A Nielsen study shows a few interesting things for the gaming consoles' market. The much-praised Nintendo Wii is played less than the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 is played less than the original Xbox. The most-played console in the US was not the Wii, but the much earlier PlayStation 2. This study is the first to watch the usage of the console.

 

The PlayStation 2 gaming console is used by 31.7 percent of Americans, while the Xbox 360 is used by 17.2 percent. The third place is taken by Nintendo Wii, with 13.4 percent. As for the PlayStation 3, its 7.3 percent didn't help it overcome the original Xbox, which had 9.7 percent. It looks like Americans enjoy to use older gaming consoles.

 

The last place was taken by GameCube, with 4.4 percent, while other gaming consoles had 16.9 percent. Of course, these PS2 numbers are surprising and very impressive, while the PS3 is still struggling against the Wii and Xbox. This study also shows that World of Warcraft, or WoW, players average 671 minutes (about 12 hours) per week. In any given minute, almost 1 percent of all PC gamers are playing WoW.

 

The data shown by the study can only suggest one thing. Even if the Nintendo Wii sells more, it is actually used less and once you have bought a PS3 you will probably play your PS2 a lot more. As for other gaming devices and games, Tetris was the top mobile game, followed by Bejeweled and Guitar Hero III.