play games.
If you only count gameplay then as I said this is biast.
tlarkin79 @ Jan 4th 2009 9:16AM
Wii has a web browser. xbox 360 plays DVD's and movies through the Video marketplace, not to mention netflix streaming. Sure the 360 had HD DVD, but it doesn't have a blu ray player. For a lot of people, the multimedia capabilities of PS3 vs 360 are relatively equal.
Stef @ Jan 4th 2009 9:31AM
That's besides the point.
PS3 is marketed as a Multimedia Device Thingy. Xbox 360 and Wii are marketed as game consoles.
On a side note Netflix is exclusive to the US so it doesn't really count.
oldmanpip @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:48AM
Hmm statistics can always skew the data.
It's in % usage of minutes. So it can mean completely different things than people prefer the Xbox to the PS3.
For instance, people with PS3's can afford them, so they work more, and thus have less time to spend on an xbox.
Perhaps people with an xbox bought it for their kid. That kid is obviously going to have more free time to play then an adult.
It's very accurate data, but it isn't described or looked at properly. Give us means, ranges, standard deviations and we can look at the data ourselves. And don't interpret it incorrectly without more data to back it up.
marauder800 @ Jan 3rd 2009 4:01PM
A very damned simplistic view (to put it kindly). Are you suggesting all 360 and Wii owners are unemployed deadbeats, and all PS3 owners are 90 hour work week captains of industry? I own 2 360's and a PS3, so where does that put me in your silly argument? My PS3 gets used when Netflix ships me a Blu-ray, and that's about it. Sorry, but I don't like the PS3 controller and the lack of mics on PSN, so my 360 gets a lot more use. It has nothing to do with my income level or how much I work, its a personal preference. Your argument was best kept to yourself because even the most radical PS3 fanboy can see how flawed it is.
blkant @ Jan 3rd 2009 8:50AM
also that title is incorrect, this isnt a test over what the prefer. First of all the xbox has been out for many many more years, so obviously it has a much larger user basis, and secondly there is an economic crisis going on, people aren't willing to spend the money to get the PS3 YET. So really shouldn't this be renamed from "prefer to" to "are playing more on". Just saying...
cartman58 @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:01AM
The original article talks about usage. Yet, somehow Fanboy equated this into an article about preference. I was about to rip the original research by asking how you could determine preference by looking at usage, but realized that's not what the original research tells us...at all.
For example, could you determine my preference in vehicles by looking at what I currently drive? (no) The fact that someone drives a Geo doesn't mean that one prefers to drive a Geo. I'm sure almost everyone's preference if asked would be a Porsche, BMW, etc.
Whoever wrote this article for PS3Fanboy failed, hard. I'm not someone to point things like that out either.
Phil1017 @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:01AM
I prefer playing PlayStation 3 over all consoles and handhelds. Because PS3 is my own console. I dont have others.
Tidus @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:03AM
That "study" is just pathetic.
magicfett @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:03AM
These are the same idiots that determine what is on television and we wonder why most of the shows are complete garbage.
grimp @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:07AM
lol these comments are F*kn hilarious.... WAAAHHHH!! this can be correct !! ( insert lame excuse here ) keep em coming. I'll bet any amount of money that if it where another console other than the PS3 you people would be laughing your asses off. so do us all a favor and STFU and TAKE IT!!!
Mattnz @ Jan 4th 2009 6:27AM
OK then; Nielsen: People prefer playing the PS2 over Xbox and Xbox 360 combined in '08. Funny?
Mana Knight @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:21AM
I seriously do not know why Nielsen got into measuring video games. For one, households have various income levels. For TV, almost every freaking person has at least one TV. Whether the TV be a fancy HDTV or a black and white TV, people have a TV. They can still watch the same channels. The main divide is whether someone has cable or no cable.
The big issue is, what type of demographic, age group, income level, etc. are they doing this testing in for an example? When I was around the town adjacent to my college town, you really didn't see many PS3 consoles sell because the overall income level in that city was low. In another town which was high class, PS3 consoles would sell out all the time. If they are trying to measure kids for an example, how many of them would actually own a PS3 (It's a $400 device, and most parents wouldn't buy it for their kids). Does this rating also factor in whether someone is using their PS3 to play a PS2 game, Wii to play a GC game, or 360 to play an Xbox game (are they counting it as the console it's on or the previous console, because I only many who only use their 360 for Halo 3 and Halo 2). Also, are they factoring in those who have hacked original Xbox consoles playing non-Xbox games on it? How many percentage of the sample size actually owns a PS3, PS2, Wii, 360, etc.? How many of those people own multiple consoles and what are they playing each.
IMO, if Nielsen IS going to do the ratings, they might as well split everything up with various console combinations. Like if someone owns a PS2 and Wii only, measure that specific group on what they are playing. If Someone owns a PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, Xbox, GC, and pretty much everything, measure what percentage of each console is being turned on. Although the PS2 may have a very high percentage, is it measuring whether someone is playing a newly released game or an older game? In the year 2007, we were mostly seeing PS2 versions of games outsell the PS3 one (like for Madden, NCAA, Guitar Hero, etc.), while this year (unless it's a younger audience game like Lego Batman), we are seeing the PS3 version outsell the PS2 one does that really mean there are still people buying many PS2 games? I don't think so because more PS3 games sold in 2008 than PS2). Also there is to consider, are they measuring one console per household or multiple (some kids have a PS2 for themselves, but live in the same house) while they might have to share a PS3, 360, or whatever in the living room.
I can easily think of 1 billion flaws with this measurement. This is almost like the Japanese most wanted list from Famitsu. I remember Lost Odyssey being near the top of the list, yet it sold like 50k in the first week of release. Wii Fit wasn't even listed yet it sold a crazy number of copies and is close to around 3 million now (while LO topped to around 100K). ToV (360) I believe was higher on the list than WKC (PS3), yet WKC outsold ToV in a few days. Unless you are measuring every single person out there with a game console, the results are never accurate.
The presidential election for an example kept showing McCain very close in polls, but was the election really close? Not really, it was mostly a blowout (especially when looking at the electoral vote). Almost every sample size showed McCain winning my state but Obama did.
That's why I'm trying to prove, you just can't accurately measure this stuff. If 200 CAGs were chosen at random to take part in a game console survey, I pretty much guarantee you it would be hard to make accurate. It might draw 200 huge 360 fans, or maybe even 150 big PS3 fans and 50 big Wii fans.
There's also not everyone wants to participate in Nielsen. I remember when they called my apartment several times trying to get me to take part in monitoring what I watch on TV. I kept telling them I do NOT watch TV much. Then they were like did I have children of wife who watched the TV. I basically called them tons of nasty words and hung up. They still called back a few times, but eventually gave up. I wouldn't want to mess with Nielsen measuring my stuff.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Is Nielsen actually measuring just disc games being played, disc + downloads, or just when a console being turned on? Some just use their PS2 for a DVD player, some use 360 for media streaming, some use PS3 for blu-ray, some use Wii to look at the weather, some use Xbox for various media stuff, etc. Way too flawed.
lookhappy @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:13AM
haha that's rubbish!!!
I seriously doubt the credibility of their "study".
Maybe it was conducted in sewers on radioactive rats and turtle-people. And it's all preceded by the words
"For my dearest shelley,
All characters contained in this text are fictitious. Any resemblance to real-life counterparts is purely coincidence."
BLACK @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:56AM
this is one of the crappiest researches I've ever seen...
Evan @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:37AM
The PS3 doesn't exactly offer the games to woo PS2 owners.
Top 10 PS2 franchises by worldwide sales:
- Grand Theft Auto (27m): gone multi-platform
- Madden NFL (16m): multi-platform
- Final Fantasy (15m): will be going multi-platform
- Gran Turismo (14m): still waiting on the real sequel
- Ratchet & Clank (12m): was delayed for Resistance
- Metal Gear Solid (11m): only recently released
- Guitar Hero (9m): multi-platform
- Kingdom Hearts (8.5m): missing in action
- Need for Speed (7.5m): multi-platform
- Jak & Daxter (7m): missing in action
That is the game line up that sold 140 million PS2 consoles.
First problem: All of the top PS1 franchises had PS2 sequels. But of the 7 franchises that were once PS2-exclusives, only 2 have PS3-exclusive sequels.
Second problem: Both the PS1 and PS2 had a nice balance of genres: action, RPGs, sports, driving, and platformers. But the games being pushed by Sony for the PS3 are mostly hardcore action and shooting games.
The PS2 was a natural progression from the original Playstation, people could upgrade and continue playing many of their favorite franchises and genres. But the same is not true of the PS3. I upgraded to the PS3, and for much of last year, I found myself with nothing to play! That never happened on the PS2. Thank you Sony for abandoning your PS2 audience to chase after the Xbox's audience!
myabsolution @ Jan 3rd 2009 12:00PM
You also forgot one more:
Twisted Metal!
PS1 genre that made the PS2 jump, and then disappeared.
But we will get a new one in 2010, but yeah thats a ways off.
Josh @ Jan 3rd 2009 9:41AM
Well to be honest I dont use my ps3 that much. I get games here and there but the whole reason i got a ps3 was for rpgs, playstation and ps2 always had the largest rpg library so it just seemed like the right choice to get a ps3. Sadly to say there are nearly no rpgs out, (yes I have fallout, but im talking jrpgs). Sometimes I even think I should have gotten a *gasp* 360. I know, shun me now. I have faith that some good rpgs are on the way, but then again they have been just over the horizon since the ps3 launched but still nothing yet. I will say tho, that even though I have pondered buying a 360 to sit alongside my ps3 I havent because of the fee for xbox live. I dunno, i cant seem to get myself to pay for somthing that sony doles out for free.