Data from Nielsen reveals the usage trends of console users in the United States via surveys and metered usage.
According to the data, 62 percent of Xbox 360 users spend their time playing games, divided among offline and online play. PlayStation 3 owners spend a little under half of their console time playing games, says Nielsen. Further, PS3 owners spend more time playing games offline than 360 players.
According to Nielsen: "87 percent of users age 13+ say they have played video games of some kind for Xbox 360 and Wii, with 80 percent saying they have done so for PlayStation 3. Much of this is the result of traditional offline play, but nearly half of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 users say they play games online."
The second-most popular use of consoles is for watching DVDs or Blu-Ray Discs. Obviously, PlayStation 3 users edge out other console users because the console supports Blu-Ray and DVD, while Xbox 360 only supports DVD, and Wii owners don't have the ability to play any entertainment discs. PlayStation 3 users say that DVD/Blu-Ray viewing occupies 27 percent of their time with the console. DVD viewing occupies only 11 percent of time on an Xbox 360.
After gaming and disc-based entertainment, a quarter of users say they use a variety of applications. The most notable in console usage are streaming services such as Netflix, MLB Network and ESPN3. These streaming services account for 20 percent of Wii users’ time, 10 percent of Xbox 360 users’ time and 9 percent of PlayStation 3 users’ time. Wii users tend to use services such as Netflix because they do not have access to disc-based entertainment.
Looking at metered console usage data, Nielsen found that Users 13+ spent 4.9 total hours per week on the Xbox 360, 4.1 hours on the PlayStation 3, and 1.4 hours on the Wii. Males drive the averages for all three consoles, surpassing females in time spent.
More data on this subject will be released in the second annual Nielsen 360° Gaming Report: U.S. Market, available in January.
Source: Gamasutra
