Survey- 60% of PS2 owners loyal to Sony
A survey by ABI Research has revealed that those interested in next-gen consoles are generally current-gen gamers. Of 1725 consumers polled, 18% said they were looking to buy a new game console, compared to 28% of active gamers. This boils down to 42% of PS2 owners, 55% of Xbox owners and 54% of GCN owners looking to get a new console.
"Not surprisingly, the interest in the new generation of consoles grows significantly among the already converted," says research director Michael Wolf. "While we think that the market of console owners will likely expand beyond its current bases, we believe that the market for the next 1 to 2 years will be driven by current console owners upgrading to the new generation."
While fewer PS2 owners indicated interest in acquiring a next-gen console, loyalty to Sony products was measuredly higher than the competition. 60% of PS2 owners that are looking for a new console are likely to get a PS3. This is greater than the 45% of Xbox owners looking to buy an Xbox 360 and 46% of GCN owners looking to buy a Wii.
"We believe that Sony's much larger installed base combined with higher loyalty among current generation owners could translate into significant gains for them if they can, in fact, convert these prospective owners," said Wolf. "Microsoft and Nintendo, while still seeing strong overall loyalty, do not enjoy the same intensity."
