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Here’s a look at a recent survey conducted by Japan.Internet.com that shows what gamers are playing in Japan.

This survey was from a sample of 1,099 people, from a broad age spectrum, and consisted of a 53:47% man:woman ratio.

Nintendo DS takes the cake

You’ll soon see that not only is the DS and its different models the most played video game system of this generation, but also the most owned hardware gaming device of all time in Japan. The first list is really exciting, as it chronicles gaming back 20 years and reveals to us what people still own (big props goes out to those who still have a Famicom or Super Famicom).

The first question asked, was “What game machines do you have?”

Nintendo DS (all models) – 62.1%
PlayStation 2 – 58.5%
Wii – 43.3%
PlayStation Portable – 31.8%
Super Famicom – 28.3%
PlayStation (original) – 27.5%
Game Boy Advance – 23.2%
Game Boy (all models) – 22.6%
PlayStation 3 – 22.5%
Nintendo 64 – 21.7%
Nintendo GameCube – 17.7%
Famicom – 17.5%
Xbox 360 – 4.3%
Dreamcast – 3.4%
Xbox – 2.0%
PSP Go – 2.0%
Other – 6.5%

In this section, DS is once again #1 and unlike in the category above where it’s only a little higher than PlayStation 2, it dominates this category by a big margin. I think you have to give credit to PS2 being 3rd place, right behind Wii…despite being 10 years old.

Next, the group asked, “What game machines do you currently play with?”

Nintendo DS (all models) – 48.2%
Wii – 30.9%
PlayStation 2 – 27.8%
PlayStation Portable – 20.5%
PlayStation 3 – 17.1%
PlayStation (original) – 4.9%
Super Famicom – 3.0%
Nintendo 64 – 2.4%
Xbox 360 – 2.4%
Game Boy Advance – 2.3%
Nintendo GameCube – 1.9%
Game Boy (all models) – 1.2%
Famicom – 0.9%
PSP Go – 0.5%
Dreamcast – 0.3%
Xbox – 0.0%
Other – 1.3%
None – 13.9%

The last question is interesting, as we learn that most gamers in Japan that play with their DS or PSP actually do so in home, despite the systems really being “portable” for gaming on the go. I’m in this category too, as I play with my handhelds more at home than anywhere else.

Finally, they asked, “Where do you play portable games?”

At home – 94.0%
On the train or other vehicles – 28.8%
When out (no particular location) – 27.5
At school or work – 12.5%
At a cafe or restaurant – 7.8%
At a wifi hotspot – 4.3%
At a shop where portable gamers gather – 3.1%
In a hospital, library or other facility – 3.1%
Other – 2.1%

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