Research group NPD published a 2008 report on online gaming earlier this week, announcing that 72 percent of the total U.S. population ages 6-44 plays video games.

One of the items in the release:

Among those who use a video game system for online gaming, Xbox 360 is the top system used, with 50 percent stating they play games online via that system. On average, Xbox 360 owners spend the most time per week using their 360s to play games online, followed by PC and PS3 owners using these respective systems for online game play.

That squares with what I’ve long assumed: Xbox users seem to be much more into online gaming than the norm. I contacted NPD to find out more about online usage of the other consoles, and was provided with some additional info. This new detail doesn’t describe how heavily people who own a given console use it for online. But it does indicate which consoles get people online, something that is surely a reflection of the installed base:

Among those who use a video game system for online gaming, Xbox 360 (50%), PlayStation 2 (22%) and Nintendo Wii (18%) are the top three systems used, with Xbox360 continuing to command a dominant lead.

Link:  http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/04/04/npd-xbox-360-most-widely-used-system-for-online-gaming-wii-and-ps2-follow/

The 360 leading console online gaming is not surprising at all.

The 360 is the best online console at the moment. I wonder how Sony's HOME will improve upon the PSN?

BTW Thread title is a typo PS2 should be PS3. 

^ Rock on, it clearly says PS2 in the article.

"Among those who use a video game system for online gaming, Xbox 360 (50%), PlayStation 2 (22%) and Nintendo Wii (18%) are the top three systems used, with Xbox360 continuing to command a dominant lead."

Yeah, and if you look in the comments, he clearly says its PS2, when someone asks him.

Man I am surprised by those stats. If PS2 online is more popular than PS3 online its bad news.

Nice, so even Nintendo Wii is used more than the PS3 for online gaming, quite the contrary you hear at this forums. But nice to know.

Well, I don't think the methodology was very fair to the PS3. What they did, if I read correctly, was survey some people. Asked what console they had, and asked if they played online. Since not that many people in the US have a ps3, relative to the 360 and the wii, most of those people answering, will not have a ps3, so people with a ps3 and online comes out to every say 10 out of 100 people (the other 90 people have a 360, wii, ps2, xbox, etc. that go online). I think what they should have done is polled like 1000 people for each console, and seen how many play online, because this methodology seems odd.