Nielsen Games has released new data regarding video game usage in the U.S. during the first half of 2009. Although June marked the fourth consecutive month of sales decline, that doesn't mean people are playing less. In fact, it's the opposite - Nielsen found that gamers are playing more this summer than last, and total console usage minutes in June were up 21% year-over-year. The average console gamer played 768 minutes on consoles in June.
June data indicated that Xbox 360 is the most active console, with a 6-month trend showing Xbox 360 with the highest active users. Trailing the pack by a good margin in terms of active users is Nintendo's Wii, which is even trailing its predecessor, the GameCube. Check out the chart below.
We think this trend is attributable, at least in part, to the major influx of "casual" gamers and female gamers on the Wii. Nintendo's console is hugely successful, but its audience just isn't the same as the rabid, hardcore gaming audience typically found on Xbox 360 and PS3. In fact, the Wii has double the number of female players on Xbox 360, and more than Xbox 360 and PS3 combined (see chart below).
Overall, Nielsen found that the transition to the current generation of consoles is in full effect. The data shows that Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii accounted for 50% of total share of minutes in June 2009, while last generation consoles (PS2, GameCube, Xbox) made up only 31% of total minutes. Somewhat surprisingly, use of even older consoles (PS One, Atari 2600, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, etc.) accounted for the remaining 19%.
4 Comments
August 11, 2009
The Nintendo business strategy with the Wii was genius. All they did was repackage the GameCube and added a barely working motion-controller. Then they restricted supply to create this artificial demand frenzy that allowed them to keep Wii prices high. Since they put almost zero R&D into improving from the GameCube every Wii console they sell makes money (turning the industry business model on it's head). What do they care if nobody plays the Wii after they get it? Smart people at Nintendo.
August 12, 2009
If you think about it, all of those people what bought a Wii, some Wii Remotes and Nunchucks and a few games like Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii and Nintendo makes some decent scratch - they've done a brilliant job of appealing to so called "non-gamers" who might only drag out the Wii every couple of months.
December 12, 2009
thats true, i think that after super nintendo, the company enter in a deep crisis and was not able of get into the natural evolution of videogames ans supports, and its more than obvious, whit the wii that they care for sales and not cuality, any more at least
February 27, 2010
I have to laugh at the fanboy angst in the comments here.
1.) "Artificial supply shortage." http://therearemorewiisavailablethananynearlaunchhomeconsoleever.info/
2.) The Wii has a normal tie-ratio (about equal to PS3 right now) so regardless of what some Nielsen study says about how much time per day people spend playing (Nielsen videogame studies have contained errors before: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kevin-ohannessian/not-quite-conversation/who-really-gets-most-play-wii-wins-and-playstation-3-l), they certainly keep buying games.
3.) Selling hardware at a profit have been a practice for Nintendo since before this generation. Considering how videogame profits have looked for hardware manufacturers the last 10 years, this is pretty much the only way that works. http://neogaf.net/forum/showpost.php?p=19625436&postcount=90
4.) The quality of their traditional first party games is as high as (if not higher than) ever.