Nielsen now measuring game console usage. Wii in third place...PS3 in fifth.

Gothic Walrus

Gothic Walrus

CAGiversary!
Feedback
6 (100%)
http://www.nielsen.com/media/toptens_games.html

The list is below; the numbers in parentheses represent "usage minutes percentage," or which percentage of all measured console usage minutes correspond to each system.
  1. PlayStation 2 (30.2)
  2. Xbox 360 (18.3)
  3. Wii (13.5)
  4. Xbox (9.1)
  5. PlayStation 3 (7.7)
  6. GameCube (4.4)
  7. Other (16.9)

As mentioned in the link, this data was from October 2008. This is one month's worth of data, and this is the most recent set of data Nielsen has released on their website.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow. Xbox is higher than I thought and Gamecube is lower. That minute% is probably all Halo/Halo2.

Maybe I just missed it but I couldn't find any info on what time period the data was taken. Is this over the entire console life? If so then I guess it is not that surprising to see xbox over ps3.
 
[quote name='ToadallyAwesome']Maybe I just missed it but I couldn't find any info on what time period the data was taken. Is this over the entire console life? If so then I guess it is not that surprising to see xbox over ps3.[/QUOTE]

This is for October 2008 - one month's worth of data, collected well after each system has had time to get an install base.
 
Yeah pretty sad that xbox playtime still beats out PS3's..
 
These things are so stupid.
Just because you survey like "x" people doesn't necessarily mean that "x" gets more playtime than ""x"

But if they tickle people, then great! ::dmk smiles inside::
 
Yeah it's not the most accurate thing ever. I'd say it would be easily dismiss able if the xbox/ps3 numbers were closer.
 
Nielsen is pretty widespread and reliable though--assuming the game use is being measured in every house that has Nielsen boxes for TV ratings.

If it's reliable enough to determine advertising rates and what shows get cancelled etc. then its good enough for use in pointless video game fanboy wars!! :D
 
*sits*

*waits for horde of angry PS3 fanboys*

---

I regard Nielsen ratings as having little credibility. Nielsen ratings do not accurately represent the whole as the system only surveys a small fraction of the population.

That said, I find it plausible that the Wii would be low in a survey that measures usage.
 
These numbers are all backwards at my house, our Wii just sits there and flashes blue every now and then. Our PS2 is somewhere upstairs I think and we play only on our PS3 and 360, about 60/40 on that as well. Guess we arent normal in these parts or Nielsen has it wrong like they always have in the past.
 
[quote name='Chase']I regard Nielsen ratings as having little credibility. Nielsen ratings do not accurately represent the whole as the system only surveys a small fraction of the population.
[/QUOTE]

Well, to be fair all surveys are based on the idea that a relatively small sample can be pretty accurate of a large population.

Look at the state polls before the election. Pretty small samples (often around 1000) and they were pretty damn accurate.

I'm not sure how wide spread Nielsen boxes are, but you can have pretty small samples to get a pretty accurate measure of population trends. Though I always wondered if people with Nielsen boxes let having a box affect what they watch--i.e. may not turn on the titty flick or a trashy reality show when they know someone is tracking what they watch.
 
[quote name='Chase']*sits*

*waits for horde of angry PS3 fanboys*

---
[/QUOTE]


I'll get everything out of the way: Nielsen, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times are all a bunch of fanboys with no credibility.

I mean,. Nielsen is only one of the largest polling firms in the U.S.
 
[quote name='jer7583']Yeah pretty sad that xbox playtime still beats out PS3's..[/quote]

I could say the same thing about ps2 over 360. Since PS2 is higher. I can't hardly believe this in a way. The wii is even higher than the ps3, and the wii isn't really worth playing. I would know mine has been collecting dust for 3 months now.
 
Good point, Dmaul. :whistle2:k And ninja dog, you are a joy. :lol: Yeah, that CNN, and their know-nothing-ness!

*takes it to the street Doobie Brothers style*
 
Working next door to a Gamestop, I can believe this as 75% of the customers that go in there only look at Wii/DS/PS2 games. The hardest hit sections are the $15 and under XBox 1/PS2 used bins.

I would also say the vast majority of XBox 1 time is related to Halo 1/2, maybe Madden also. EA still made a Madden 09 for the XBox 1 this year.

I'm usually one of the few people who look at the PS3 games in there. For those that can afford it, it's a great system. But until it hits the $300 price point, sales will continue to flounder, especially now as stand-alone Blu-Ray players are getting $200 and under.
 
I thought it would look like this:

PS2
Wii
360
PS3

The fact that the PS3 is behind the Xbox 1 is real shocking.
 
[quote name='jman619']I could say the same thing about ps2 over 360. Since PS2 is higher. I can't hardly believe this in a way.[/QUOTE]

Why?

Not everybody has the money to upgrade to the newest, shiniest game console. Not everyone WANTS to upgrade. There are a lot of people that are still perfectly happy with last generation's (significantly cheaper) hardware and games. Why do you think they're still pushing new PS2 bundles?

[quote name='Vinny']How exactly do they track this information? And what is the methodology? Anyone know?[/QUOTE]

I haven't found that yet. As far as I know, this is the first month they've released data for console usage.
 
you have to wonder what "other" is. Interesting to see old school gaming made up a large chunk of gaming time.
 
@ Gothic I can see why that sounds strange I wasn't clear. I can see how ps2 was on top. It was my favorite last gen, and I played the crap out of it. I can understand people don't have the money. I had to borrow money to buy a ps3 myself it isn't cheap. When I typed I can't hardly believe this. I should have explained it. I couldn't believe certain consoles are where they was. It doesn't shock me about the ps2 being over the rest.


@lilboo Mana will defend the ps3 as always, and have some big explanation on why the ps3 is in the fifth spot.
 
No suprise about PS2, I'd still play mine If I didn't have BC on my PS3. Same thing could be said with 360, it is the #1 console this generation. But the gap between #1 and #2 should be closer in real life. As for Wii being #3..I think most of us here in CAG has their Wii gathering dust..numbers should be lower in real life..
 
You all are asking for it. Mana is currently typing his response in MS Word, he's on page 3 right now.

Size 8 font.
Single spacing.
 
[quote name='naes']You all are asking for it. Mana is currently typing his response in MS Word, he's on page 3 right now.

Size 8 font.
Single spacing.[/quote]

He told me on msn he wasn't going to reply, but for some reason I think he will.
 
[quote name='gindias']These numbers are all backwards at my house, our Wii just sits there and flashes blue every now and then. Our PS2 is somewhere upstairs I think and we play only on our PS3 and 360, about 60/40 on that as well. Guess we arent normal in these parts or Nielsen has it wrong like they always have in the past.[/QUOTE]

First off: no, we are NOT normal. The "normal" population doesn't talk about video games on message boards, rush out to buy titles on day one, or spend nearly as much time or money on gaming as most of this site's users do. We are (and always will be) the minority when it comes to gaming.

I'm curious as to what you mean be Nielsen being "wrong." Regardless of whether or not you agree with them, you don't get to be the largest media research group in the world without doing something right. Take TV for an example - their data is used to make decisions on which shows survive or are canceled, with millions of dollars hanging in the balance. If Nielsen was consistently wrong, don't you think another polling group would have sprung up by now to take their place?

No poll is ever perfect. I'm not saying that they're right, mind you (and won't until I can find information on their methodology for this data set), but saying they're wrong because they don't match your personal usage habits is a pretty bold assertion. I'd put more faith in Nielsen than in...say, posts like this:

[quote name='FlipSide']As for Wii being #3..I think most of us here in CAG has their Wii gathering dust..numbers should be lower in real life..[/QUOTE]
 
I seriously do not know why Nielson 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 Nielson 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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Surprisingly, that IS a good point TMK :whistle2:?
If people are using their Wii to play GCN games, and 360 for Xbox and PS3 for PS2 games.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']I seriously do not know why Nielson 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 Nielson 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.[/quote]

*knew he would post something anyway* What you mentioned eariler about kids being more interested in a wii, and it being cheaper makes sense. I also think it has to do with Sony's bad marketing skills or the lack there of I should say.
 
[quote name='jman619']*knew he would post something anyway* What you mentioned eariler about kids being more interested in a wii, and it being cheaper makes sense. I also think it has to do with Sony's bad marketing skills or the lack there of I should say.[/QUOTE]You also have to understand that the U.S. IS the market PS3 has the smallest market percentage. But it's not just that, why is PS2 still leading by a great majority when games aren't selling? Like I said before, tons and tons of uncertainties with a survey.

I could also add, if they were measuring CAGs, 360 would probably win. If they were measuring Gametrailers forums, PS3 would probably win. If they were measuring GameFAQs, there would probably be a high percentage of Wii consoles on.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']You also have to understand that the U.S. IS the market PS3 has the smallest market percentage. But it's not just that, why is PS2 still leading by a great majority when games aren't selling? Like I said before, tons and tons of uncertainties with a survey.[/quote]

Don't worry Mana you know I like Sony. I don't think they market stuff as well as Microsoft does.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']But it's not just that, why is PS2 still leading by a great majority when games aren't selling?[/QUOTE]

That's easy: used games. When Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, and virtually every other Greatest Hits title can be had for ten bucks or less at GameStop, there's plenty to do with a PS2.

[quote name='The Mana Knight']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.[/QUOTE]

That comes down to the individual poll in question. With the lone exception of Indiana (I know...your state), FiveThirtyEight was able to project the election almost flawlessly, and some of the national polls were close.

So...yes, you CAN predict these things.

[quote name='The Mana Knight']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.[/QUOTE]

Given all of the things that modern consoles can do, I'd imagine that it's just "console on" and "console off" that's being measured. Anything other than that would require much more invasive data collection. If that wasn't the case, I would assume they'd have individual game data available for platforms other than the PC.

If we assume that's the case, then the PS3's numbers might actually be lower than reported when it comes to actual gaming because of the number of people who bought one primarily for a media server or a blu-ray player.

[quote name='The Mana Knight']IMO, if Nielson 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.[/QUOTE]

That would lead to mountains of useless data. If someone has a PS2 and a Wii...well, who cares? If people with PS3s and 360s used their PS3 more often than people with PS3s, 360s, and Wiis, what does that mean? And how would you extract anything meaningful from that jumbled data set?
 
It's hard to imagine that people would rather play Wii Play all day than Metal Gear Solid 4, but heh, each to his own.
 
[quote name='TheManaKnight']I can easily think of 1 billion flaws with this measurement.[/QUOTE]

No you can't since you don't know how they got these ratings. You can think of potential problems. And the questions you're wondering about Nielsen data are things they would account for--like income brackets, ages, usage, etc. Anyway, this is Nielsen, their TV rankings are one of the biggest factors in how TV stations decide what to show.

I'm not saying these numbers are indisputably correct, but it's not like they pulled these numbers from their ass.

Sony fans are taking down some of the world's bigger institutions lately-- WSJ, NYT, now Nielsen. :lol: Next up: FDA Says PS3 Emits Unhealthy Levels of Radiation. Sony fans: FDA's geiger counter is a fan boy!
 
Marked. I really want to read up on their research methodology, because I'm immediately skeptical of it. Not because of the results, but because of the complexity of the market.

WoW in 1st place w/ PC, averaging 9+ hours of play per week? That's the *average*?

Yikes.
 
In my opinion, Nielsen should stick to rating TV shows and not video games for many of the same reasons Mana pointed out. Not everyone has the same options and if the subject doesn't have the same conditions there is no way to rate the output properly.

Just about everyone has a TV in one shape or another, not everyone has all the consoles that were being surveyed.

In short, data is unreliable and skewed. Not to mention that mykevermin is right there is no PC coverage as well.
 
[quote name='Gothic Walrus']Why?

Not everybody has the money to upgrade to the newest, shiniest game console. Not everyone WANTS to upgrade. There are a lot of people that are still perfectly happy with last generation's (significantly cheaper) hardware and games. Why do you think they're still pushing new PS2 bundles?
[/QUOTE]

QFT. I came in to say this^

I actually think this makes sense, there's a lot of people out there that can't afford to drop a wad of cash down for a console. Gamecube could have lower numbers because of the Wii's BC as well.

We're a lucky minority.

And my niece loves playing on my Wii (insert pedo jokes), that's a huge part of the audience, not CAGs.
 
I also wonder about the backwards compatibility factor here. For my part, I know that I probably spent about 75% of my Wii time playing Gamecube games after the first few weeks, 60% of my PS3 time with PS2/PSX games, and maybe 10% of my 360 time playing Xbox games. I can't imagine that they can accurately measure that, so depending on how peoples' usage is split, it could really mess up the results here...and probably has.
 
Does it take into account if the console is used for DVD/ Blu-Ray viewing? My brother for example uses a PS2 to watch DVD's and my wife and I use my PS2 as a DVD player as well but I no longer play games on it so it would be misleading if the survey was trying to look at console gameplaying.
 
Good point. Would look even worse from a gameplaying standpoint for the PS3 since so much of the use is for Blu Ray since so many people use it as a BR player compared to other consoles.

The PS2 is a pretty shitty DVD player and the 360 isn't great either, while the PS3 is a very good Blu Ray player and DVD upconverter, factor in how cheap stand alone DVD players have been for years....
 
Y'all bring up so many complexities that express just why I'd like to read their research methods. Some very good points all around.
 
Definitely. I'd like to know how they did it as well.

Even if its just time turned on, it's still an interesting metric as it at least shows which are getting used the most regardless of activity. So to some extent it would be a metric of which was the best value I guess.

I don't care one way or the other who's on top etc., I just like looking at trends being a social researcher and all.
 
Since I know I'm not the only one too lazy to click the link, I'll post this:
nielsen-gaming-pc-games-08-small.jpg


Interesting results, and I'd just like to note that Nielsen boxes are in about what.. 20,000 homes compared to the 110+ million TVs in the US? These results represent about .002 percent of the population if my numbers are close. I don't doubt that this is way off and that it gives a reasonable representation, but don't hesitate to question any survey that only takes a sample of a population because you have no idea what the margin of error is.
 
I'll drop in to add my two cents, now that the discussion has come full circle.

I work for Nielsen, but I can't give insight on methodologies for the studies about video games, I don't work in that group. I can put in a request to learn more, but it will take forever. What I will say is that we measure everything. We have divisions measuring comments on blogs, media and advertising exposure on websites, exposure to billboards, every item scanned in almost every retail store (that's my group) and even what the buzz is on youtube videos and viral marketing.

It is conceivably possible that our data is wrong. It is however incredibly unlikely. I've attended a number of instructional sessions regarding the various Nielsen Media groups, and consistently come away impressed.

I will dig around our internal portal on Monday if this thread is still alive, and see If I can't at least get you fellas the contact information of the group that does this research.
 
I'm just interested as to why the DS/PSP aren't included. I'm sure that the DS, with its massive owner base, would probably the top spot, or incredibly close to it. I still see plenty of young children/adult using the GBA SP so I'd think that would have good margin. Even PC gaming, casual (online such as kongregate,etc.) or otherwise (hardcore, etc.), isn't include. What a bunk survey.
 
[quote name='hiccupleftovers']I'm just interested as to why the DS/PSP aren't included. I'm sure that the DS, with its massive owner base, would probably the top spot, or incredibly close to it. I still see plenty of young children/adult using the GBA SP so I'd think that would have good margin. Even PC gaming, casual (online such as kongregate,etc.) or otherwise (hardcore, etc.), isn't include. What a bunk survey.[/QUOTE]

Could be the methodology. i.e. maybe they are measuring this through the Nielson boxes hooked up to TVs if they've been changed to detect when a console is on. Thus portables and PC gaming couldn't be measured.

But who knows if that's how they do it since there's apparently nothing out their on their methodology.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top