Nielsen: 360 the second most played console of '08

So anyone know how this data is obtained? Guessed? Clearly it's US only, and clearly it's not that accurate if it says the PS3 is behind the original Xbox. I mean come on, does anyone actually believe that, even the most rabid xbot.

Seems like it's a based on a select few households to write down some data. Does not seem very scientific to me, given the number of rabid xbots in the US.

@Yema Latify

5m in the US. 4m globally. (in short, the PS3 has sold a million more than the 360 elsewhere )

ya that sounds right but are they adding people that just turning on the ps3 just to PLAY blu ray cause its s!*t other than that

Yeah, but first always feels better...

It happens to the best of us :D

Electric Soduku?
Time Crisis 3 in arcades that nobody ever pays for.

I played my 360 for 2 years on an SDTV, and I can say that there is still a definite graphical improvement over something like the PS2.

Of course, going from my tube tv to my HDTV was like night and day, it's still worth it to have a 360 on an SDTV.

I only got a HDTV on 28th December, and have had my 360 on SDTVs since January '06. And there is an improvement, but in older games (before Gears 1) it wasn't quite so noticeable because things ween't so small...

I think somewhere along the way I heard the typical attach rate of games for the 360 is 8 games per console in North America, and only 2 for the Wii. I'm assuming that Wii Fit and Wii Play are the two. If I was a Nintendo pessimist I'd say it's Wii Play and Wii Sports.

Well, if you look at what everyone is saying about their Wiis, it's that they get them, play them for a month or two and then just leave them be...

It happened to my friend...she got a Wii last Christmas and swore she would play it tons. She got a 360 in August, and has been playing all the blockbusters on it. I then asked her about her Wii and got the following response "Oh, I haven't turned it on since January or February." LOL

I still maintain that the Wii is NOT a next gen console.

Families that can't afford the new systems for one.

People that can't play backward compatible games because they got a gimped PS3.

Gamers that appreciate the classics every now and then.

Those who are jaded that this generation has offered "really nothing new save for HDR and normal mapping".

But I think it's mostly because buying a $70-$130 PS2 and $60 worth of used games is a better deal in some people's eyes than buying a $399 PS3 and one $60 game. :D

Hunh...I left the words "crappy economy" out of my last post. But I'm sure you get the gist.

Very eloquently put. I agree with every word said. The focus on HD has created a focus on visuals which is more akin to Hollywood blockbuster shlock; loud noise and pretty explosions: idiotic and samey.

A very sad state of affiars.

What consoles are available to buy without money..? :p

To add to the general thread discussion:
I think those statistics seem to reasonably fall in line with what the *general* perception of the console is.

PS2: There are whole lot of those things out there. As others have mentioned, it is the best selling console of all time, and it only makes sense that people still play them. I still see people in game stores considering this console. It's a matter of economics, really (plus that whole backwards-compatibility thing). If the PS2 dropped below a $100 I'd even consider buying one, as I never did own one and I'd be interested in playing some of the minor classics that I never had the chance to play on friends' consoles.

X360: This console really gets by on the strength of XBL and how well that service works (with quality titles to play on it of course). Yes, it is even worth paying for. People that love to game often often like to game with their friends. Speaking of friends... as more and more people buy this console, it'll eventually get to the point that buying it because other people have it will be a "plus-factor" for buying one.

Wii: Yes, they've sold a lot of these things... to casual gamers; who play them casually.

Xbox: Maybe a surprise to some, but they did sell a few of these - which a lot of people played Halo 2 on. People can deny it (or resent it) all they like, but XBL and the X360 grew out of the mass crush of people Halo 2 brought to online console gaming. It was unfortunate that Microsoft left this console dead in the water after the x360 launch, but modders have kept this this thing alive (the fact that they are versatile and can be had dirt cheap helps out a lot).

PS3: This seems... *disappointing* for a "next gen" console, for sure. Though I think Sony seriously miscalculated the price-point on this console. Yes, I know that it comes with wi-fi adaptability out of the box, and that it plays Bluray too. Neither of which is necessary to play *games.* $380 versus $200 is big difference no matter how you paint it to Ma and Pa Jones out in Oklahoma buying little Johnny his birthday or Christmas present (these are the same people who are just now getting weened off of AOL). Having Bluray included won't win the console battle. When the general public decides to get behind that format (as opposed to DVD or downloaded media, I mean), they'll end up going to Walmart and buying a stand alone player for less than $200. All the negativity aside, the PS3 is still a good console, and it has many users that followed over to it simply based on the strength/quality of the PS2 console.

Gamecube: Quality console that had some great innovation, and some great games. Back when Nintendo still made Nintendo games. Fun for all ages is relatively timeless.

Other: I assume that the PS1, Genesis, Nintendo, Atari et al. are what makeup this group. I am one of those people that never get rid of their old consoles and break them out every once in a while to revisit a console-specific classic.

Just curious, how many HDTVs do you see everyday on average? And of those about how many have next gen consoles? Thx in advance.