Why are people buying their consoles? Nielsen survey results

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

 

 

Whole report: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2015/no-stranger-to-the-video-game-most-eighth-generation-gamers-have-previously-owned-consoles.html

 

Can't find a sample size figure as of yet...

[Elliot B.]

I highly doubt "Better Resolution" is the number 1 reason people questioned are buying the PS4 over the Xbox One.

 

A massive, massive majority of owners aren't even aware of (or simply don't care) the resolution difference!

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Apparent base for the statistics

 

 

250,000 household panelists across 25 countries use in-home scanners to record their purchases from each shopping trip

 

 

I highly doubt "Better Resolution" is the number 1 reason people questioned are buying the PS4 over the Xbox One.

 

A massive, massive majority of owners aren't even aware of (or simply don't care) the resolution difference!

 

What do you believe in place of this then? Stats are fudged, PS4 owners don't answer honestly or something else?

[Skiver Veteran]

I highly doubt "Better Resolution" is the number 1 reason people questioned are buying the PS4 over the Xbox One.

 

A massive, massive majority of owners aren't even aware of (or simply don't care) the resolution difference!

 

I'd be more worried about the fact that Exclusive games isn't even on the PS4 list, unless they count "game Library" as this, but then the choices should be consistent as it just looks like two different options. Second to that being Blu Ray player being second

 

If this was a PS3, absolutely support that, it was one of the reasons I bought my PS3, now, you can get a player a hell of a lot cheaper.

 

Can someone explain what "7th Generation (Net) actually refers to also?

There definitely seems to be a bit of a loyalty trend going on with xbox users

[Elliot B.]

I'd be more worried about the fact that Exclusive games isn't even on the PS4 list, unless they count "game Library" as this, but then the choices should be consistent as it just looks like two different options. Second to that being Blu Ray player being second

 

If this was a PS3, absolutely support that, it was one of the reasons I bought my PS3, now, you can get a player a hell of a lot cheaper.

 

Can someone explain what "7th Generation (Net) actually refers to also?

There definitely seems to be a bit of a loyalty trend going on with xbox users

To be fair, I am not surprised "Blu-ray Disc player" is a popular feature.

 

The DVD player was a popular PS2 feature, the Blu-ray Disc player was a popular PS3 feature and the slightly improved Blu-ray Disc player (due to slight software/hardware improvements/upgrades) is likely to continue the trend.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I'd be more worried about the fact that Exclusive games isn't even on the PS4 list, unless they count "game Library" as this, but then the choices should be consistent as it just looks like two different options. Second to that being Blu Ray player being second

 

If this was a PS3, absolutely support that, it was one of the reasons I bought my PS3, now, you can get a player a hell of a lot cheaper.

 

Can someone explain what "7th Generation (Net) actually refers to also?

There definitely seems to be a bit of a loyalty trend going on with xbox users

 

It's the first console MS has launched with Blu Ray, so the Playstation mindset is still tipped in favour of associating Blu Ray with Sony coming off of last generation.

 

7th generation net means the total amount of people polled with one of the current consoles I believe. I may be wrong, it's not totally clear what it refers to (could be a few things).

 

Game library probably means the whole catalogue, whereas exclusives simply an exclusive. Due to the FIFA mindset in Europe for example some of the multiplatform titles are still fairly Playstation associated.

[spenser.d]

Apparent base for the statistics

What do you believe in place of this then? Stats are fudged, PS4 owners don't answer honestly or something else?

They don't have to be fudged; it's just some people picking an obvious-sounding answer. You should be clued into that by the fact that Xbox even has "faster processing power" in its list which is objectively untrue.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

They don't have to be fudged; it's just some people picking an obvious-sounding answer. You should be clued into that by the fact that Xbox even has "faster processing power" in its list which is objectively untrue.

 

Technically the XB1 processor is clocked faster than the PS4. What it more likely refers to though is faster processing power than the 360. Considering it comes up on the PS4 chart as well, I'm pretty positive that is what it means (faster than last generation).

[spenser.d]

Technically the XB1 processor is clocked faster than the PS4. What it more likely refers to though is faster processing power than the 360. Considering it comes up on the PS4 chart as well, I'm pretty positive that is what it means (faster than last generation).

That's fair, but then you could say the same about resolution as well. I doubt they switched up comparisons (vs last gen or vs current gen) between questions.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

What would be interesting is to see how the survey was carried out. Whether it was a free form response and the answer was pigeon holed it whatever was nearest or if it was multiple choice. 

 

If it was multiple choice people may have been swayed to pick an answer. 

[+Asmodai MVC]

I'd be more worried about the fact that Exclusive games isn't even on the PS4 list, unless they count "game Library" as this, but then the choices should be consistent as it just looks like two different options.

I'm almost positive the choices were consistent so yeah they were two different options. I really don't think exclusives matter as much to people as the market hype would indicate so I don't find it shocking at all that it didn't make the PS4 list.

Second to that being Blu Ray player being second

If this was a PS3, absolutely support that, it was one of the reasons I bought my PS3, now, you can get a player a hell of a lot cheaper.

I'm with you here. The PS3 had it and you can get Blu-ray players cheap now. I guess the people who pick that are coming from the 360 or Wii though that didn't have it so I guess I can see it on the list but being the #2 reason is a shock to me.

Can someone explain what "7th Generation (Net) actually refers to also?

Yes, it means they had ANY last gen console. As in how many PS4 buyers had ANY of the PS3, 360, or Wii. So 91% of PS4 owners had a last gen console, the other 9% either are new to consoles entirely or skipped last gen for some reason. Then the next three lines break it down by specific console instead of combined (plus there is overlap as some people owned multiple).

There definitely seems to be a bit of a loyalty trend going on with xbox users

I'm actually surprised the number of Xbox One owners that had a PS3 is as high as 43%. I suspect a large portion of those PS3 owners ALSO had an Xbox 360. I don't think a lot of people chose the PS3 over the 360 and then got an Xbox One instead of PS4.

[Draconian Guppy]

98% percent of statistics are made up

[+Asmodai MVC]

What would be interesting is to see how the survey was carried out. Whether it was a free form response and the answer was pigeon holed it whatever was nearest or if it was multiple choice. 

 

If it was multiple choice people may have been swayed to pick an answer.

I'm pretty sure it was multiple choice or you wouldn't have that consistent of answers. The exact wording of the question is displayed below the charts. Why would Nielsen want to bias the report one way or the other? It's not like it was a Sony or MS study.

[+Asmodai MVC]

That's fair, but then you could say the same about resolution as well. I doubt they switched up comparisons (vs last gen or vs current gen) between questions.

You're overthinking this.

They just asked three basic questions, the last two are listed below the charts.

Question one was clearly something along the lines of:

Which of the following video game systems do you currently own?

PS4

Xbox One

Wii U

Then they asked (as noted under the chart):

And which of the following video game systems have you ever owned?

Finally they asked (again, as noted under the chart):

Which of the following are the main reasons why you purchased/own your ...

where the ... is replaced by whatever they selected in the first question. So this question would be asked multiple times (one for each console) if they selected multiple in question one.

They did NOT ask them to compare 8th gen systems to each other. Having Blu-Ray player on the PS4 list and not on the Xbox One doesn't mean people don't know the Xbox One has a Blu-Ray player. Having Better Resolution on PS4 does NOT mean "than the Xbox One or Wii U", in fact the respondents may very well own them all. Likewise "Faster Processing Power" on PS4 doesn't mean those people think it's faster than the Xbox One, they may very well be comparing it to what they had before.

[spaceelf]

Technically the XB1 processor is clocked faster than the PS4.

The ESRAM and DDR3s lower latency also help the CPU more than the GPU, so there's that.

 

But I assume some of them picked reasons they upgraded to it rather than reasons they picked it over the competition.  They both have that over their predecessors.

 

I guess that was covered already, nm

[trooper11]

No one has mentioned yet that only the WiiU was chosen for the 'Fun Factor' The X1 snuck that in at number 5 and its not even on the ps4 list.

This would seem to indicate that the people buying the ps4 or xb1 and participated in this survey don't associate their consoles with a 'Fun Factor'

Otherwise, I think this list is just more fodder to make jokes about honestly. Its not very useful unless your wanting to read a lot into the responses.

I think the number one factor for choosing a console is going to be games, followed closely by what your friends are playing, and then followed by misc features that appeal to you. Price is there too, but I don't think its as big of a factor with the pricing being as it is now.

[spaceelf]

Fun Factor seems kind of obvious from a logical standpoint.

 

Why would you buy a game machine you weren't going to have fun with?  If I'm going to list reasons, that's not going to be one of them.

[Emn1ty]

What this shows is that the X1 and WiiU are both bought either out of a trust for the brand or for specific features people want from those systems.

 

Sony has none of that. In fact, one of the things is just flat out wrong (faster processor) and another is a feature the X1 has as well (Blu-Ray Player). It's funny how misinformed the PS4 userbase is.

[gradient456]

I highly doubt "Better Resolution" is the number 1 reason people questioned are buying the PS4 over the Xbox One.

 

A massive, massive majority of owners aren't even aware of (or simply don't care) the resolution difference!

One reason i recommend people to buy PS4 is better resolution. 

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

What this shows is that the X1 and WiiU are both bought either out of a trust for the brand or for specific features people want from those systems.

Sony has none of that. In fact, one of the things is just flat out wrong (faster processor) and another is a feature the X1 has as well (Blu-Ray Player). It's funny how misinformed the PS4 userbase is.

There's nothing "wrong". Only your interpretation of the data. It doesn't say "faster processing than Xbox one".

And all 3 consoles can easily make claim to each feature / reason besides the Wii U + Blu Ray. Even that isn't black and white, seeing as the console has the same disc capacity as the others. The other is X1 and BC, but nothing is set in stone for MS and software.

[Emn1ty]

There's nothing "wrong". Only your interpretation of the data. It doesn't say "faster processing than Xbox one".

And all 3 consoles can easily make claim to each feature / reason besides the Wii U + Blu Ray. Even that isn't black and white, seeing as the console has the same disc capacity as the others. The other is X1 and BC, but nothing is set in stone for MS and software.

 

To me it shows a huge discrepancy in priority based on incorrect advertising. Sony's reason's for buying the PS4 are both a generation old and mis-informed. Sure, the processing power could be a misinterpretation on my part. But the idea of buying a PS4 because it has a blu-ray player seems frankly odd. And games libraries on both systems are laughable at best.

 

At least in my book, I commend Microsoft and Nintendo for things like 'backwards compatibility', 'fun-factor', 'innovative features'. These things show the marketing strategy by each company and as far as I know the above points I highlighted are far more sturdy impressions than things like 'better resolution'. They are things that transcend just this generation.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

To me it shows a huge discrepancy in priority based on incorrect advertising. Sony's reason's for buying the PS4 are both a generation old and mis-informed. Sure, the processing power could be a misinterpretation on my part. But the idea of buying a PS4 because it has a blu-ray player seems frankly odd. And games libraries on both systems are laughable at best.

 

At least in my book, I commend Microsoft and Nintendo for things like 'backwards compatibility', 'fun-factor', 'innovative features'. These things show the marketing strategy by each company and as far as I know the above points I highlighted are far more sturdy impressions than things like 'better resolution'. They are things that transcend just this generation.

 

Hang on. Generation old? Every single feature or reason in the list is decades old. Or perhaps fun factor was only determinted important in 2013? And there's no misinformation that each console is more powerful than their predecessors in various ways.

 

Why is buying a console for BR odd? Why isn't buying a console because of a brand the questionable reason? That's possibly the most pathetic reason anyone could buy a console for.

 

As I said, all 3 of them can take claim of fun, value, BC, innovation and even resolution.

[Emn1ty]

Hang on. Generation old? Every single feature or reason in the list is decades old. Or perhaps fun factor was only determinted important in 2013? And there's no misinformation that each console is more powerful than their predecessors in various ways.

 

Why is buying a console for BR odd? Why isn't buying a console because of a brand the questionable reason? That's possibly the most pathetic reason anyone could buy a console for.

 

As I said, all 3 of them can take claim of fun, value, BC, innovation and even resolution.

 

None of them can claim BC except for the WiiU, and even then that's a stretch because if I recall all of its backwards compatibility it through its online store. Sony and Microsoft don't have it in the slightest (gaikai does not count).

 

Buying a console for a Blu-Ray player these days (when BR players are < $99 even for a decent one) makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

What this reflects is the 'determining factors' of someone's purchase. With how explosive the gaming media/community is about resolution this gen I can reasonably assume the 'higher resolution' choice was not because it's 'higher resolution than the PS3'. It's the biggest debate this generation in games (ie. the resolution disparity between X1 and PS4).

 

Value is relative, but to be honest for the price the WiiU probably has it nailed at $50 - $100 beneath the competition and having a much richer library (even if that library is mostly first party titles).

 

I don't see why you're trying to spin it any other way than what it most likely is. We can play nice with these results and pretend they don't represent anything. But to me they indeed do. They tell us what is on the mind of the consumer when they buy one of these consoles, and to me this resolution BS is what's soaked into people's heads more than anything else.

 

As for buying brand for brand's sake, to me that's fine. I don't mind someone buying a brand because they trust that brand. But that trust cannot be unfounded. To me it's a miracle that Microsoft has earned such a level of trust from their users in last gen that even after the whole 'Always On' debacle people still buy their console for the brand alone.

 

Although I suppose it goes both ways, with all the bull that Sony pulled last gen people are still ready to flock to them despite their repeatedly asinine business practices and generally trollish marketing this gen without taking any real risks with their system like Microsoft. It may have won them the market currently, but I have a feeling it won't last much longer. Once people start forgetting this whole resolution nonsense and it's a horse beaten well past its time we'll be left with the real meat of this discussion.

 

Resolution debates are a fad that will disappear, and Sony (or the fanboys at least) are going to have to figure out something new to peddle soon.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

None of them can claim BC except for the WiiU, and even then that's a stretch because if I recall all of its backwards compatibility it through its online store. Sony and Microsoft don't have it in the slightest (gaikai does not count).

Buying a console for a Blu-Ray player these days (when BR players are < $99 even for a decent one) makes absolutely no sense to me.

What this reflects is the 'determining factors' of someone's purchase. With how explosive the gaming media/community is about resolution this gen I can reasonably assume the 'higher resolution' choice was not because it's 'higher resolution than the PS3'. It's the biggest debate this generation in games (ie. the resolution disparity between X1 and PS4).

Value is relative, but to be honest for the price the WiiU probably has it nailed at $50 - $100 beneath the competition and having a much richer library (even if that library is mostly first party titles).

I don't see why you're trying to spin it any other way than what it most likely is. We can play nice with these results and pretend they don't represent anything. But to me they indeed do. They tell us what is on the mind of the consumer when they buy one of these consoles, and to me this resolution BS is what's soaked into people's heads more than anything else.

As for buying brand for brand's sake, to me that's fine. I don't mind someone buying a brand because they trust that brand. But that trust cannot be unfounded. To me it's a miracle that Microsoft has earned such a level of trust from their users in last gen that even after the whole 'Always On' debacle people still buy their console for the brand alone.

Although I suppose it goes both ways, with all the bull that Sony pulled last gen people are still ready to flock to them despite their repeatedly asinine business practices and generally trollish marketing this gen without taking any real risks with their system like Microsoft. It may have won them the market currently, but I have a feeling it won't last much longer. Once people start forgetting this whole resolution nonsense and it's a horse beaten well past its time we'll be left with the real meat of this discussion.

Resolution debates are a fad that will disappear, and Sony (or the fanboys at least) are going to have to figure out something new to peddle soon.

Not taking risks? They carried on funneling money into the PS+ rental scheme some MS fans were quick to constantly critique as not free games, and now look where we are...

They hedged a massively risky business on the type of RAM they choose, super fast, but costly and luckily 8GB was cheap enough just prior to launch.

They announced the PS4 much earlier than MS to an event in February some MS fans especially said had failed them the whole generation because they didn't show off how the console looked.

They have shown off VR technology well before MS have a comparative effort. Same goes for PSNow, beating MS to using streaming in a useful way for gaming.

Care to tell me the massive amount of risks MS have taken? The DRM was sure a massive risk, one which failed tremendously before it even launched.

Resolution being a fad is the same chat people were peddling about DVDs vs Blu Ray. If someone can buy something for a similar price yet one of the options offers an advantage, even if it is cosmetic, enough people will care to not choose upon brand loyalty but superiority. Hence why you have gamers who's multiplatform choice is based upon tech specs and not the colour of a logo.

[Emn1ty]

Not taking risks? They carried on funneling money into the PS+ rental scheme some MS fans were quick to constantly critique as not free games, and now look where we are...

They hedged a massively risky business on the type of RAM they choose, super fast, but costly and luckily 8GB was cheap enough just prior to launch.

They announced the PS4 much earlier than MS to an event in February some MS fans especially said had failed them the whole generation because they didn't show off how the console looked.

They have shown off VR technology well before MS have a comparative effort. Same goes for PSNow, beating MS to using streaming in a useful way for gaming.

Care to tell me the massive amount of risks MS have taken? The DRM was sure a massive risk, one which failed tremendously before it even launched.

Resolution being a fad is the same chat people were peddling about DVDs vs Blu Ray. If someone can buy something for a similar price yet one of the options offers an advantage, even if it is cosmetic, enough people will care to not choose upon brand loyalty but superiority. Hence why you have gamers who's multiplatform choice is based upon tech specs and not the colour of a logo.

 

I don't consider choice of RAM to be an industry risk on the same level as things like the list of features given in the X1 (that have since been removed due to the removal of the Always Online stuff). Or the idea of X1 being integrated with Windows 10. Or allowing you to use your console as a cable-box, HDMI input, Kinect (not a success, but a real risk). Microsoft tried far more to push things forward than Sony did. If you want to consider choosing some RAM and game streaming to be 'risks', then I suppose I'll give that to you.

 

Announcing earlier with little to nothing being really announced wasn't a big risk, either. 

 

And the resolution discussion is nothing like the Blu-Ray vs. HDDVD discussion. Those were about capacity and cost, not resolution.

 

The reality is the idea of 'superiority' is a something people have in their heads. It's not a quantifiable difference (and the difference has slowly been shrinking on the consoles). It will become a non-issue. Specs on paper and in-application are different things entirely.