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.

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.

With Black Friday rapidly approaching, parents may want to get up early Friday morning to find deals, as a recent survey shows their kids are eyeing some wallet-stretching electronics this holiday season.

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.

Anticipation surrounds this year’s E3, one of the largest video game expos, which kicks off this week in Los Angeles. Not only have Sony and Microsoft hinted at major hardware-related announcements, but also details related to upcoming software releases are expected to emerge. Video game enthusiasts started heavily discussing their expectations for E3 several months ago online. This traditionally vocal group of consumers is especially engaged in this year’s E3 – buzz for the month prior to the 2009 expo is up 31% over the comparable time period for E3 …

Microsoft’s Xbox is the most buzzed about game console so far this holiday season, Nielsen Online reported Thursday.
The Xbox 360 garnered the largest share of online buzz between November 1 and December 9, with 41.6% of blog messages mentioning Xbox, Wii or Playstation.
In comparison, Nintendo’s Wii was mentioned in 29.8% of game console blog messages, while Sony’s Playstation ranked third with mentions in 28.6% of gaming-related blog posts.