Console Wars: The Clone Wars

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Asher

The "% of console time" numbers in the last category are switched, apparently. 360's is PS3 number and vice versa. No one knows what that category really means though...the only useful column is the last.

So the Wii is solidly ahead of the PS3 on that metric in BOTH age groups? Interesting.

[DrSpike]

I would presume that's driven by numbers of Wii since it is behind on the other measures.

[Nikolai]

I hope Nintendo makes it possible to use some kind of extra storage, through the SD cards of whatever, soon. I already use much of the storage on my VC games, and with WiiWare being here, I face the possibility of running out of space.

[flash9286]

Lame . I can't download the ninja gaiden demo because I'm not a gold member. I know they only do this for a certain period of time, anybody know how long it is?

[Asher]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


So the Wii is solidly ahead of the PS3 on that metric in BOTH age groups? Interesting.

No one really knows what the metric means. The fact that Nielsen has screwed it up themselves when reporting and issued a correction on it shows even they don't really know.

As I said in that very post, the last column is the only really relevant one.

[flash9286]

Originally posted by Asher


No one really knows what the metric means. The fact that Nielsen has screwed it up themselves when reporting and issued a correction on it shows even they don't really know.

As I said in that very post, the last column is the only really relevant one.

I think that is calculated by multiplying avg session per day*avg session length*avg usage days per month. Take that number and multiply it # of wiis or 360s or ps3. That would be total console minutes for a single console to get the percentage of total minutes for the whole age group just add up all three and divide it into the first number.

[Asher]

If you use that formula though, it doesn't add up to the numbers they have.

[flash9286]

Originally posted by Asher
If you use that formula though, it doesn't add up to the numbers they have.

Where are you getting the console numbers for the specific age groups?

[Asher]

Those aren't available the last I checked. Misread your comment.

Since those numbers aren't available and certainly aren't published by Nielsen I don't see how that can be the methodology.

[flash9286]

Originally posted by Asher
Those aren't available the last I checked. Misread your comment.

Since those numbers aren't available and certainly aren't published by Nielsen I don't see how that can be the methodology.

I can't check to see if that is the right methodology(bc like you said Nielsen didn't publish the numbers) but commonsense tells me that is the methodology.

[snoopy369]

I would suggest they got the number by doing the following questionnaire:

QS1 "Hi, what console do you own (CHECK ALL):"
QA1 "On console [CONSOLE], how many days do you play per month?"
QA2 "On console [CONSOLE], how many minutes do you play each day?"
QA3 "On console [CONSOLE], how many different sessions do you play in one day? A session is defined by a period of time gaming followed by at least half an hour of not gaming."
QA4 "On console [CONSOLE], how many minutes do you play in one session, on average?"

To get the % of console minutes, add number from QA2 across all respondents (weighted by whatever demos you want to weight by) for each console, then calculate a percentage

You COULD use the metric you present, but it is going to be inherently inaccurate. For example, do you really think the AVERAGE person plays X-360 4 hours a day, 28 days a month? No. That's absurd, as LOTM points out. I consider myself much more of a gamer than average, and probably only play a bit over that myself (total gaming time regardless of platform). Considering all of the folks who are casual gamers, this number is clearly absurd.

In general in market research, you learn not to multiply factors too much; each question introduces some error (ie, people don't accurately respond, either because they are unable to comprehend the question properly, they are unable to remember and/or estimate properly, or they are answering incorrectly due to some factor (pride, malicious intent, boredom). Each question has a degree of this, and combining several questions together to get another statistic is a bad, bad idea, when it can be avoided. If you ask the above questionnaire, I guarantee you the number arrived from the question itself is much lower - and much more accurate - than multiplying the other three numbers together.

You also wouldn't use the number of consoles owned; not only is that yet another inaccurate stat (though more accurate than most), but it is simply unnecessary. As long as you have the respondent level data for this survey, you just add the numbers up independently and summarize them; number of consoles owned is effectively included by this, but isn't actually used.

[flash9286]

You COULD use the metric you present, but it is going to be inherently inaccurate. For example, do you really think the AVERAGE person plays X-360 4 hours a day, 28 days a month? No. That's absurd, as LOTM points out. I consider myself much more of a gamer than average, and probably only play a bit over that myself (total gaming time regardless of platform). Considering all of the folks who are casual gamers, this number is clearly absurd.

It depends on what they count as console usage, ie do they count watching dvds on the 360 or blu ray on the ps3 or watching dl tv shows on both.


All the other stuff in your post I agree with. You probably have the right methodology. I was just trying to show what % of console usage meant.

[flash9286]

Upcoming RPGs Announced at RPG Premiere 2008

Upcoming RPGs Announced at RPG Premiere 2008

Microsoft, Square Enix, Namco Bandai announced details for several upcoming titles, at the Xbox 360 RPG Premiere 2008 in Shibuya, Tokyo. Find all the details in a media alert just published this morning.

SQUARE ENIX

* INFINITE UNDISCOVERY will be launched in the United States on September 2, 2008, in Europe on September 5, 2008, and in Japan and Asia on September 11, 2008.
* STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE will be coming in 2009.
* THE LAST REMNANT will be launched worldwide this winter, with the Xbox 360 version hitting the shelves before other platforms.

Microsoft

* Fable 2 is coming to Japan by the end of 2008.
* Mass Effect will also be coming to Japan.

NAMCO BANDAI Games

* Tales of Vesperia will be released exclusively on Xbox 360 in Japan on August 7, 2008, in the United States August 2008, in Europe in 2009, and in Asia in Summer 2008.
* The free trial game demo of this title will be distributed through Xbox LIVE Marketplace by the end of June, 2008.
* Xbox 360 Tales of Vesperia Premium Pack will go on sale on August 7 only in Japan.

http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2008/06/10/559564.aspx

Probably won't help the 360s lackluster sales in Japan, but the more jrpgs the better

[DrSpike]

And people say the 360 only has one genre.

[Kuciwalker]

Probably won't help the 360s lackluster sales in Japan, but the more jrpgs the better

Why? As far as I've seen, the jRPGs on the 360 are universally terrible.