Nielsen: The Nintendo Wii Still Dominates the Living Room

Research company Nielsen has announced that the Nintendo-made Wii console is the one that a typical American family is most likely to have in the living room, connected to the main television set, used for both entertainment and for gaming.

The new report from Nielsen says that 59 percent of all Wii consoles are installed in the living room, with the company saying that this is a “reflection of the Nintendo console's motion-controlled, social gaming style.”

52% of Xbox 360 consoles from Microsoft reside in the living room and just 45 percent of PlayStation 3 are reported to be in the same space, which is a surprise considering that both of the platforms offer access to more multimedia features than the Wii.

The Xbox 360 is the console that is most likely to be found in a bedroom, suggesting that gaming on it is more of a solitary experience.

Overall, one in five gaming systems is located in a child's bedroom, suggesting that parents are keeping the personal space and the gaming space separate when possible.

7 percent of gamers are choosing to keep their console and their gaming in the basement of their home.

The Nielsen report says, “The master bedroom is home to another 10 percent of 7th Gen systems, with a number of other household locations accounting for the balance of platforms.”

The research company believes that excellent sales of the Kinect motion tracking system from Microsoft and good sales of the PlayStation Move will lead to less Wiis installed in the living room in the coming year.

All home console developers are trying to make their devices appeal to as large a possible customer base as possible, with Microsoft and Sony playing catch up with the Nintendo Wii in terms of overall sales during this console generation.