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Nielsen Report: 56% Of US Households Have A Next-Gen Console

Who doesn't own a video game console? Really?

A couple decades ago, the question was ridiculous; most households didn't have one. But times have definitely changed.

According to global market research firm Nielsen (as reported at GI.biz ), 56% of US households owned either a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii in 2011.

Of the households with a console, 65% of those systems are in the living room, with as much as 45% constantly connected to the Internet for the sake of having an "entertainment hub." It was also noted that the use of all three consoles for streaming entertainment is on the rise.

The total amount of cash spent on consoles didn't change from 2010, but thanks to the mobile gaming explosion, the amount of time we spend playing has risen 7%. For the record, the former reigning king of "time spent," the Wii, fell dramatically: 22%. Yeah, gimmicks tend to wear off over time and without software to support it, well…

At this rate, won't three-quarters of all US households have a gaming console of some kind by 2020? Or will there even be dedicated gaming systems then?

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bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

I'm actually surprised it's not higher, in fact I just found out tonight a few guys I play slowpitch with also have game consoles, who I never would have thought did. It seems like everyone has one, including my parents. But it does make sense I suppose, and its a staggering amount either way.

This is great for the business though, there is a lot of growth left, which is a huge plus!

maxpontiac
maxpontiac
12 years ago

As long as the fans support the industry with software purchases, I agree.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

And that is true!

Excelsior1
Excelsior1
12 years ago

I was surprised it was not higher as well. I remember way back to the PS1 days when it was reported 1 in 4 households had a PS1. That's the kind of thing that attracted MS into the console bussiness. They wanted to be in people's living rooms and saw Sony's success as a threat to their plans. Anyways, the market is a lot bigger now so I would have thought it would have been higher as well.

I am actually taking part in a Nielsen program right now. The data they collect is pretty extensive, plus they ask you to keep a diary of all your daily entertainment activities. They pay you $30 for your time by the way plus it was pitched to me over the phone as way of representing my great state of Indiana and it's considered to be an honor. Whatever, I'm doing it for the money mainly. I always wondered how one participates in one of their programs. Apparently they just call you out the blue and ask.


Last edited by Excelsior1 on 2/9/2012 12:10:35 AM

AcHiLLiA
AcHiLLiA
12 years ago

How does he predict these numbers of percentage? Or does he just throw out random numbers.


Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 2/9/2012 12:54:45 AM

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

I assume it's work done by a global research firm.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

Why do they call it "next gen"? What we talk about here is at best "current gen", some would say it's not even that anymore?


Last edited by Beamboom on 2/9/2012 2:35:50 AM

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

I dunno… they still refer to the 25-35 age group as "Generation Next"… lol… well… MTV does, anyways… I suppose they aren't exactly…. well, yeah, you know what I mean.

TGSA
TGSA
12 years ago

Amusingly enough, in the link, the report refers to it as the 7th gen. console. I think it was actually John who called it a next-gen console.

Anyways, that was my first thought as soon as I saw this headline. Please people, it can no longer be called "next-gen," especially after it's over 5 years old. Personally, I'm of the belief that as soon as it reaches an age of 1 year, the next-gen title should be removed and it should be called current-gen.
/rant.

daus26
daus26
12 years ago

I actually take a bunch of Nielsen surveys. They seem legit to me. I know for sure they've asked me several times about this subject.

Not sure myself, but I think these reports are from finding from those who took the surveys. Otherwise, it's either just an educated/projected guess from their data, or they're just simply taking a wild guess.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
12 years ago

A warning about Nielson….

I once did a Nielson project long ago where they were supposed to monitor my TV watching habits for a year.

But only after they came to my house to set it up did they tell me that they'd had to actually open up my 2 brand new VCR's & solder their own monitoring equipment inside both of them.

That should've been a red flag, but stupidly I still let them do it, which wound up burning out both VCR's within a couple months($400 each at the time).

And it took me months of fighting with their headquarters to get them to re-buy me 2 exact same VCR's as reimbursement.

So never again well I ever get involved with anything even vaguely Nielson related again.


Last edited by BikerSaint on 2/9/2012 1:31:07 PM

Spanky
Spanky
12 years ago

I was a Nielsen family house for a month I had to keep track of EVERYTHING that was watched on TV in a booklet for ALL five members of my family. It was a pain ,but I was dedicated so as to portray what us regular guys were watching. Seems to be that most of the hit shows on TV are ones that my family wouldn't watch if it were the only thing on. I'm wondering where this info comes from! 🙂

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