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Study Reveals Favorite Consoles of Millenials and Gen Z
As it currently stands, PlayStation is easily the most dominant brand in console gaming. Not only are the PlayStation 4's sale numbers astronomically high, but it currently boasts some of the biggest exclusives in the entire world, with the likes of God of War, Death Stranding, and Marvel's Spiderman all setting exceptional sale records and bringing in strong critical receptions. However, it appears that, while PlayStation might be succeeding sales-wise, it's not the most prevalent console for a certain demographic of players.
Documented in a recent US Top Brand Intimacy survey from MBLM, it appears that both Millenials and Generation Z have a different consensus over which of the top three consoles are their personal favorite. While Millenial participants opted for the PlayStation, Generation Z participants surprisingly handed the honor to Xbox, which potentially says a lot about how impactful a particular console brand can be during a player's childhood.
For those who need a quick reminder, Millenials are the generation of children born between 1981 and 1996. Seen as the PlayStation 1 first launched in 1996 and the PlayStation 2 debuted in 2000, it makes sense that most Millenials would've grown up with a Sony-branded console in their home rather than an Xbox. On the other hand, Generation Z, who were born between 1997 and 2010, would've been more likely to get their start with gaming when the Xbox 360 debuted in 2005, especially as it was largely more popular than the PlayStation 3 when the two launched due to Sony's hefty asking price.
The statistic is no doubt an interesting one and definitely bodes well for both major consoles as they push forward into the next generation. Evidently, they both still have large fanbases, with Sony clearly finding favor with old school gamers and Microsoft managing to capture the hearts of younger players. With systems like the highly-praised Xbox Game Pass in place, it's seemingly quite clear why Microsoft has a younger audience, with the console making it easier than ever to play massive games on a budget.
Sony, on the other hand, has shown time and time again that one of its major focuses is delivering riskier games as well as innovating on old franchises. Seeing the likes of Shenmue come to the console years after its last entry or remastering Crash Bandicoot for a new generation shows that they also cater to long-term video game fans, likely indicating why they're easily the Millenials' favorite. Regardless, a little competition is no doubt healthy, and obviously Microsoft and Sony are individually gaining traction where it counts.
