PS2 covers "42 per cent of console gaming"

Sony's PlayStation 2 accounted for 42 per cent of total console usage in June, according to a report compiled by Nielsen.

The much-hyped next-generation consoles were far behind the PS2, with the Xbox 360 reportedly accounting for just eight per cent of usage during June while the Wii made up four per cent and Sony's PlayStation 3 was bottom with just 1.5 per cent.

World of Warcraft was the most played PC game, with Halo: Combat Evolved, The Sims, Halo 2 and RuneScape behind it.

According to the report, 68.1 million individuals used a videogame console in June - playing for an average of 7.5 days in the month.

"With Nielsen GamePlay Metrics, we have significantly advanced the understanding of how video game consoles are used and which games are actually being played," said Jeff Herrmann, vice president of Nielsen Games and Nielsen Wireless. "This is the first glimpse of metered in-home video game player data, providing game publishers, console manufacturers, advertisers and competing entertainment media with the most accurate, objective, and quantifiable metric available."