Nielsen: 360 has most 'active users' in 2009, Wii has fewest
We imagine those six multicolored lines you see above are going to cause quite a stir among the various fanboy contingencies -- they represent the percentage of "active users" on different consoles in the first half of 2009, according to survey data compiled by Nielsen. As you can see, the Xbox 360 dominated the charts, while the ubiquitously successful Wii came in dead last by a huge margin, ranking below the PS2, original Xbox and GameCube.
Our initial reaction to this data was that Nielsen is high on pot, but we can kinda understand what caused the Wii's disappointing placement on the list -- the chart is tracking the percent of console owners who use their gaming hardware on a regular basis. Everyone and their dog owns a Wii by this point, but very few actually play them consistently, according to Nielsen's findings. Meanwhile, there's only a handful of GameCubes out there that haven't been converted into lunchboxes, and their owners apparently use them a bit more frequently.
If you're looking for a more straightforward breakdown of console usage, Nielsen also figured the overall usage totals for each console. That chart's posted after the jump. (You'll find it slightly above the deluge of inflammatory comments.)
[Via IndustryGamers]

Our initial reaction to this data was that Nielsen is high on pot, but we can kinda understand what caused the Wii's disappointing placement on the list -- the chart is tracking the percent of console owners who use their gaming hardware on a regular basis. Everyone and their dog owns a Wii by this point, but very few actually play them consistently, according to Nielsen's findings. Meanwhile, there's only a handful of GameCubes out there that haven't been converted into lunchboxes, and their owners apparently use them a bit more frequently.
If you're looking for a more straightforward breakdown of console usage, Nielsen also figured the overall usage totals for each console. That chart's posted after the jump. (You'll find it slightly above the deluge of inflammatory comments.)
[Via IndustryGamers]
















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
KaBob799 @ Aug 11th 2009 2:02PM
% isn't everything
Tonicboy @ Aug 11th 2009 2:34PM
No, it's only a portion :/
Tiptup300 @ Aug 11th 2009 2:49PM
How do they take RRODs into consideration? Wouldn't the actual 360 % be like higher?
Glen Quagmire @ Aug 11th 2009 5:05PM
@Tiptup300 theirs no such thing as RROD anymore. expect for the older xbox 360's
Mo @ Aug 11th 2009 5:44PM
right its called E74 now :-) RROD is so last week...
I know I know, i couldn't help it..
*shelds himself from hail of downvotes*
eat my face [ wiizer is a party pooper ] @ Aug 11th 2009 7:39PM
@ all the 360fanboys claiming to have a high paying job ( JW & general death )
if you really have a job like that, how do you have so much time to waste on joystiq?
and do you really have to point out that he is inaccurate?
just let those obsessed fanboys be, their not hurting anyone =]
eat my face [ wiizer is a party pooper ] @ Aug 11th 2009 8:22PM
damn you comment system!
that was supposed to be a reply to shag >=/
and i clearly remember pressing reply on his
Tiptup300 @ Aug 12th 2009 10:51AM
I keep getting the RROD. :(
Shagittarius @ Aug 11th 2009 2:03PM
THE FAD IS ENDING!
Longhorn (August 18: D-Day) @ Aug 11th 2009 2:25PM
When its stops being #1 each month
then you can speak
Marty @ Aug 11th 2009 2:42PM
The Wii slowing down was inevitable.
The PS2 being increasing at almost as sharp a rate as the 360, and more so than the PS3, was pretty surprising, in my opinion.
Cody @ Aug 11th 2009 2:46PM
Predictable results for the 360.
Considering the fact that your typical 360 owner is an unemployed, late teens to early 20's deadbeat living with mom or is the guy on the couch at an employed friends house who sits around on Xbox Live (whose mom/employed friend is paying for) for 4-6 hours per day, this chart makes perfect sense.
Longhorn (August 18: D-Day) @ Aug 11th 2009 2:48PM
*Stands up
*Claps and cheers
JW @ Aug 11th 2009 4:28PM
Really? Because I'm a 28 year old systems engineer making $85k per year and I play my 360 much more than my PS3. That pretty much voids your whole argument.
I love fanboys..... common sense and logic completely escapes them.
oolz @ Aug 11th 2009 2:57PM
Shag speaks the truth. There are hundreds of music artists that sell millions upon millions of CD's per year who have no appreciable musical talent or ability. They sell those albums because they're manufactuered to sell. They're hollow, manufactuered gimmicks, just like the Wii.
With the exception of Mario Kart, only their gimmick games (wii sports, wii fit and wii play *free wiimote*) have bested their top sellers on the gamecube. This paints a pretty clear picture: There are no more "hardcore" Wii owners than there were gamecube owners. They're getting a lot of new buyers, but those people aren't sticking around. They're playing Wiisports and then they're done with it. If you remove the top four games from the Wii's sales list (two of which shouldn't even count) the Wii hasn't sold any more games than the 360 has and may actually have sold less.
BxGT @ Aug 11th 2009 2:59PM
Why is he drinking pepto bismol?
Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 11th 2009 3:06PM
It's not Pepto, it's a special hair growth formula. It's meant to make his facial hair douchier.
kentuckyfried @ Aug 11th 2009 3:10PM
I've seen what the hardcore 360 demographic looks like at different stores at different events, and there are some generalizations one can draw:
1) alot look like pot smokers
2) alot are overweight
3) alot are obnoxiously loud
4) 360 fanboys tend to be greasy-looking. literally.
I don't dismiss that some 360 users are white collar professionals, but that's not the norm.
Jimbotron @ Aug 11th 2009 3:10PM
Two earrings. How manly.
Sly [Planeteer | Power of Tea & Crumpets] @ Aug 11th 2009 3:15PM
haha wow cap, that 2nd picture was hilarious. facial dirt... haha.
oxymoronx420 @ Aug 11th 2009 3:21PM
Poor Cody's just sad that his parents bought him a wii for hanukkah last year rather than a 360 with COD4, Left4dead and Gears of war that he'd been asking for all year.
An excellent contest, I can't wait to see some finely shooped submissions.
William Wallace @ Aug 11th 2009 3:26PM
@ kentuckyfried and all the haters
Where do you live kentuckyfried... the southern states??? I'd hardly consider demographics surveyed by a guy who calls himself kentuckyfried that of a worldwide demographics. Truth be told... 360 haters are whining little PS3 fanboys that don't like to hear the truth. 360 is obviously a fun console.. go cry somewhere else!!!
Vidikron @ Aug 11th 2009 3:37PM
@Wallace
Why are you assuming they are PS3 fanboys? Cody, for example, is a known Nintendo fanboy.
Nerdy Desi (formerly Chin-Poh, Ninjakamster) if anyone gives a damn. @ Aug 11th 2009 3:39PM
1) alot look like pot smokers
2) alot are overweight
3) alot are obnoxiously loud
4) 360 fanboys tend to be greasy-looking. literally.
I thought that's what the console gamers think of us PC gamers. : D
XBL: xGeneral DEATHx PSN: Deeth82 @ Aug 11th 2009 3:46PM
@ Cody:
I must be an exception to that "rule", since I work full-time and even work photography gigs on the side, do not live off of others, get on Live for about 3-5 hours per week, and pay my own way for everything.
And as such, I'd say you're an exception too...since I would never call all Wii owners a bunch of scrawny wannabe's who live off of Mommy and Daddy's money.
Mr Khan @ Aug 11th 2009 3:49PM
@ oolz
Research before you bullshit please. The only Wii entry to a franchise that was out-performed by a GameCube game so far was Metroid Prime 3 (when compared to Metroid Prime, the greatest game of all time, and what had also been the first Metroid game in 8 years at the time)
devilsei @ Aug 11th 2009 3:51PM
Yeah, seriously.
Honestly? I'd rather be a PS3 Fanboy than a 360 one. The same people who are 360 Fanboys, are the same immature kids who clog up games and bitch and moan about everything. I own both consoles, and have played both online, and the "pay-to-play" seems to attract every D-bag to it, while the PS3 (at least in my experiences) tends to be a bit more mature and friendly.
The only thing I really hate about the Xbox 360, is its community, and you Wallace, are a shining example of why.
goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Aug 11th 2009 3:51PM
Khan, Metroid Fusion came out first.
goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Aug 11th 2009 3:53PM
Haha... I guess they came out the same day. For some reason it seemed like there were two weeks between release for me. My bad :P
Ridgecity @ Aug 11th 2009 4:02PM
finally! we now can go back to the struggling industry years!
PedoJokerBear (aka Deeznuts) @ Aug 11th 2009 4:05PM
I WANT TO BE MA-TI!
HEART!
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Aug 11th 2009 4:11PM
Every 360 owner is a fat slob
Every Wii owner is a house wife
Every PS3 owner is...well there's not enough of them to make a generalization...
Sound right to you Cody?
Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 11th 2009 4:24PM
@ PedoJokerBear
I can't give you the power of Heart because it's already taken. I can however give you the power of...
GALL BLADDER
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the newest member of the Planeteers!
PedoJokerBear [Planeteer | Power of Gall Bladder]
Fullmetal Salchemist @ Aug 11th 2009 5:32PM
"A lot" is two words, geniuses.
HippoHero @ Aug 11th 2009 5:54PM
Everyone's being a dick to Cody, but he doesn't look too bad with a few adjustments.
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4259/codyn.jpg
Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 11th 2009 6:11PM
LOL @ Hippo. Nice entry!
Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 11th 2009 6:23PM
I can't enter myself into the contest, I can however inspire some of you...
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8436/0000029699350.jpg
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Aug 11th 2009 6:28PM
@BXGT
GHEY JUICE
Sly [Planeteer | Power of Tea & Crumpets] @ Aug 11th 2009 6:51PM
oh my god, that last one from cap was amazing. perfect execution. i give it an 11/10.
HippoHero @ Aug 11th 2009 7:53PM
Beautiful work, Cap. :D
It makes me want to get an image editing program other than MS paint, but I busted the Botanic bank funding my acts of Hippo Heroism.
It's a shame, really. I can only hope my sub-par entries don't meet any real competition.
Entry 2: "Anyone can be cool with MS Paint"
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/387/youcanmakeanyonecoolwit.jpg
googleadam @ Aug 11th 2009 9:33PM
@ Captain Planet
how about this one?
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n211/googleadam/HAHAHAHAHAHA.jpg
HippoHero @ Aug 11th 2009 10:03PM
No! My plan to win by default is ruined!
You haven't heard the last of me, googleadam!
Captain Planet (now accepting new Planeteer recruits and official sponsor of the Cody is a Douche contest) @ Aug 12th 2009 10:50AM
@ googleadam
Ahaha!! Brilliant!
Don't worry Hippo, you are more than welcome to submit more than one entry and we'll be scoring based on originality and ownage factor.
cegmp @ Aug 12th 2009 11:16AM
Well, another study (I read that study somewhere in Joystiq) did say that the average xbox360 users were younger (teens, i think) than the PS3 users. So the 360 users would relatively have more time. But this is just me putting 2 and 2 together with NO statistical proof whatsoever to support this. Just thought I should comment.
Jimbotron @ Aug 12th 2009 11:28AM
@oolz: Mario Galaxy has sold more than Mario Sunshine, and Brawl has sold more than Melee.
Research, my friend. Research.
Meloche @ Aug 11th 2009 2:03PM
InB4WiiSuxx.
Jeremy White @ Aug 11th 2009 2:03PM
To be honest, I've only played my Wii two times in 2009. Both times I played Wii Fit and both times I played for only about 30 minutes to an hour.
The Wii is too much fun.
PR0F3TA @ Aug 11th 2009 2:04PM
THIS JUST IN....
Sky is blue
Water is wet
and Patcher overstates the obvious
Yamagushi @ Aug 11th 2009 2:06PM
Its pachter, not patcher. Dont worry I used to make the same mistake all the time. Remember it this way, hes a fudge pachter. =)
SourceJR @ Aug 11th 2009 2:06PM
good thing this is Nielsen.