PS2 was most-played console of 2008

By Ellie Gibson Published 5 January, 2009

So much for the whole next-gen thing.

US gamers spent more time playing PS2 last year than any other home console, according to research firm Nielsen.

As reported by Gamasutra, the firm monitors a selection of households, then does some extrapamolation tricks to work out stats for the whole country.

Apparently PS2 users accounted for 31.7 per cent of time spent playing games. Xbox 360 was up next with 17.2 per cent, followed by the Wii at 13.4 per cent.

So where does the PS3 come in? Well, Nielsen reckons more people spent time with the original Xbox (9.7 per cent) than with Sony's latest machine (7.3 per cent). At least it beat the GameCube though (4.6 per cent). The research didn't take account of time spent with the DS or PSP.

Nielsen also studied the most-played PC games in the US. World of Warcraft tops the list, with an average playtime of more than 11 hours per week. Call of Duty 4 followed with over six-and-a-half hours, while Halo: Combat Evolved was in third place (nearly five hours per week).

The full report is available via Nielsen's website, if you're that bothered.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (35) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MDL199 #1 3 years ago

    Not that surprising the PS2 still has the best catalogue of games of any console although the 360 is catching up fast!

  • systems #2 3 years ago

    If only Sony had not removed BC. I'd use my PS3 a lot more as I have a stack of PS2 games to get through.

  • FooAtari #3 3 years ago

    This gen hasn't impressed me at all. As far as the 360 and PS3 are concerned there is pretty much nothing that couldn't have been done on the Xbox/PS2 albeit with less shiny graphics.

  • BartonFink #4 3 years ago

    Nielsen lol

    Anybody got a bucket of salt?

    Still though not hard to believe that PS2 is the most played console considering it's huge install base. Hell I still play mine even though I have a PS3 (damned Sony removing BC).
    Edited by 1 at 05/01/09 @ 10:08

  • mingster #5 3 years ago

    persona 4 got me playing ps2 all over xmas

  • Retroid #6 3 years ago

    If only some handsome devil hadn't posted this on the forum two days ago ^_________________________^

  • Widge #7 3 years ago

    I've got a small stack of PS2 games left, good ones, but every time I stick them in my PS3 and kick one of them off, I end up canning it in favour of something newer. I didn't buy this machine to stick PS2 games into, its nice that I've got the functionality but it pretty much goes unused.

  • HiredMan #8 3 years ago

    Original Xbox played more than PS3? lol

  • Burkey123 #9 3 years ago

    Sony are so stupid for removing BC. I want to play final fantasy XII again :(

  • Steroyd #10 3 years ago

    Strokes his BC enabled PS3

    Persona 3 FES ensured I was playing PS2 games last year, and Persona 4 will do the same. :)

  • Eraser #11 3 years ago

    I read about this in the news paper and they were all like OMG WOWZERS PS2 POWERRRR! and I didn't understand why they'd be like that because if you look at how many PS2's were sold, it's no suprrise it's the most played console.

  • Widge #12 3 years ago

    Also the source of the stats is a bit suspect too

  • rhubarbandcustard #13 3 years ago

    I could never go back to last gen gaming.

    360 and PS3 both bristle with enough tech to satisfy any graphics whore.

    I would hope that the lesson Microsoft and Sony take from this survey is that both the 360 and PS3 should be their sole focus for many years yet. There have been plenty of internet rumors talking of the next Xbox comining as early as 2010. That is insane.

    I could quite happily game on these consoles until 2015.

    Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 look astounding.

  • Bulbatron #14 3 years ago

    I still use my PS2. If the PS3 still had proper backwards compatibility, I would own one - but it doesn't so I don't. I pretty happy with my Xbox 360. It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft to release the next console sooner rather than later. I may prefer the Xbox 360 to the PlayStation 3, but I reckon that Sony's latest console will be around for longer than Microsoft's.

  • Widge #15 3 years ago

    One thing that keeps me from going back is the lack of widescreen in some of my older favourite games. Sounds like a petty thing but its either a choice of black borders or fatscreen stretching and I don't like either. Plus things like Fallout 3 and other eternal timesinks don't bode well for old school gaming. Basically fingers crossed for a PSP2 one day that can play all the old PS2 catalogue.

    Think its time to put my leftover PS2 games on the old 'bay actually...

  • superdelphinus #16 3 years ago

    ....and is the same around the world or is this just some ever so slightly relevant news?

  • Rash' #17 3 years ago

    re next gen ruined last gen games.

    i agree next gen gaming has shown how well my ps2 collection has aged. however,i still pop in gradius v, capcom vs snk 2 and rez. the team ico games are also so unique that i know they'll continue to get love long before nostalgic value sets in.

    btw stop moaning about lack of of bc. if you really wanted it you would've paid for it like the rest of us.

  • butler` #18 3 years ago

    It's US specific, superdelphinus.

    Let's face it, only in America could the original XBOX be out performing the PS3. I know it's bad, but it's not that bad. :p

  • IneptPercy #19 3 years ago

    "This gen hasn't impressed me at all. As far as the 360 and PS3 are concerned there is pretty much nothing that couldn't have been done on the Xbox/PS2 albeit with less shiny graphics."

    I would partially have to disagree with that. I do agree in some cases it is the same old with better graphics but I good example of where it is more than that is Dead Rising on the 360, even with gimped graphics the previous gen consoels still couldn't render the sheer number of zombies (look at the Wii version)

    So I would say the processing power doing more than just better graphics.

    As for the PS2, I can see why, more of them about simple, mine still gets some time.

  • Farzlepot #20 3 years ago

    Given the gargantuan amount of PS2 consoles lingering around like a bad smell, it's not surprising that it's still played more than the newer generation consoles, which are like minnows in comparison. Heck, they're still making games for the damn thing, and will probably continue to do so by the time the PS4 is released! Considering that software is where the money is, that's a fantastic cash cow for Sony - the Wii might have beaten all of the current-generation consoles in the market, but the PS2 is still the king.

  • Les #21 3 years ago

    Spent most of my gaming time using the BC in my PS3. And looking at my games pile, a significant part of 2009's play hours will go to PS2 games as well. But I must admit that the console I've had most fun with is the Wii (everyone seems to have one nowadays and it provides excellent party entertainment).

    PS3 and 360 offer too little over PS2 and are rather unnecessary additions to the console family. And Wii only beats it in the party genre, hence the low percentage of time spent relative to installed base.

  • rhubarbandcustard #22 3 years ago

    "PS3 and 360 offer too little over PS2 and are rather unnecessary additions to the console family."

    Congratulations Les. You've just won the idiot of the day award.

  • cherryuk #23 3 years ago

    PS2 games look better on a CRT TV - even if my PS3 had BC emulation they look rubbish on my Samsung 32" LCD. I actually played a lot of Street Fighter / 2d fighting games on my PS2 over the hols.

    So don't throw away your big 'ol CRT TV's yet there is still life in the old PS2!

  • bad09 #24 3 years ago

    "PS3 and 360 offer too little over PS2 and are rather unnecessary additions to the console family."

    I loved PS2 but that is one of the silliest and funniest things I read on here since the MGS4 review! Cheers Les ;)

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #25 3 years ago

    Dead Rising on the 360, even with gimped graphics the previous gen consoels still couldn't render the sheer number of zombies

    Actually, State Of Emergency got reasonably close.

    But yes, this story does seem to show how fuckwitted it was to first cripple and then remove BC, particularly after describing it as "a core functionality" of the Playstation brand.

  • Les #26 3 years ago

    "I loved PS2 but that is one of the silliest and funniest things I read on here since the MGS4 review! Cheers Les ;)"

    Yeah, I knew that comment wouldn't make me popular on a forum where the average contributor can't wait to shell out a couple of hundred euros on the next next gen... ;) (PS3 and 360 are in my eyes still next gen as they haven't been able to replace the current gen)

    But seriously, PS3 and 360 simply don't offer anything gameplay wise that the PS2 didn't offer (or the xbox and gamecube for that matter). The only reason that warrants their existence is that most new games get to be released on them. But apart from the shiny pixels, those games could (and should, if publishers actually want to make money) be released on PS2. PS3 and 360 don't grow the industry, unlike PS2 and Wii did/do. In that sense as well, they're completely irrelevant and it's mind numbing to see what a ridiculous percentage of development resources are committed to platforms with a minor upside at best.

    The one thing that made the PS3 worth getting for me was its region-free-ness. And if only I didn't have such a big PS2 backlog I could really benefit from the strong euro. The latest games for 35 euros instead of 60-70 is quite appealing if you actually have the time to play them. Otherwise they just end up on the to-play-pile for the next 6-12 months and it's cheaper to get them on platinum in the end.

  • Feanor #27 3 years ago

    I spent 200+ hours in 2008 playing P3 and P3:FES alone.

  • bigbadbeasty #28 3 years ago

    Whether people like it or not, the current gen does not offer much more than just shiney graphics. There may be the exception, perhaps slightly smarter AI, or what have you. But on the whole you would be crazy to think this has been an amazing generation so far offering loads of new things, becasue it is not true.

  • wizbob #29 3 years ago

    I spent most of my time on the PS2 this year; so many amazing games, so cheap. The current generation of consoles offer more than just prettier graphics but I'm not terribly interested in Live or Home, Multiplayer or Leaderboards, Co-op or DLC.

  • bionutz #30 3 years ago

    cherryuk
    05-Jan-09 13:21:07 PS2 games look better on a CRT TV - even if my PS3 had BC emulation they look rubbish on my Samsung 32" LCD. I actually played a lot of Street Fighter / 2d fighting games on my PS2 over the hols.
    I think that depends on the LCD TV. I have seen most of them are not good for PS2. I happen to have a high-end LCD TV and PS2 Persona 3 looks great on the 47inches (pity no wide screen mode but still...).
    And yes, I played PS2 much more than Wii for instance - loads of games and cheap.

  • Tetsuo_Shima #31 3 years ago

    I agree with you, Les. I bought a used gamecube the other day for 15 quid and got a few quality games off my mate (Skies of Arcadia Legends, Tales of Symphonia, Baten Kaitos etc. etc.) and it's totally diverted my attention away from my X360 (well, that's a lie since I was busying myself with Dragon Quest 8 and Gran Turismo 4 on my PS2 before then anyway).

  • Rash' #32 3 years ago

    les, there is no way in hell LBP could have been done last gen. sorry, i hear you, but there games this gen that definitely couldn't be done last gen. L4D is another that springs to mind.

  • Rodney #33 3 years ago

    I dont know, maybe current gen stuff has not really delivered anything knew, but couldnt the same arguement be levelled against last gen and the gen before that? couldnt the PSone conceivable made a GTAIII with a smaller draw distance, lower frame rate, lower textures, maybe even just wire frames. possibley, but it wouldnt have been the same experience.

    360/PS3 just do everything better and once you become accustomed to that level of presentation it is difficult to go back.frame rates, draw distances and resolution do effect gameplay

    Having said that, the price for new 360 games in Australia is rediculous, so recently I have been playing a lot of xbox originals. Some still hold up really well, others do not.

    Just went through Halo2 again recently and it looked awesome.

    Rallisport Challenge and Crimson skies, although starting to look a little dated, are still tremendous fun to play.

  • Les #34 3 years ago

    "les, there is no way in hell LBP could have been done last gen."

    There's always the odd exception of course: LPB is hardly representative of the average game brought to PS3/360. As for L4D, haven't played it but it's basically a PC game ported to 360.

    As for this generation shift versus earlier ones: This time all of the extra powers that the new consoles bring has been used to increase the number of pixels. This is in part explainable by the arrival of HDTVs and in part by the totally wrong but prevailing idea that the best way to increase the ‘photorealism’ of video game graphics is by increasing the resolution. It might be the easiest one though. And of course behind that totally wrong idea lies another, even more wrong thought: The assumption that photorealism is somehow related to mass market adoption of video games.

  • zedzee #35 3 years ago

    "I still use my PS2. If the PS3 still had proper backwards compatibility, I would own one - but it doesn't so I don't. "

    Couldn't have said it better myself. Sony have turned out to be the turkeys of this gen for two simple reasons:

    1. No BC for the PS3, so people are gutted that they can't continue all their lovely PS2 games and de-clutter what's under their TVs.
    2. That DAMN price point. If Sony were not so stubborn and could afford to drop the price of the the PS3 a little more, then I think people (and developers) would've happily allowed them to win this round of the console wars as well.

    As it turns out, they've lost, because no amount of content or exclusives, such as LBP, can pull it back for them now...and these stat figures prove it.

    Over & Out.