New survey shows game consoles lead in accessing non-gaming Internet content

By John Callaham
published

If you own a game console like the Xbox One, the chances are good that you are using it for more than just playing games. According to a new study conducted by Parks Associates, 44 percent of the 10,000 US homes that were surveyed that have at least one connected CE device consider their game console their primary device to access non-gaming Internet content, such as streaming video services like Netflix.

According to Parks Associates:

"Two-thirds of U.S. broadband households currently have at least one connected CE device. Smart TVs trail gaming consoles as the second most commonly used connected CE device. Twelve percent of U.S. broadband households with an Internet-connected CE use a streaming media player most frequently, and only 9% use a connected Blu-ray player most frequently ..."

game console

Among game console owners, about three out of four of them use it to access non-gaming content online at least once a week, and almost 40 percent access such content for more than 10 hours per week.

Source: Parks Associates via Ars Technica

John Callaham
John Callaham
51 Comments
  • Lol.....this is not even a news!!!
  • Haha yeh not really...it has a little something to do with Xbox consoles though
  • No, it is not news, but try telling that to all the bitches who complained for over a year, that the Xbox One was not a game console, because it focused on entertainment as much as it focused on games.
  • Yeah but it kind of is...it's means Microsoft's strategy to create something more than just a 'gaming' console is paying off! ;)
  • But how did they monitor those 10.000 households?
  • Xbox one domination!
  • It just because not all blue ray player have browsing feature and if they did not all people set up the network for it. Different case on console, people may set up it's network connection for gaming purpose but at the end they stream something.
    And people may not really like smart tv since there is no point having it when have tablet or smartphone
  • There's no reason to own a smart TV if you own a console because it does all of that already. Additionally, my wiiu sucks so the fact that I have a smart TV helps. WPC App via Nexus 5.
  • If you know what I mean ;)
  • Then why didn't they buy a freakin pc?!
  • Console is easier to use?
  • Doubful. Notice that this is for consumer electronic devices though. I guarantee you that PCs, tablets and phones are WAAAAY out ahead of the consoles. Any one of those categories would be larger than the console slice of the pie.
  • This survey is about home entertainment, eg devices connected to TVs. As opposed to watching on computers, phones or tablets.
  • but but my computer is connected to my tv, or i have a 55" monitor? and i can do the same with my phone/tablet
  • Sure, and so is mine. But we are the exception. Most people don't do this, and opt for a console or Smart TV instead.
  • It's not about what you CAN do, it's about what people DO. Most people see the PC as separate from the TV or even the living room. The console is made to pair with a TV out of the box. WPC App via Nexus 5.
  • Because the console is connected to a tv, where people are watching Netflix, Hulu, etc. My consoles are mostly used to watch Netflix.
  • Cheaper, easier to use, and cheaper.
  • No viruses from porn sites on the Xbox one. Fact.
  • People don't want to connect to a TV and deal with a computer and keyboards. This is why media center PCs failed. These are devices mostly for enthusiasts. A gaming console is locked down and has no need for antivirus and maintenance. It's not as powerful, but it is convenient. Plus, it is already connected to your TV to play games.
  • Hey the article didn't end with a question?
  • LMFAO Do you use your game console to access non-gaming internet content? Sound off in the comments below.
  • This.
  • That preferred access is limited by Comcast if you're on Roku or Xbox One. Comcast is unprejudiced against iOS devices though.
  • You can't run Comcast DVR through the Xbox One TV app?
  • O no, of course you could, if you like waiting for the three second delay between each press of the IR remote and the X1 companion box responding. But this article was about streaming, not local playback. BTW, Rokus can play Angry Birds & You Don't Know Jack. Wouldn't that put them in the category 'game consoles'?
  • Haha I guess so. I heard they could. It kinda sucks how I dont have a DVR in my room so I can't watch TV through it :(. Wish there was a wireless alternative. I know Chrome cast works on it but who the hell watches TV or movies via chromecast
  • Chromecast could have been great were it not for a lack of remote. The looking down and up for controlling what's on screen is jarringly unnecessary. Tip for you: NeweggFlash has a sale on $10 RCA internet streamers right now.
  • Yeh that's the thing. Oh ok cool, ill check that out, thank you my friend! :)
  • And this is why MS was on the right tracks from the start.
  • Yeah because no other console will let you do this...
  • not that good, as microsoft wanted it to be
  • That wasn't the point, the point was that a console that also focused on media obviously wasn't a bad idea when real life usage is taken into account rather than the loud internet majority screaming how their console is for absolutely nothing else than games
  • minority*
  • I really thought I would be rockin Destiny this weekend but ended up vegging out to Archer, Bob's Burgers and @midnight =[
  • That voice actor is the shit.
  • Love Archer! It's the only show I religiously watch.
  • That question is terrible. It doesn't ask which one is used the most to access the Internet, it only asks which of the Internet-connected devices is used the most. Hopefully people misunderstood it correctly, I guess. Or maybe that wasn't the actual question asked? EDIT: reading the original article as well as the ARS Technica article, it's hard to make much of this at all. And $5k for the full report is a little excessive. :)
  • Duh, this is why MS made the Xbox One the way they did. I use my Xbox One for gaming maybe 20-30% of the time. The rest is watching Blu Rays, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Internet Explorer, etc.
  • I'm actually enjoying watching YouTube on my Xbox one
  • I use My Xbox as a DVD player and you tube player or to stream content from my Lumia phone occasionally to play games.
  • Wow, I am really surprised---I had no idea so many more people use their gaming consoles for movies and streaming video than the likes of Roku, Apple TV, and Chromecast or even DVD players! But maybe I shouldn't be surprised. After all, I use an xBox 360 strictly for multi-media and don't own a single video game!
  • And yet the XBOX ONE was panned for being to much of an entertainment device and not enough of a gaming console. The truth when it comes to consoles is that gaming is what we like to pretend we pay $$$$ for, while in fact what we're really buying is a fancy Hulu, Netflix and Youtube viewer. And to think the PS4 isn't so great at the whole entertainment thing, yet selling like hotcakes with no real games worth buying. People really are mindless drones.
  • ^this. With emphasis on it being panned for focusing on the very thing most people want to use it for.
  • Ps4 lead console for watching porn. Just saying.
    Btw, u wont see me buy a bluray player, I just buy another Xbox One just as a bluray player.
  • I agree w ChristianKings comment
  • Since we're on topic... Guess what I've been doing for the past two hours and still doing now? That's right... Listening to Xbox music on my Xbox One!
  • I always thought MS is doing what the iPod have done BUT offcourse the iPod is the worst music player ever IF you look at it as only a music player without considering using apps there. Better pure music players are FiiO X3, X5. Thos HiFiMans etc Its like vs the PS4 it has better RAM(GDDR5) but I think it has less features/apps e.g. CD Players(?) So I think in the end it'll sell more provided the Media Bias/Hate goes away. OT: Have anyone read Reuters report that Ballmer will endorse MS hardware on the Clippers?
    Yes, like that media bias.
  • My Xbox360 sees more use streaming (maybe 10-20hrs a week gaming and probably 40hrs plus a week streaming as other people in the house use it as well but only for streaming). It's just so easy with all the services available that why would we bother hooking up a PC or streaming from a tablet when you can just do it direct on the Xbox.
  • I have an Xbox 360 and watch Netflix and the WWE Network with it. I'll occasionally use my iPod touch for the latter too, but it's usually through the Xbox.
  • I never understood this metrics. Of course people will spend more time playing movies or series, and that is because a movie last 2 hours or people normally see 2 or 3 episodes of the same series in a row. You normally wont play more than 2 hours. For me that metric doesn't make sense