Nielsen is up to their old rating shenanigans once more, recording console usage data from last year in October through the month of December. Nintendo Wii has done a fantastic job in the market, and Nielsen states that they've captivated the 6-11 age range for males and the 25-34 gap for women. The Wii also fairs better with women over 35 in comparison to other consoles on the market. Female gamers cite Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Wii Fit as their favorite titles to play.

As for Microsoft, the Xbox 360 attracts males aged 12-17 and females aged 25-34, which is similar to the Wii. However, the PlayStation 3 demonstrated the highest average age for male usage at 18-24, which Nielsen believes is due to teenagers who had previously purchased the PSX and PS2 that "may have 'graduated' to the PS3 in their assumed adulthood." As for females? Sony also pulls in the 18-24 average age group as well.

When it comes down to actual console usage, however, Microsoft ends up quite unbalanced according to the data. Nielsen reports that males use the consoles almost twice as much as female gamers, while Nintendo and Sony have a more even console playing field. It's also worth noting that the Wii sees less average playing time altogether than both Sony and Microsoft's systems.

Now, if you'd like to participate in our own mini-study, how old are you guys and what system do you spend the most time on?