Games consoles the main connected device in 28% of US homes

Sony’s PS4 game console

Some 28% of US broadband households use an internet-connected games console as their primary connected consumer electronics (CE) device, according to Parks Associates. 

The research claims that among these primary console users, roughly 75% use the gaming device to access non-gaming content online at least weekly, and nearly 40% do so for more than 10 hours per week.

“Gaming consoles are the most frequently used connected CE device because of their high adoption rates – of the broadband households that have only one connected CE device, nearly 60% have a game console,” said Barbara Kraus, director of research, Parks Associates.

“As the non-gaming capabilities of consoles have expanded, so too has the potential for consoles to become an entertainment platform for online content such as video, music, and apps.”

In total, Parks said that 62% of all US broadband households have a games console, while 46% of broadband homes have one that is also connected to the web. Both Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox consoles are in 35% of US broadband households, while Sony’s PlayStation is in 27% of households.

Smart TVs trail games consoles as the second most commonly used connected CE device in the US, said Parks, with 12% of US broadband households using a streaming media player as their most-used connected device.

“Two-thirds of US broadband households currently have at least one connected CE device,” said Parks Associates.