More than 15% of PS3 owners have paid for a piece of digital content on their console.
According to analytics firm Kantar Worldpanel, 8 million users purchased either a downloadable game, piece of downloadable content, or an entertainment title – such as a TV show or movie – last year.
That number only represents consumers in the UK, but spending habits are expected to be about the same in the US. In that region, the company says that 17% of all PS3 owners paid for digital content.
Only 11% of Xbox 360 owners made a purchase decision through their Xbox 360.
“Although the digital market is growing, consumers are at present choosing to engage with both physical and digital content, rather than switching from one format to the other,” said Kantar manager Fiona Keenan.
There have been other reports to show that PS3 users are more likely to take their consoles online so this statistic shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
If the presentations at this month’s E3 were anything to go by, though, we would expect the Xbox 360 to overtake the PS3 in this market.
Microsoft is being incredibly bullish when it comes to entertainment content on the Xbox 360. It wants your Xbox to be everything – your cable box, your stereo, your pay-per-view set-top box, your Web browser, and your photo album.
All that being said, the Xbox 360 is starting to show its age. The hardware is fragmented and limitations like its inability to use high-capacity disc media are having notable impacts. The Xbox 720 is expected to be unveiled next year.
