IGN readers show love for DS, 3DS in latest survey

21/05/12 – Xbox 360 has been named the UK’s most popular games console, in a survey of more than 6500 gamers, readers of IGN.com – the UK’s largest video games and entertainment website.

The Great Gamer Survey marks the first time in three years that IGN has polled its readers on their gaming habits.

When asked ‘Which console they owned and played all the time?’ Microsoft’s console recorded 49% of the vote, followed in second place by Sony’s PlayStation 3 with 38%.
For gaming on the move, Nintendo’s DS and 3DS handhelds were named the UK’s favourite portable devices scooping 35% of the vote, ahead of smartphone with 24%.

The survey also found that gamers are an increasingly social bunch, as 68% said they preferred to play with friends in person, with just 20% stating they would prefer to play online.

With annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) taking place in Los Angeles early next month, gamers are joining the industry in looking forward to the next generation of games consoles, with the latest cycle set to begin later this year, with the rumoured launch of Nintendo’s Wii successor, the Wii-U. Currently, gamers are most excited by a new Xbox, currently in development under the codename Durango – with 45% revealing they were ‘very interested’ in buying the machine. Of those surveyed, 55% believed a major graphics upgrade would be the ‘most interesting’ feature in a new Xbox machine.

As the 2012 games release season begins to kick into life, an overwhelming 30% of gamers have revealed they wanted to hear more about Rockstar Games eagerly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V at this year’s E3, some way in front of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III, with 12% of the vote in second place, and the Xbox 360 exclusive Halo 4 in fourth place with 11%.