Nielsen: Wii usage is second to Xbox 360
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Jun 5th 2008 at 1:55PM }
The Nielsen study, conducted between April 2007 and February 2008, lumps all that data into one pool, so it's not hard to see where some issues might lie. It would certainly be interesting to see monthly breakdowns and observe if the Wii and PS3 received noticeable usage increases once high-profile games started showing up during Holiday '07. We also wonder what effect usage of console Blu-ray or DVD functionality had on the data. But what we're actually most curious about, is where the PS2 would be had it been incorporated into the data?
Update: Nielsen amended its 27+ data, apparently the Xbox 360 and PS3 info was accidentally reversed for the demographic; fixed image to match.
Source: How much use does Wii get?
Source: Correction
[Via GameDaily, Thanks Master X]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
The Doctor @ Jun 5th 2008 1:59PM
wouldn't be surprised if this was true, but Nielson ratings are usually extremely off the mark when compared to reality.
Which makes it annoying that shows succeed or fail because of them.
Vcize @ Jun 5th 2008 2:22PM
+1 to you sir.
Fuck Nielsen. Long live Firefly.
Talryyn @ Jun 5th 2008 3:06PM
Firefly lives on in XBLM!! ;) And it was doomed from the start sadly, jerks at Fox did not like it for lack of animation, singing, reality, or babysitting antics (or is it wifeswapping without the swapping?) Also they bashed Whedon for having the foresight of wanting to make it in 16:9, and Fox only wanted 4:3 or whatever it is called. I wish SciFi would grow some and pick up Whedon(sp?) for a new show.
In our house the Wii finally got traded in, the PS3 sits idle for the most part, and our two 360's get daily use. My three year old picked the 360 over the Wii, and actually preferred Lego Star Wars on the 360 over the Wii as well. So I think he likes that controller the best.
Wife is digging Roogoo on XBL as well, so add another 27+ plus to the list (for 360) that would not even touch a Wii.
samfish @ Jun 5th 2008 3:13PM
I partook in a Nielsen study once. They gave me 5 bucks in cash and I eventually sent them a little booklet detailing what I watched.
I remember I didn't watch much that week, but wrote that I watched shows I like, anyway.
The Doctor @ Jun 5th 2008 3:30PM
Yeah, executive meddling from Fox helped doom Firefly.
Airing shows out of order = BAD DECISION FOX PEOPLE.
arrakisman @ Jun 5th 2008 4:24PM
Yep...If it wasn't for Nielson your Avatar would be showing Paul McGann rather than Christopher Eccleston. Its ironic since out local Nielson rep just called me seing if my tv setup change enough to do and install. It seams they cant figure out how to monitor a computer hooked up the the TV with HDMI.
nealbailey @ Jun 5th 2008 5:02PM
"I partook in a Nielsen study once. They gave me 5 bucks in cash ...
I remember I didn't watch much that week, but wrote that I watched shows I like, anyway."
Thank god things don't work that way anymore. Now participants have no way to manipulate the results considering that they physically open your TV and solder the metrics device to the audio out board of your TV sets.
I'd say these statistics are accurate since you can't fake the Nielson system anymore.
The Doctor @ Jun 5th 2008 5:40PM
Didn't know they made that change. That's definately an improvement, but one of the core problems still remains- the fact that the people who Nielson goes to may not be very indicative of the general population.
deslock @ Jun 5th 2008 5:56PM
Can't fake Nielson? Except that the only people that even consider participating in Nielson are a very select breed. Statistics are only valid when you can be assured of a representative sample and this counts out the vast, vast majority of tech/nerdy types of people.
Any wonder why Firefly and such shows are poor rated in Nielson? Perhaps their audience is more tech savvy and wouldn't even remotely consider someone hardwiring something in our tv?
The Doctor @ Jun 5th 2008 6:12PM
Well, even if the Nielson ratings were indicative of the show's audience, Firefly would have still not done as well as it would today, because Fox made some really stupid decisions with the show.
Another great show canceled because of Nielson: Journeyman. It was always one of the top tivoed shows, but never did well with Nielson, so it was not renewed.
JerJer @ Jun 5th 2008 1:59PM
wii would like to play... little more...please?
dsr7997 @ Jun 5th 2008 2:02PM
You know they made a mistake and 360 wins across the board right?
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/879/879478p1.html
Fernando Rocker @ Jun 5th 2008 2:03PM
I was about to post that. I read the updated version and aparently PS3 is the one with less usage.
Marty @ Jun 5th 2008 2:05PM
I thought that seemed a little off... unless they were tracking usage as a BR player too, and all the old men who bought PS3's for a cheap BR player got in on the ratings.
C. T. @ Jun 5th 2008 2:07PM
Good catch. As it is, the bottom half of the chart makes no sense. How can 27+ play 360 more times per day, more days per month, and it not lead in percentage overall? Thanks for the find.
Fernando Rocker @ Jun 5th 2008 2:09PM
Joystiq
Update your report, please.
Erwos @ Jun 5th 2008 2:31PM
I still don't get how those numbers add up. Are there some huge outliers in the 360 camp that the averages aren't showing? It wouldn't shock me - averages lie...
Anyways, no surprise that the 360 is kicking ass and taking names.
Eric H @ Jun 5th 2008 2:45PM
i was looking at the math on the 360 and didnt think it added up.
xFenixKnightx @ Jun 5th 2008 3:49PM
My bad Sliwinski, hadn't seen the update :(
Sean @ Jun 5th 2008 7:56PM
They still made a mistake on the updated graphs.
2.57 sessions per day * 52 minutes per session * 21.65 days per month = 2893 minutes a month
2.2 * 55 * 19.34 = 2340 minutes
1.8 * 47 * 11.98 = 1013 minutes
total 6246 minutes a month.
2893/6246 = 46%
2340/6246 = 37%
1013/6246 = 16%
math is hard. for nielsen.
umm....hello??? @ Jun 5th 2008 2:03PM
...if those are close to being true it explains all the 10 yr olds on Halo3.
...and it makes sense that those 27+ would be more likely to have a PS3 due to its higher cost.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 5th 2008 2:04PM
This is new how? Everyone's known from the start a LOT of people who buy the wii play it for a bit then throw it in the closet or whatever for a long time.
Fernando Rocker @ Jun 5th 2008 2:06PM
People is playing the Wii a lot more than the PS3... check the updated story.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/879/879478p1.html
Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jun 5th 2008 2:07PM
Durr, Wii for gaming, PS3 for watching ze moviez!
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 5th 2008 2:27PM
This whole chart confusion is entirely needless as they've proven to us. Not to mention they don't apparently factor in how many consoles are out there. They shoudl just go back to cancelling good TV shows with their completely off numbers.
borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Jun 5th 2008 2:56PM
"People is playing the Wii a lot more than the PS3..."
Well that's obvious. But though I love my PS3, the mistake provides a lot of entertainment. The clash between those that herald the one true console and people like yourself, willing to post as many times as it takes to correct them, is worth a little misinformation.
blahblahbloo @ Jun 5th 2008 3:06PM
That's probably true of those Wii owners who didn't previously play games, but plenty of traditional gamers picked up a Wii as well and are clocking plenty of hours on Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, etc. The figures seem to confirm this, since the percentage usage of the Wii among older users isn't much higher than PS3, despite the Wii having a massive installed base in comparison.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jun 5th 2008 3:54PM
@Fernando
"People is playing the Wii a lot more than the PS3... check the updated story."
That's both true and untrue. In terms of total minutes, yes, the Wii wins by virtue of a larger install base. But the average PS3 owner plays their PS3 more than the average Wii owner plays their Wii.
Fatass of Sarcasmness @ Jun 5th 2008 3:55PM
"Everyone's known from the start a LOT of people who buy the wii play it for a bit then throw it in the closet or whatever for a long time."
I don't know a single person who's done that. Anecdote, sure, but considering these results (if they are true), the Wii is still in the same ballpark as the Xbox 360 and the PS3, meaning they're being played a whole lot more than your broken record claim suggests
Vidikron (FU) @ Jun 5th 2008 4:02PM
I haven't thrown mine (the Wii) in the closest, but it did sit there half a year doing nothing. I've been playing it more recently thanks to MK Wii and Boom Blox.
voodoomage @ Jun 5th 2008 2:05PM
Bad troll is bad!
Nigeria @ Jun 5th 2008 2:07PM
This is buggery.
McWeen @ Jun 5th 2008 2:07PM
This is important to study and argue about why?
FOXHOUND @ Jun 5th 2008 2:18PM
Really, I have no idea. Hell, prior to this(and the IGN correction post), I wasn't aware Nielsen measured this sort -- I thought they only did TV shows and ads.
Either way, this is cutting into precious beer drinking time. Show me a Nielsen rating for that! >:d
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jun 5th 2008 4:14PM
It gives fuel to fanboys. That's basically it.
Marty @ Jun 5th 2008 2:08PM
Speaking to the correct stats, which places the PS3 at the least usage across the board, it makes perfect sense - there simply aren't as many PS3's out there as 360's or Wii's. Not too hard to see why it would have the least usage.
baby sea tuna @ Jun 5th 2008 2:46PM
Not to mention the fact that there just aren't as many games worth buying.
Fatass of Sarcasmness @ Jun 5th 2008 4:00PM
Actually, the chart shows that the PS3 gets a bit more play time than the Wii daily, but the Wii has a higher % due to a larger install base.
And Baby Sea Tuna, that just plain ain't true
baby sea tuna @ Jun 5th 2008 4:27PM
The numbers don't lie.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Jun 5th 2008 4:32PM
So what if there are fewer games worth buying. You don't play every game on a console, only the ones you own. There are enough games worth buying and playing on PS3 to keep you busy. I should know, I haven't played a game on my 360 in over two months (hadn't even turned it on in that period until yesterday) and I game almost every day.
Fatass of Sarcasmness @ Jun 5th 2008 6:43PM
What numbers? Review scores (aka glorified opinions)?
There is plenty to play on all three systems.
Brian B. @ Jun 5th 2008 2:10PM
The percentages confuse me.
In the age 10-26 bracket the PS3 is played more often per day on more days per month and for a longer session time than the Wii, yet it's percentage of minutes is way lower. What piece of data am I missing?
Marty @ Jun 5th 2008 2:12PM
The number of people doing the playing.
Brian B. @ Jun 5th 2008 2:14PM
Der. Then that number should be in the chart.
Marty @ Jun 5th 2008 2:34PM
Agreed!
Nate @ Jun 5th 2008 2:42PM
Yeah, the percentages are hugely skewed by number of people doing the playing, which is why that number is basically meaningless in this chart.
vannyx @ Jun 5th 2008 2:19PM
well i am one of the old farts, i own all 3 and my wii has only been played for as long as it took me to beat metroid prime 3. My xbox has been played for as long as it took me to beat halo 3 ( not very long),mass effect and splinter cell double agent ,overlord. My ps3 on the other hand has seen plenty of action with , uncharted,warhawk,heavenly sword,GTA4,COD4,pixel junk ( way too much time on that game), echochrome,strangehold and a few others i cant remember right now becuase im still playing GTA4.
baby sea tuna @ Jun 5th 2008 2:45PM
Out of curiosity, what caused you to choose to play your multiplats on PS3, rather than 360, as the trend tends to go the other way?
Scotto @ Jun 5th 2008 3:20PM
I've got $5 bet on the fact that he doesn't actually even own a Wii or XBOX 360 - he's just trying to sound objective, haha.
- Scott
vannyx @ Jun 5th 2008 7:57PM
because after experience immature comments and other nasty things on xbox live i decided to only buy stuff on it that i cant find anywhere else. also i dont believe in achievements ( i feel its an insult to me), not to say that i am knocking anyone that likes them, i just feel like i should get a real reward for completing them ( like in splinter cell double agent on 360 and killzone liberation on psp). I also find alot of the clams of the deficiencies of ps3 multi port titles to not really affect me or my system. I also love playing GTA4 with all my friends and not having to pay for xbox live to do it. ( well one of my friends got it for 360, he was very happy to play with us once he went to his brothers house).