Survey: Consumers Stick By PS3, Sony, and PlayStation Network

A survey conducted by GameSpot reveals that consumer confidence in the PlayStation 3, Sony, and the PlayStation Network has not been diminished by the three week downtime of the network that caused a serious breach in security. GameSpot surveyed 2,285 of its members to find out if they planned on sticking with the console. A majority of those users said that they would stick with the PS3, while nine percent said they were jumping ship to Xbox 360.

When asked how the recent security breach impacted how they felt about Sony and the PlayStation Network, 14 percent said that they no longer trust Sony or the PlayStation Network; 35 percent said it had not changed their opinion; 23 percent said that they would trust Sony going forward because the security breach forced the company to add stricter security measures; and 28 percent said that they would change how much information they share with Sony.

When asked how the security breach affects their overall opinion of online games and services, seven percent said it had a negative impact; 71 percent claimed it had no affect; and 22 percent said it had a positive affect because it made online service operators aware of security dangers.

When asked about Sony's response to the breach, 57 percent said they handled it appropriately and 43 percent said they did not handle it well.

When asked if they planned on returning to the PlayStation Network after services are restored (some of the services, but not all, are back online) 67 percent said "very likely; 14 percent said somewhat likely; 10 percent were undecided; four percent said somewhat unlikely; and five percent said very unlikely.

Finally, when asked if they would permanently switch from PlayStation Network to Xbox Live, 64 percent said very unlikely; 11 percent said somewhat unlikely; 13 percent were undecided; three percent said somewhat likely; two percent said very likely; and nine percent said they had already switched to Xbox Live.