...and the most popular video game console today is: PlayStation 2!

Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:30PM EDT

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Ratings guru Nielsen, which has a fledgling gaming popularity/ratings service now, has published its final statistics for April 2009. The shocking conclusion: The most popular game console -- based on minutes spent playing during the course of the month -- is none of the current consoles but rather Sony's venerable PlayStation 2. That's a real testament to the phenomenal staying power of the little black system, with 21.6 percent of all gaming minutes during the month spent playing it.

The three current-generation consoles fall behind the PS2: Xbox 360 (21.1% of all minutes), Wii (17.6%), and PS3 (10.5%) following lock-step. The original Xbox still musters a 6.7 percent share of audience minutes and Nintendo's GameCube 2.6 nabs percent.  In the wake of the news that Xbox 360 games are selling better than those for other consoles, it's not surprising that more minutes are being spent with the 360 than the Wii, but as Nielsen notes, things could change as Nintendo ushers out more original titles for the console later this year.

But seriously: The PS2, still? In 2009? Really? The console is now a whopping nine years old, an age which would make it long since dead and buried in the rapid-fire tech world... and yet it remains the most popular console on the market. Nielsen doesn't say, but I wonder what games people are playing on their PS2s... Grand Theft Auto III?

In related news, Nielsen also notes that in the world of PC gaming, World of Warcraft continues its reign as -- by far -- the most popular PC game on earth. Nearly 44 percent of all PC gaming minutes are spent playing this single title alone, with the average player pouring over 10 hours a week into the online world. A few other titles have even more dedicated players -- Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar gets almost 15 hours a week out of its players -- but they have far, far fewer users.

Now if only they made World of Warcraft for the PlayStation 2...

Comments on ...and the most popular video game console today is: PlayStation 2!

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  • 1 Posted by mattharris92 on Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    I had a PS2 but I sold it, I still kind of regret it. I have the PS3 but it doesn't play PS2 games. I really loved the PS2 and the games I kind of understand I mean it is the cheapest console still on the market for around $99 bucks and the game library is still really good, it gets a lot of games available on PS3. I never minded the graphics they are good sometimes....most of the time equal to or better then the wii and it has a DVD/CD player. Lets face it the Playstation 2 is amazing and makes up for the mistakes of the PS3 and PSP.

  • 2 Posted by dankishi20 on Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Just goes to show how much of a masterpiece that system was.

  • 3 Posted by garfieldfan09@sbcglobal.net on Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:34AM EDT Report Abuse

    It's a great system plus they some new games are still made for ps2, that's why it's lasting so long. If new movies, for instance, never stopped coming out on VCR people would probably still be using them

  • 4 Posted by gtodaddy73 on Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:20AM EDT Report Abuse

    Or it could just be that the PS2 systems are being used by all the pre-teen/teenage kids who's parents just gave them the old system when they bought a 360/PS3/Wii. They do seem to have more time on their hands to play video games afterall so of course they will have more gaming minutes on that system. I am farily certain that the 3 newer consoles probably outsell the PS2 now though.

  • 5 Posted by jankovicf on Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:46AM EDT Report Abuse

    @scottiecordes when you see spam just click on report abuse and report it

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