In an analyst Q&A session during E3, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America CEO said that Adult gamers play on their Wii’s much more frequently than they play Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games.
Fils-Aime produced a survey from the independent market research firm Ipsos that asked players over 18 years old how often they played their home console for more than an hour or two per week.
According to the survey, fifty-one percent of respondents said they played on the Wii more than an hour or two per week while the same survey found that only 26 percent of Xbox 360 players fit in the same amount of gaming, and only 22 percent of PlayStation 3 owners enjoyed more than an hour or two per week.
“The share of play on Wii…is higher than its share of ownership,” Fils-Aime said, referring to the Wii’s 47 percent market share. ” The PlayStation 3 enjoyed slightly higher share of play than its share of ownership as well, at 22 percent play versus 20 percent market share. The Xbox 360, conversely, had only 26 percent share of play with a 32 percent market share.
Fils-Aime also suggested that the notion the Wii’s momentum is reversing is false. The same survey found that a greater percentage of those surveyed planned to buy a Wii than planned to buy either an Xbox 360, PS3, or and iPhone/iPod Touch.
“Not only is the purchase intent effectively that of the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined, but this shows that as many people plan on buying a Wii…as the 360…iPhone…iPod and iPod Touch put together.”
The survey was completed, according to Fils-Aime, before Nintendo announced that Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort would be bundled with new Wii hardware, which indicates it was also taken before their resounding E3 2010 success.
As a result, Nintendo should expect an uptick in Wii sales as previously unconvinced “core” gamers will probably be driven to finally purchase the console given the the recent release of Super Mario Galaxy 2, and announcements of new Kirby and Donkey Kong games, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Nintendo should have a banner year again this year, and Fils-Aimes excitement is justified. Nintendo stole E3 from Sony and Microsoft, and frankly, though the statistics are impressive, the lineup of games on the horizon is even more exciting.
