Ever since Nintendo and Sega went head-to-head in the 90s, fans have been debating about the best video game console manufacturers and companies. The so-called console wars rage on to this day, with many arguing about whether the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X is better, and it doesn't look like things will be settled any time soon. Now a new study has attempted to determine the most popular video game console and manufacturer by using social media data.

The study was conducted by TopRatedCasinos and looked at data from Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube to determine the consoles and manufacturers people are talking about the most. Of course, it should be pointed out that sales numbers are a more definitive way of determining the popularity of a console, though they may not be reflective of modern times. For example, the PlayStation 2 and Wii are two of the top-selling video game consoles, but they aren't used today as much as they were 15-20 years ago.

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According to the study, the PlayStation 4 is the most popular video game console today, followed by Xbox One in second place. The PlayStation 5 earned third place, with Nintendo Switch is in fourth. PlayStation 3, Game Boy, Wii U, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Xbox Series X followed. As far as the console manufacturer goes, PlayStation earned the top spot while Nintendo took second and Xbox took third.

PlayStation 4 Pro
  1. PlayStation 4
  2. Xbox One
  3. PlayStation 5
  4. Nintendo Switch
  5. PlayStation 3
  6. Game Boy
  7. Wii U
  8. PlayStation 2
  9. Xbox 360
  10. Xbox Series X

It makes sense for PS4 and Xbox One to be two of the most-talked about consoles on social media, as they both have large install bases at the moment, having been released in 2013 and still getting new games to this day. However, it is surprising that the Nintendo Switch didn't make the top three. Not only is it a current console, but Nintendo Switch sales have been extremely strong, even surpassing the PS4. There's also a lot of buzz around the Switch's library and upcoming games, particularly Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Another surprise was the Xbox Series X apparently being in dead-last. While it makes sense that the PS4, PS5, and Switch would be outdoing the Xbox Series X, it's puzzling that Wii U, Game Boy, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360 all have the Series X beat. However, it could be a matter of people simply not using the full Xbox Series X name when talking about the consoles and its games, and instead going with generic "Xbox," especially since there is both the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles.

Microsoft no longer shares console sales figures for Xbox systems, so it's hard to say how it stacks up in that arena, but we do know that Nintendo has shipped over 111 million Switch consoles, and is easily the best-selling current console. The PS5 is said to have shipped over 20 million units so far, so it and Xbox likely have a very long way to go if they hope to catch up to Nintendo's home console/handheld hybrid.

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Source: TopRatedCasinos