I only own a PS3 which I currently use to play COD4 and last gen games

The US census predicted that there would be 103 million households in the US by 2015, which is what I was basing my 95 million number on. If that number is indeed larger, the percentage of multi-nextgen-console owners would actually be larger as well.

It bugs me to not know, so I backed up my numbers to the date the article was published (early April, so I'm using April 5 VGChartz numbers to be conservative), and assumed the 111mil households you say were in the US in 2006 (again, to be conservative). I get the following, scary, results:


3% of 111 mil households in the US (I think this number is probably more likely than the 5%, but who knows) ==

3.33 mil

2/3rds own 3, 1/3 owns 2, according to the new conjecture.

6.66 million consoles owned by "triple owners"... 2.22 million owned by "double owners" == 8.88 million

26.02mil next-gen consoles (April 5, 2008) - 8.8mil = 17.14

+ 3.33 == 20.47 million next-gen console households (April 5, 2008 at study time)

3.33 / 20.47 == 16.27%


That's getting a little more substantial, than trying to apply the study to current numbers, which is going to skew the data (and who knows in what direction!). Still it does seem reasonable. Here's the scariest part:

2.22 - 3.33 million next-gen households own a Wii and either a X360, a PS3, or both. Lets say 2.77, because I hate using mins and maxes. The number could be anywhere from 2.22 to 3.33, of course.

That means, at April 5, 2008, 2.77 mil / 10.38 mil or ~27% (21% - 32% range) of Wii owners in America also owned a X360 or PS3. Right now I am thinking "holy... that can't be right"... but I can't see the error right now.

If that % is anywhere near correct, that bodes VERY badly for the Wii, with regards to cross-platform titles, and may go a LONG way to explain why games like Madden '08 did so poorly on the Wii, relative to the more powerful consoles, and also may explain why publishers just plain tend to refuse to bring new AAA titles to all three consoles, and thus the Wii gets shovelware and PS2 ports.

At this point, I think this study is just plain bunk, as far as the real numbers go. I'm not ready to go to town with believing that 27% of Wii owners also own a X360 or PS3... but apparently they might.

It does, however, go to show what a buncha BS media sources like Gamasutra are. Nice spin they're trying to put on that study.

100% of those respondents owned at least one console. It's an easy thing to realize when you notice this statistic.


As for online console players, 50 percent were Xbox 360 gamers, who spent the most time per week playing online compared to PC and PS3 owners.

If anything the number is higher since they are only talking about those console users who use their consoles online.

I don't actually see that ("100% of the respondents owned at least once console") in the article.  Are you certain?  Do you have access to the study?  If you do, please please post the requested data, so us math nuts can go to town with it. =)

1) It's not in the article but it is in the second paragraph with the other parsed data. (Of online console players.)

If it wasn't part of that it would be in a paragraph up top. It is out of place in that pargraph otherwise.

2) If I had access to that study I would be bound by the terms of access to the study to not publically disseminate the results of it.

For what it's worth most sites have infact reported the % as inclusive. 

Hmm.  I have re-read the article several times now.  I have to say that I believe you've misread it.  Can you post some quotes (from the article) that clarify your position?  Its an article with a lot of spin in it, so I can see how easily misinterpreted it can be (and has been).

Also you should note that the report in queston was done using NPD's research panel. Which to be a part of you need to own at least a PC.. which makes the 72% of households comment a bit misleading.

Really it's about 72% of housholds who play offline play online as well. I say about as NPD also occasionally brings in people who own older systems like the PS2 who plan to buy "next gen" systems but just haven't yet.

Note in the article you've read many times...

ales tracking group NPD has announced the results of a new gaming study, showing that 72 percent of the U.S. say they played games, online play still lagging behind offline, and an overwhelming minority owning more than one next-gen system.

NPD says the number of game-players has grown from its last study, up from 64 percent the year prior. More than half of that 72 percent, says NPD play games online, but relative to "total U.S. population," online gamers have only risen slightly from 40 percent in 2007 to 42 percent.

So in otherwords a vast number of gamers have started going online who didn't used to. So by trying to treat these as regular standard run of the mill households like you have is a step in the wrong direction in the first place.

Aside from that... Note how it goes from here... All people who qualify for the NPD panel. (People connected to the internet who own at least one console on which you could play games... and qualify as gamers.)

To in the third paragraph where it breaks down the demographics of each.

To the 4th paragraph where it talks about online console gamers.

To me, that second statement is infact talking about the above respondents. Those online console players.

I certainly agree that the volunteer NPD study was... really messed up.  That's basically the point of my post.  There are a lot of "The Wii doesn't suffer from in-household competition" posts here on VGChartz that quote that study.  I think we've all proven that said study is, in fact totally misleading, and I believe, in fact, might imply the opposite.

I don't think it was that messed up. You just need to realize they only used gamers in the first place... not the full US population.

Furthermore NPD has no reason to spin things... the total number of gamers including PC and handhelds who own multiple next generation consoles is a comletely worthless statistic and their would be no reason for it to be in the article.

Um, I think you're totally wrong with regards to the study being on gamers only.  No where in the article does it state that, despite what you seem to believe.  Again, you're going to have to post some quotes, and do some logic legwork based in the English language, to prove your statement.  I don't believe you can.

As far as spin goes, I agree that NPD doesn't spin things.  I am saying that Gamasutra is spinning it, and in a crazy way.  Heck, look at you.  You are totally confused. =)