PS3 beats Xbox 360 and Wii as ‘Console Of Choice’ amongst teenagers

It’s all well and good arguing amongst ourselves about which console is best, but what do other non-Blorgers think? According to a new survey on the state of gaming amongst teenagers, the Playstation 3 comes out on top.

There was a time when games were the sole reserve of the young, with teenagers being the biggest market for the console manufacturers. However, since the original Playstation came out, the tides have turned, and now people in their 20s and 30s are just as likely to be gamers. The teenage market is still huge though, and the Nintendo Wii has succeeded in bringing a whole new younger generation in to the industry.

Teenagers views on the state of the current generation console war are important as unlike adults who may be influenced by price concerns or a loyalty to a certain brand, they’re less likely to be adversely biased. To this end, Habbo recently conducted a global youth survey to find out which console was the most popular amongst teenagers aged between 11 and 18.

According to CVG, Habbo asked 58,486 teens across 31 markets their views on the Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The PS3 came out as the “console of choice”.

69% of those teenagers questioned thought that the PS3 was “great” or “good”. The Nintendo Wii came second with 64% while the Xbox 360 came third on 58%. So the majority of those questioned actually thought all of the current gen consoles were worth buying.

More interestingly was the fact that the PS3 won in every age group except for 11-12 year olds, proving the theory that the Nintendo machine is much more geared towards kids than anyone else. The Wii also proved to be the most popular choice amongst females overall, so again, the fact that Nintendo have catered for groups that weren’t gamers before this generation rings true.

In terms of territories, the teenagers views echoed the global sales figures. The Xbox 360 proved to be much more popular in the US than in either Asia or Europe. It was also the most popular console in Mexico and Colombia and took second place in the Canada, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Of the 50,000 odd teens surveyed, 245 own a Wii, 21% own a PS3 and 23% own an Xbox 360. What’s interesting is that 20% of responders plan to buy one of the three home consoles in the next year, although again the PS3 was the main target.

This survey could just be swatted away as an insignificant report, but teenagers are the people who will shape the gaming industry in the years to come.

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