54 percent of the current consumer base owns a video game console or handheld system, says new Nielsen data -- as household penetration of current-gen consoles reaches 41 percent.
The company's 2010 Media Fact Sheet reveals that 73 percent of U.S. households own "a device they specifically use for gaming," encompassing dedicated PCs. 23 percent of the audience owns a portable gaming system only.
Nielsen's research also reveals usage statistics for the top three systems, finding that owners of Xbox 360s account for the biggest share of total usage minutes at 23.1 percent. Aside from that, PlayStation 2 is still one of the most-used consoles at 20.4 percent, even ahead of the Wii at 19 percent.
45 percent of "active" gamers -- that is, those who play at least an hour a week -- are female, says Nielsen. And although Nintendo has earned a great deal of acclaim for broadening gamer demographics with the Wii, it's actually the PSP that has the highest percentage of female users at 52 percent. 49 percent of Wii users are female.
