Game consoles found in one in three online households
According to a report today from Neilsen//Netratings, online households have truly embraced gaming; one in three has a game console from Nintendo, Sony (SNE) or Microsoft (MSFT). Nearly one in six owns a portable gaming system like the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP.
"As game consoles have become increasingly sophisticated, families have incorporated them into their centralized home media centers, which include the television, digital recording device, digital music player, and the PC,” said Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. “Video game technology will only benefit other media, since what makes a video game fun and exciting brings life to movies and music as well. Companies that can leverage these new technologies across a number of products will have a distinct advantage in the competitive marketplace."
Below, the Web traffic numbers for the top console brands. (Note that the Wii has given Nintendo quite a boost.)
—-+——————+————-+
| Site | Feb-06 UA (000) | Feb-07 UA (000) | YOY Growth |
+————–+——————+——————+————-+
| Nintendo | 856 | 1,631 | 91% |
| XBOX | 827 | 1,218 | 47% |
| Playstation | 1,105 | 1,016 | -8% |
+————–+——————+——————+————-+
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, March 2007
The quality of video, audio and story lines of the games available in all the high-end consoles are so amazing that families tend to buy one so that their kids are at home than out of the house …