The second Global Youth Survey conducted by Habbo, the world’s largest virtual world for teenagers, reveals that the PlayStation 3 is the console of choice for teens today. 58,486 teens between the ages of 11 and 18 took part in the global survey across 31 markets. From the respondents, 69 percent refer to the PS3 console as “great” or “good”. This was followed closely by the Nintendo Wii at 64 percent and Xbox 360 with 58 percent.

The PS3 beats Wii in every age group except the 11 to 12 year olds. However, the Wii is more popular amongst girls up to 16 year olds, and is the favoured female choice overall. The results also show that whilst the Xbox 360 is less popular in Europe and Asia, its popularity in the Americas fares much better: it is the most popular console in Mexico and Colombia and takes second place in the US, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

“The results of this survey are interesting as it gives us an insight into which brands these teens aspire to as the level of ownership does not correspond to the consoles’ popularity,” explains Emmi Kuusikko, Director of User and Market Insight at Sulake. “By order of ownership, the Wii leads, followed by the Xbox 360 and PS3.”

Of the teens surveyed, 24 percent own a Wii, with 21 percent and 23 percent owning a PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively. The results do suggest significant growth potential, with each of these consoles there is another 20% planning on buying one of these consoles in the next 12 months. The Wii and PS3 have the most sales potential: the amount of respondents that are interested in buying them is 4 to 5 percentage points higher than for the Xbox 360.

Emmi Kuusikko concludes: “As Sony and Xbox strive to broaden their console’s appeal, from hardcore to casual gamer, the results of the survey seem to indicate that gender, not previous gaming experience, determines console choice. Regardless of their level of interest towards gaming boys prefer the PS3 and girls prefer the Wii.”