A consumer research firm named Experian has recently conducted a study revealing that the PlayStation 3 attracts mostly an older audience than the other consoles available at the moment. Apparently, the research suggests that the Sony produced gaming console is the most attractive to those that are over 44 years of age.

According to the survey, the demographic segment aged 18-24 tends to be more attracted by the Nintendo Wii than by the PS3 or the Xbox 360. As the age of those surveyed went up, the preference for the Wii went down. Those between 35 and 44 years of age ranked the Microsoft Xbox 360 as being the most attractive console, while the PlayStation 3 interested those over 44.

It's not clear whether all those polled by Experian were gamers or evaluated all the qualities and drawbacks of each of the consoles before having made their minds up. Each of the most important consoles now available is trying to position itself as being on the cutting edge of technological innovation and the fact that young people prefer another might help that positioning.

The Nintendo Wii is clearly being marketed as a console for the whole family, one that can be used at parties and that impresses through ease of control and not through graphics. The Xbox 360, meanwhile, is seen as being the console of choice for young gamers and for those that want to socialize by using the Xbox Live services. The PlayStation 3 initially presented itself as being a "multimedia center" focused around the Blu-ray drive and is now shifting its position to appeal more to "hardcore" gamers.

It is currently not clear whether age is a dominating factor in the choice of a console even if different ages have different preferences, as they might have more to do with gaming habits and perception rather than with age itself.