Nielsen: 2008's most played console was ... PS2
by Randy Nelson 
{ Jan 2nd 2009 at 4:25PM }
The Nielsen Company is best known for tracking television viewership, but its quantifying of what people spend their time doing doesn't end there. It also tracks console usage among its selected households, and, for 2008 (January through October, at least), the PlayStation 2 was played more than any other.
According to Nielsen's findings, PS2 accounted for 31.2% of all console usage minutes measured. Xbox 360 was a distant second with 17.2%, followed by Wii (13.4%), the original Xbox (9.7%), PS3 (7.3%), GameCube (4.6%), and "other" (16.2%). The fact that more hours were spent playing the original Xbox than PS3 is, well, surprising. PS2's dominance isn't; last we checked, there were 87.6 bazillion of them in the world (give or take a few trillion).
According to Nielsen's findings, PS2 accounted for 31.2% of all console usage minutes measured. Xbox 360 was a distant second with 17.2%, followed by Wii (13.4%), the original Xbox (9.7%), PS3 (7.3%), GameCube (4.6%), and "other" (16.2%). The fact that more hours were spent playing the original Xbox than PS3 is, well, surprising. PS2's dominance isn't; last we checked, there were 87.6 bazillion of them in the world (give or take a few trillion).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
OMGOMG @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:35PM
In the PS3's defense, it DOES look like a George Forman Grill.
megapenguinx @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:50PM
I think the "other" is the George Foreman Grill
Levi @ Jan 2nd 2009 8:14PM
The George Foreman has some great classic titles. Burger Time, Cooking Mama...
ryan @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:36PM
Not surprising. Cheaper ways to game is all some people really care about, not to mention there's still games worth playing (and replaying) on the old systems.
SoulBlade @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:25PM
yea and the ridiculous number of used games being sold probably helped quite a bit. it's all about playing on the cheap.
Rollins @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:35PM
Cue flame war regarding the 360 being played more than the Wii in 3...2...1...
Sora @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:37PM
AHAHAHA THE 360 WAS PLAYED MORE THAN THE WII!!!! SUCK IT, WII FANBOYS!!!!!!!!
K, done. *goes back to playing Pokemon on his newly custom firmwared PSP*
rTwelve @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:44PM
Someone is going to google "Pokemon for PSP" and find this post.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
Mr Khan @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:44PM
In America, though, where the gap between the userbases is the smallest
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:30PM
In Soviet Russia, other is most played by YOU!
Matt @ Jan 2nd 2009 7:06PM
Yep, more proof that Wii's are being sold to casual gamers. As for the PS3, it's no surprise to me that it's down on the list because a large percentage of owners purchased it primarily for Blu-Ray once it was realized that Blu-Ray was the HD format victor. Hardcore gamers = Xbox 360 owners.
BigD145 @ Jan 2nd 2009 11:46PM
It's more like, "PS2 beats out PS3. HAHA SONY. Suck that, development team."
Rollins @ Jan 3rd 2009 12:15AM
I have finally managed to post a one heart or less comment! Success is mine! For now, at least. Now people are going to upvote me to spite me.
UltimateQ @ Jan 3rd 2009 10:44AM
Wrong. Hardcore Gamers = PC Gamers. We tower among all of your low life peasants. Kneel before your Gods of gaming!
Remember the days of PC gamers blasting Dreamcast gamers in Quake 3? Those were the days. Now they separate us on First Person Shooter games, so we don't skull fuck all of your pathetic console gamers.
required @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:57AM
Sony sold a lot of PlayStations in '08.
PS2, PS3, and PSP.
PeacefulOutrage @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:35PM
@UltimateQ
I have Quake III on DC along with the keybord and mouse. Good times on a 56K modem.
Duke @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:37PM
Uh...I'm scared of what anger this survey may release here in Joystiqland.
I'm not too shocked by the No 1, but I am pretty surprised about the rest of the lists order. That being said, lets see some irrational fights!
Dirty @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:41PM
I thought DS would be 1, but I guess handhelds dont count.
Dirty @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:53PM
http://cdn.holytaco.com/www/sites/default/files/photo/50/6105/Better-Not-Go-Outside-Today_500x500.jpg
Haggard @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:54PM
Well I'd question the accuracy.
I mean, what are people playing on the original Xbox and GameCube? Old sports titles? For hours and hours on end?
Duke @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:00PM
Well, I can't get enough of Madden 1985 on my NES. Whoooo go 85 Bears!!!
Reliving the dream season for hours a day!
Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:05PM
@ Haggard - I've played through Pikmin 2 a number of times over the years, along with a few others here and there. Nothing substantial, but still. And I'm with you, I don't know how Nielsen is still relevant, or trusted with any accuracy.
Megadanxzero @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:15PM
F-Zero GX For The Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! That or RE 4... Wanted to replay Killer 7 at some point actually, and I do kinda miss P.N.03... That last one's just me though, I'm the only person on the planet who likes it
Haggard @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:18PM
But as I posted below - is 4.6% of all console gaming people doing that on GameCube?
Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:22PM
That's the way I read it, yes. In terms of percentage out of total 'minutes usage'.
As someone else pointed out, the set top devices likely can't identify which console you're playing, so I'm just going to assume it's self-porting or survey responses. If that's the case, there might be a small case of metacritic type dbaggery to factor in there if people are falsely reporting usage. Just a thought, probably unlikely.
dynnnbag @ Jan 2nd 2009 6:06PM
@ Megadanxzero
Incorrect, i also loved Pn03. I don't know what i was thinking when i traded it in *facepalm*
Megadanxzero @ Jan 2nd 2009 7:54PM
So there ARE other sane people in the world! *,*
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Jan 2nd 2009 8:43PM
Well the last year I played Halo 2 and Oddworld Munch Oddyssey.I was about to buy Grabbed by the Ghoullies but I have a lot of games already that I haven't played,I just started Dead Space.
In the Ps2 MGS Collection.I would love to play Socom 3.
I don't have a GC but I'm looking for "Sonic gems collection" in order to play Sonic CD in my Wii.
mr mobius @ Jan 2nd 2009 10:18PM
I do play my Gamecube a bit, abeit using the Wii for the Gamecube discs, and not too often since I don't get enough free time to play much of any console, and my laptop (and flash games) normally is the most gaming I'll get for a long time except Fifa on the PS2 my housemate has (and I'm not a football fan but I am a gamer so I still play it for the reason of competiveness).
CPRxChris @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:38PM
The original Xbox being used more than the PS3? Bullshit. I demand a recount!
Seriously tho...really? Their serious?
JerJer @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:11PM
what's a serious? did you mean "sirius"? as in the satellite radio thing?
Megadanxzero @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:22PM
It's probably some kind of new drug. I bet all the kids are doing it these days...
rickjamess @ Jan 2nd 2009 6:12PM
I think that all those PS2 games are being played on their new PS3's....
well at least the people with backwards compatibility.
Haggard @ Jan 2nd 2009 8:51PM
Yeah, try licking the paint off your Xbox, gets you high as a kite. They're not playing, they're sat on the couch staring at the main menu of Halo for hours on end.
Urza @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:01AM
Halo 2.
Dirty @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:39PM
I bet the original xbox stays on this list for at least another hundred years... just because that thing was a such a beast, it will never die. Funny how its older brother is so frail.
In A World (XBL) @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:43PM
I think you mean younger brother.
Dirty @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:51PM
yea, I guess using siblings doesn't really work for this. I just about had an aneurysm.
dabamf @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:40PM
That's really something for 360 to pull off given how many Wii's are out there. Nintendo, are you getting worried about your lack of big titles?
Park Zero @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:46PM
Nintendo only cares that you buy the Wii. Whether or not it gets any usage doesn’t matter. Nintendo don’t need your petty little licensing income. =)
Mr Khan @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:46PM
Should they care? If you look at the software sales, their big titles sell for a long, long time. They don't need a steady stream of blockbusters to keep the masses satisfied
OMGOMG @ Jan 2nd 2009 5:12PM
Nintendo's big titties are JUST fine.
Oh, titles? Carry on then.
Dante G @ Jan 2nd 2009 6:30PM
His name is Robert Paulson.
bm @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:39AM
It's funny how people conveniently ignore how the PS3, the other "hardcore" console (lol killjebus), gets trounced by the Wii in this respect. The Wii and 360 are fairly close in comparison, which is pretty good for a console being constantly knocked on for no gaems and nobody playz them lolol
So by all means, continue being an idiot, but, you know.
dc @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:41PM
Doesn't this fly in the face of everybody who says nobody plays their Wii?
Park Zero @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:49PM
Actually it validates that argument.
Mr Khan @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:50PM
No, because the people saying that knew it was bullshit anyway. Maybe as anecdotal evidence, but that is an oxymoron in and of itself
aggrazel @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:50PM
Nobody goes there anymore, its too crowded.
That being said, I own a wii, and never play it, was actually thinking about ebaying it until the market for them tanked. Now I just use it for a bookend.
Dustin @ Jan 4th 2009 2:53AM
I play my Wii all the time. I'm playing Tales of Symphonia 2 and Mushroom Men, both of which are great games.
I have played my wii pretty steadily since I got a few games for it. I really don't understand why people say that nobody plays the wii.
I do have a 360 but not many games, I play it less.
phinn @ Jan 2nd 2009 4:43PM
Can't blame people, PS2 is the greatest game console since SNES hands down. It had every major exclusive imaginable (besides gay halo, which sucked up until the 3rd one compared to what was on ps2). Any with 150 million user install base it adds up.
Sony could have done that with PS3 if they didn't lose most (but certainly not all) their exclusives to be cross platform titles. Now both PS3 and Xbox 360 have tons of great games unlike where all the great games last gen were on PS2.