Streaming video on game consoles is up over last year, according to Nielsen. An October survey reveals that streaming and video-on-demand represent a larger share of usage on Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii compared to last year.

Nielsen’s Top 20 Games to Watch reveals the most anticipated games of the 2011 holiday season, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 the most coveted among active U.S. gamers.

According to Nielsen surveys and buzz data, consumers are eagerly anticipating Nintendo’s announcement of a new video game console.

Today’s video game consoles offer many entertainment options beyond gaming, including Netflix, ESPN3, Pandora, Last.FM and YouTube on some or all platforms. As part of understanding the potential audience for services like these across the entire family, it is important to think about the household location of gaming platforms.

As U.S. consumers eye a selection of video game consoles this holiday season, their choices offer an increasing array of entertainment features in addition to traditional offline gaming.

Half of all U.S. households own a video game console or handheld system—and despite the stereotypes about teenage males, gamers are not monolithic. While gamers spend most on new games, game rentals provide an extra conduit to spark sales.

Nielsen video game data released today shows that Video Gamers are playing more this summer than last. Total video game console usage minutes in June 2009 went up 21% from the the previous June. The average console gamer played 768 minutes on consoles during this year’s June reporting month.

How have gamers responded to the recession? While much of the conversation has focused on fluctuations in new game sales, a new study “The Value Gamer: Play and Purchase Behavior in a Recession” by the Nielsen Company shows there is much more to the story. Over the past several months, the number of hours that gamers claim to be playing is at an all time high, part of a rising trend in gameplay that began in 2007. Additionally, gamers have increased their purchase of used games to record-breaking totals since …

The three major gaming corporations went head-to-head for the attention of consumers last week by making major announcements at E3, one of the largest gaming conferences in the world. Consumers online have taken notice – during last week’s conference, buzz is up 30% from the comparable time period for E3 2008. After press conferences by Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, no clear winner emerges in online buzz, with Microsoft earning the most brand discussion, but buzz for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 is nearly equal. Additionally, the game title receiving the …

The choice of which gaming system to buy can be difficult: Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 all have their pros and cons.  But according to recent metered usage data from Nielsen, each console tends to appeal to different demographic groups.
“All three of the consoles have their fans, and sales of consoles and games have been some of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak retail environment,” said Bradley Raczka, Marketing Manager for Nielsen Games.  “It will be interesting to watch the continued migration to the current generation consoles in 2009, and see how releases …