Xbox 360 beats PS3, Wii in popularity amongst American Gen Y Millennials

The Nintendo Wii may be leading hardware sales against the chasing pack in the US month on month, but it seems the Xbox 360 is winning this generations’ console battle on at least one front. That of popularity amongst Gen Y.

The popularity of the three main home consoles, the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii can be categorised by many different factors. You could go on total sales since release, in which case the Xbox 360 currently has the official lead, although the Wii is thought to have already overtaken it. You could go on monthly sales, which at the moment means the Wii is way ahead of the competition. Then there is software attach rates, which the Xbox 360 always seems to come out on top of.

Or alternatively, you can go by age group, which is exactly what Nielsen did in its latest research in to the tastes of Generation Y, otherwise known as Millennials, Generation Next, or The Digital Generation. Basically, it encompasses anyone born between 1982 and 1998, which just makes me feel old.

Nielsen conducted a study (reported here via Gizmo Republic) between April 2007 and February 2008 in to what pressed Millenials buttons, and amongst statistics in to shopping and TV viewing habits, there was also a section on games consoles and video games.

The study looked at how much time the research subjects spent playing on each console, and the amount of days the console was played on at least once. The results came out heavily in favour of the Xbox 360 which took 62.73% of the total usage time. The Wii came second with 24.94%, and the PS3 brought up the rear, as it so often does, with just 12.33%.

The reasons for the results could be many and varied, but Nielsen suggest they are down to the higher software attach rate on the Xbox 360, as well as the console having a stronger games line-up than either of the other two during this period.

I would suggest it also has something to do with the kind of gamers each console mainly caters for. The Xbox 360 is probably for the more hardcore amongst us, with a plethora of FPS and brilliant multiplayer online functions. The Wii is much geared towards younger gamers, and the more casual amongst us. The PS3 hasn’t really found its niche as yet, and is kind of floating around in no-man’s land.

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