Playing games is a widespread pastime about much more than game consoles. Although game console users are numerous and active, many adults play immersive and other games using their smartphones, computers, and tablets. VR headsets are also starting to make a dent in the market, beginning with the most active gamers who aren’t necessarily the youngest adults.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: the profile of gaming wearables users, top platforms for game-playing, the profile of game-players, the profile of gaming PC users, the profile of game console users, and the profile of smartphone game-players.
Highlights: PCs
PCs continue to hold a central role among online adults, especially as a substantial number work from home or find ways to stay connected. However, PC users are not all the same in the type of PC they use nor how they use them. This TUP Highlights report details the shifting market penetration of PCs, how ownership has changed, and which brands are leading. It details how often PCs are being used as well as how they are being used for everything from remote work to communication, shopping, and entertainment.
Highlights: Activities
What we do paints a richer picture than what we carry or own. All computers are not used the same and nor are smartphones or tablets. Each user has their preference about how they spend their time. Also, each user expresses their choices about which connected devices they turn to for each type of activity. While some see their tablets as passive movie screens, others rely on them as communication hubs. Some users prefer to shop on a computer, while others rely more on their smartphones.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: main activities across all tech devices, major activities for each device type, activities unique to which device type, cross-device activities, the profile of activity type users, major activities for a market segment, home entertainment activities, the profile by key activities, and listening activities.
Highlights: Wearables, Hearables, Listening & Speaking
Entertainment, communication, and smart homes have all evolved beyond requiring typing on a keyboard or sitting near PC speakers. Wearable and hearables have extended a broad range of audible activities further towards a more personal convenience. However, active usage of any wearables or hearables has varied considerably across market segments. While Bluetooth headphones are widespread, VR headsets persist as niche products among a younger, more affluent, and tech-savvy segment. Smart speakers, in contrast, are showing signs of having peaked after rising in use among a middle market.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: wearables penetration, hearables penetration, wearable devices used, trends in wearables and hearables, purchase plans for wearables, listening activities, penetration of voice assistant usage, the profile of voice assistant users, the profile of hearables users, and the profile of wearables users.
Highlights: Consumer Electronics
Hearables are having a tumultuous time during the pandemic, and users adapt to shifting situations. Webcams are a significant force, as are wireless Bluetooth headsets, both pivotal for users working or schooling from home. Meanwhile, voice-enabled speakers have reached a plateau, reaching their largest share among neither the youngest nor oldest adults. Smartwatches have made inroads across nearly all age groups, especially younger employed adults.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: purchase plans for wearables, hearables penetration, wearables penetration, trends in consumer electronics, the profile of hearables users, the profile of wearables users, the profile of key consumer electronics users, and device activities compared to consumer electronics.
Used and refurbished smartphones among disadvantaged and advantaged Americans
Are used/refurbished smartphones only for poorer people? This MetaFAQs report details the percentage of online Americans using a used/refurbished smartphone by socioeconomically advantaged/disadvantaged groups, each composed of household income, employment status, employment type, educational attainment, age group, ethnicity, household size, and other demographic characteristics.
Used and refurbished home PCs among disadvantaged and advantaged Americans
Are used/refurbished home PCs only for disadvantaged people? This MetaFAQs report details the percentage of online Americans using a used/refurbished home PC by socioeconomically advantaged/disadvantaged groups, each composed of household income, employment status, employment type, educational attainment, age group, ethnicity, household size, and other demographic characteristics.
Profile of Americans using ad blocking apps
Stop (or limit) the ads! So say nearly a third of Americans consistently since 2019. While advertising drives much of the Internet, a substantial number of online adults use ad-blocking apps on their computers, smartphones, or tablets. This MetaFAQs reports on the levels since 2019, on which platforms ad-blocking apps are being used and which market segments use the apps more or less than others. The segments span the vulnerable to the advantaged, and details differences by racial/ethnic groups, employment status, the mix of technology ecosystems in use, and other characteristics.
Profile of American VR Headset users
So far, virtual reality has been a dream, only being actively used by a small number of creative and fun-loving pioneers. Within the TUP 2021 survey, MetaFacts identified 358 respondents that report regularly wearing VR headsets.
This MetaFAQs report details their game-playing activities, including which devices they regularly use, along with their demographic and technological profile.
Profile of American Microsoft game console users
Truly active gamers love their game consoles, including Microsoft’s Xbox. However, that love is not exclusive since a fifth of Microsoft’s game console users also use a Nintendo, and a fifth uses a Sony game console. Microsoft has only reached 14% of all online Americans, primarily among younger males. This MetaFAQs report profiles American Microsoft game console users by several critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age group and age within gender, employment status, household size, life stage, and mix of technology ecosystems. Further, it details the percentage who use a VR headset and those who play games with a smartphone, PC, gaming PC, or tablet.