Xbox360 Leads Next-Gen Console Usage, PS2 Still Leads the Way Options

[Xbox-Scene]

Xbox360 Leads Next-Gen Console Usage, PS2 Still Leads the Way Posted by XanTium | January 2 20:03 EST | News Category: Xbox360

From gamasutra.com: [QUOTE] In 2008, gamers collectively spent more time with their PlayStation 2 than any other console. That's according to media research company Nielsen, whose "Top Tens" of 2008 calculated video game console usage. Nielsen's data, which actually covers the period from January through October, found that PS2 users accounted for 31.7 percent of the total time played from all nationwide gamers. The Xbox 360 was the year's second-most popular console, with 17.2 percent of the time, followed by Wii at 13.4 percent. Interestingly, Nielsen says that the first-gen Xbox currently sees more usage than the PlayStation 3, with 9.7 percent versus 7.3 percent, respectively. The GameCube still made the surveyors' list with 4.6 percent of total time, and an "Other" category accounts for the remaining 16.2 percent. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamasutra.com

[Verity]

Interestingly, Nielsen says that the first-gen Xbox currently sees more usage than the PlayStation 3, with 9.7 percent versus 7.3 percent, respectively.

I know a guy who used to work for Nielson. They hook up willing households to a crazy electronics monitoring setup which tracks TV "on" time and channels tuned in addition to a few other typical household entertainment devices.

They can track how much time you've spent playing back, for example, VHS tapes in your player - but not which exact titles you were watching. I suspect the Xbox1 numbers are such an example; Many people (like myself) keep an Xbox1 around as XBMC media player, which would perhaps show an outsized "usage" amount even though there aren't any new games on it.

[ILLusions0fGrander]

I knew a TV family that tried the Nielson ratings - the connors! hahahaha

there is no way this is accurate to the masses as a whole.. I just wont believe it!

hmm, after reading above post.. yeah, the 2 hours my xbox is on nightly as a media center (go to bed, set 2 hour timer) would skew the figures.

This post has been edited by ILLusions0fGrander: Jan 3 2009, 07:20 AM

[Foolio187]

What about Gamecast?

[InajaD]

What about atari 2600?

[Verity]

What about atari 2600?

Hey,I use my original Xbox as my Atari 2600 player. (Now, how would that be tallied?)

These statistics must be completely and un-erringly correct, with no room whatsoever for doubt.

[Chancer]

I know a guy who used to work for Nielson. They hook up willing households to a crazy electronics monitoring setup which tracks TV "on" time and channels tuned in addition to a few other typical household entertainment devices.

They can track how much time you've spent playing back, for example, VHS tapes in your player - but not which exact titles you were watching. I suspect the Xbox1 numbers are such an example; Many people (like myself) keep an Xbox1 around as XBMC media player, which would perhaps show an outsized "usage" amount even though there aren't any new games on it.

AGB Nielsen don't have the new contract any more.
TNS Global do. I currently work for the Media division installing and repairing the monitoring equipment. New panel goes live 2010. Nielsen's figures were all over the place so our system is more accurate.
Signatures given out for games machines and DVD etc are single signatures that tell us when the machine is on and off, but as quite rightly pointed out, does not tell you the content. Only broadcast content is signature matched.
The monitoring is very accurate down to the second the Tv is switched on and off...but of course the sampled panel is not the whole nation.
As for games consoles usage. Consoles are logged as game only now not in specific model groups.
They can log when the console is in use but not what it is being used for or what game is in use. the only way to determine that is to match usage signatures to known signatures, meaning every possible combination of stuff done on every machine including all games available for that machine would have to be logged as a source for the matching.

This post has been edited by Chancer: Jan 3 2009, 09:56 PM

[d-range]

If the xbox 1 numbers are skewed because of XBMC use, the PS3 numbers would also be skewed because of DVD/BR use. I guess these numbers are not corrected by installed base, which makes the 360 numbers look even better seeing that the Wii sold more consoles. I'm kind of surprised that the PS3 is so far behind, even though I have my xbox 1 on more than my PS3 as well, but that's mostly because I also have a 360. You'd guess people who only have a PS3 would actually use it.

This post has been edited by d-range: Jan 3 2009, 10:51 PM

[Chancer]

If the xbox 1 numbers are skewed because of XBMC use, the PS3 numbers would also be skewed because of DVD/BR use. I guess these numbers are not corrected by installed base, which makes the 360 numbers look even better seeing that the Wii sold more consoles. I'm kind of surprised that the PS3 is so far behind, even though I have my xbox 1 on more than my PS3 as well, but that's mostly because I also have a 360. You'd guess people who only have a PS3 would actually use it.

I wouldn't read anything into those figures at all.
As stated in my post above the reason AGB Nielsen lost contracts was due to the inaccuracy of data. Some of the techs from there now work alongside me.
There is NO accurate way to say what each console was used for. The usage of all would be skewed anyway including the 360.
Unless data measuring measures a significant part of the owners of equipment and is accurate in recording and typing usage patterns. It is worthless. The panels that create these figures are very small indeed. I can't reveal further information using figures as I signed a confidentiality agreement last year when taking this on.

This post has been edited by Chancer: Jan 4 2009, 02:26 PM

[litium33]

I don't know how reliable these figures, but in my environment (about 400 users) I have clear evidence that WII is by far the most used consolle and XBox 1 is still widely used with XBMC and emulators.
L

[chronno]

If the xbox 1 numbers are skewed because of XBMC use, the PS3 numbers would also be skewed because of DVD/BR use. I guess these numbers are not corrected by installed base, which makes the 360 numbers look even better seeing that the Wii sold more consoles. I'm kind of surprised that the PS3 is so far behind, even though I have my xbox 1 on more than my PS3 as well, but that's mostly because I also have a 360. You'd guess people who only have a PS3 would actually use it.

The 360 numbers would be skewed due to Netflix and probably a few other things (in my case the HD-DVD player).

What, did they get rid of the Nielsen Diaries? Would those not account for amount of time played vs. watched?

[sfehonda]

It's about console usage not just for gaming

[Chancer]

What, did they get rid of the Nielsen Diaries? Would those not account for amount of time played vs. watched?

People these days that volunteer to go on the panels, don't want to have to log activity any more. They want their activity electronically logged. The only way is matching the panel member data to known accurate data at a centralised point. the reference data in the case of games consoles is so wide that it would be an extremely costly exercise to log every possible combination of usage. including source data for every single games title ever made.

[xboxmods2977]

If these numbers are acurate, it would tend to point out that a very large portion of Wii owners bought a Wii and realized it was too much work to play and shelfed it. It just goes to show how fat us Americans are getting!!!!