Yeah. Fucking babies.

Given that hardcore console gamers are typically very young -- they tend to be 13-18 year old males -- it's unlikely that a larger percentage of Wii owners are still family bound than PS3/360 owners. Possible, of course, but unlikely.

It's more likely that the owners of all three consoles are largely below the age of 18 -- in which case it's simply that richer parents are tending to buy their children Wiis, while poorer families are more commonly buying their children PS3/360s.

Wait, I'm confused. Are you saying the opposite of everything that's true? If so, you confused the hell out of me !

Just wanted to point out that I bought the Wii by myself ;)

$400 dollars well spent, yeah.

I'm not sure what's confusing you. Here is the factual basis for the conclusions I am drawing. Empirical data suggests:

1) Self identified "core" console gamers are the youngest demographic in gaming, and tend to be 13-18. Casual gamers tend to be older, as do PC gamers.

2) Wii households tend to be richer than PS3/360 households.

If we can agree that the PS3 and 360 are largely selling to "core" gamers thus far, then it stands to reason that by far the largest chunk of the owners of said consoles are below 18. Therefore, the suggestion that Wii owners are more likely to live with their family (that is, in their "household," the distinction you drew) is unlikely to be true.

In which case, all consoles are generally being bought by parents for children. It just so happens that the parents buying the Wiis tend to be more wealthy. I really don't see what's wrong with the conclusions I'm drawing here.

Then why would the PS3 and Xbox 360 be bought by poorer families when they cost more?

Ghetto Jimmy: "Hey Mommy, I want a game console for Christmas!"

Ghetto Mama: "Alright, how about this $500 PS3?"

Plus, I don't know where you got the idea that young gamers are the largest demographic. I've heard that the average age of a gamer is 30, but if you have a source saying otherwise, I'll be happy to agree with you.

I'm not speculating on a reason, Montana, I'm just stating what research suggests -- Wii owners are wealthier.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=16691

Since you've asked me to guess, I'll state the obvious -- the tastes of more affluent families tend toward the Wii, while the tastes of less affluent families tend toward the PS3/360.

And yes, "Core" gamers, especially of the console variety, are the youngest demographic in gaming. While the overall average may be 30, this includes grandmas playing solitaire online, which significantly ups the average age. Not surprisingly, then, casual PC gamers are the oldest demographic.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=16691

The relevant text: "Interestingly, the Heavy Gamer segment is a lot younger than one might think too. "What always seems to surprise people, especially those that talk about the 18-34 year-old 'core gamer,' is that a majority of the heavy gamer segment is kids ages 6-17! This is true also for the 'Avid Console' gamer segment. Alternatively, the Avid PC gamer segment is older, with just over 40% represented by 18-34 year-olds," Anita Frazier, NPD industry analyst explained."

Note that this is a study done by the NPD, a non-partisan third party, and is, as far as I can tell, the only study done thus far the breaks the market down in to segments for better analysis. 

@bods, i don't see how purists(or hardcore, hey N made it up) could still be in the 13-18 age bracket? at least not primarily, seems like a pricier game now, there's no way in hell my mom would've spent a grand on my games, hell i'm the one who saved $400 to get a 3DO when i was 13, and my current setup is close to $5,000, not a small ticket... poorer families get PS3/360's, please explain your logic, i can not fix on it.

as for demographics, i believe nielsens had a good breakdown awhile back. and don't automatically assume PS3 users will flame you, this kind of generalisation pisses me off. we're not all blue3...

actually now that i think about it, i guess many spoiled ass kids get these kind of gifts, makes me sick. just look at chad warden =()

We be ballin?

Yeah, I'm not really speculating why this may be true, I'm just saying... that's what studies have shown, done by both Nielson and the NPD.  

Just as a last note, I am absolutely and entirely a core gamer, so I'm not trying to put the demographic down; that demographic is me!

I play 35+ hours of games a week. Yes, I'm wasting my life away :(