One-Third of Gamers Would Go Carless for Six Months to Be First to Get Newest Game Consoles, a New Survey Finds

NEW YORK – What would many people give up to be the first to own the latest gaming consoles? How important is access to high-speed Internet service when considering a move? Some of the answers in the latest Verizon FiOS Innovation Index, a survey of consumers’ views on technology and the connected home, may come as a surprise.

More than 900 men and women were surveyed to gain an understanding of their pain points, desires and interests at the height of anticipation for the releases of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s Playstation 4. Just under half of the respondents were gathered from registrants to Engadget Expand, a biannual conference for tech fans, and the balance of the respondents came from the general consumer population. Some of the survey results were unveiled this weekend at the Expand conference.

[NOTE: For game cartridge-inspired images of the survey data and the complete survey results, visit vz.to/gaming. For a PowerPoint presentation of the survey results, visit Verizon’s SlideShare page.]

Seventy-six percent of those surveyed already own a video game console, yet they are very interested in purchasing one of the new platforms being introduced this month. In fact, one-third (34 percent) of respondents identified as “hardcore game players” said they would give up their car for six months to be one of the first to get the new one of the new consoles.

“This time of year has historically been great for generations of gamers from the debut of the home version of Pong in 1975, to the release of the PS4 and Xbox One,” said Chris Melissinos, a director of business strategy and development for Verizon, who presented some of the findings at the Expand show. “Gaming and technology continue to spread deeper into society and are becoming a bigger part of our lives. So we wanted to reveal how people feel about the technology they love and what they want to see in their connected homes, which even in today’s mobile world remain the hub of their digital lifestyles.”

What’s on this year’s shopping list? No surprise. Respondents were very interested in gaming consoles just before the start of this holiday season.

A Lot More Than Gaming: Among survey respondents there was a high interest in using their consoles for more than just gaming to access media like video and music as well as shopping and Web browsing.

The Undisputed Heavyweight Champ of Frustration: Buffering is the leading cause of consumer frustration while streaming video or experiencing lag during game play. On average, buffering edged out root canal and migraines by a small margin as painful experiences. Buffering was considerably more painful than sprained ankles or the flu, according to survey respondents. 

Rising Importance of Home Internet Service: Eighty-nine percent of all respondents say home Internet connection is the most important service in their house and nearly all (96 percent) say their home Internet connection is more important than public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Just last year, the 2012 FiOS Innovation Index found that 52 percent of consumers considered their home Internet  the most important service in their house – this year’s 85 percent marks a significant 33 percent increase.

Location, Location, Location … and Fast Broadband: Add high-speed Internet service to the list of important factors that consumers look for when buying or renting a home.

Head in the Cloud? Yes. Although consumers haven’t yet flocked to the cloud to satisfy their gaming appetite, the majority said they would prefer to access and store their games in the cloud.

Awareness of high-speed/low latency impact on gaming: The vast majority of all gamers recognize the value of connection speed (bandwidth and latency) to their gaming experience and the majority would prefer a power outage (i.e., no game play at all) over playing over a low-quality Internet connection.

The FiOS Innovation Index: Gamer/Entertainment Series survey was conducted in two parts to reflect the opinions of both tech enthusiasts and the wider population. More than 420 pre-registered attendees of the Engadget Expand conference held on Nov. 9 and 10, 2013, were polled. Also surveyed were 500 U.S. respondents, age 18 and over, balanced by gender and region to reflect U.S. Census figures. Recruitment for both surveys occurred via online panel hosted by USamp from Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2013. More information on the survey results can be found at www.newscenter.verizon.com/residential.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 101 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 178,300.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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