PlayStation 3 drives upsurge in media streaming
PlayStation 3 owners spent 10 percent less of their console time playing games offline and 10 percent more of it streaming video from the net in 2012, according to a Nielsen report covering US trends.
PlayStation 3 users "drove the trend in increased streaming activity," with nearly a quarter of their time with the machine going to streaming, a little less time spent watching DVDs or Blu-rays, and a little more playing games online, listening to music or surfing the net than in 2011.
Among the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3, it was Sony's console that was also most likely to be used as a DVD or Blu-ray player -- it's the only one of the three with a Blu-ray drive, while the Nintendo Wii won't play DVDs without the use of warranty-voiding hacks.
Overall, owners of the Nintendo Wii are more likely to use the games console to listen to music, surf the net, or watch streamed video than owners of the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
The Xbox 360 remained stable across the board in comparison to 2011 usage, with a third of time being spent playing games online, double that of the PS3 and three times as much as the Wii.
By contrast, Sony PlayStation spent much of its February PlayStation 4 announcement courting its traditional fanbase of video game players ahead of a late 2013 retail release, while Microsoft has shown considerable interest in repositioning the Xbox brand as central to all family room entertainment, be it musical, televisual, or game-related.
cp/kc
