"Nielsen Entertainment study says nearly 50 percent of "active gamers" won't get a next-generation console until they have a choice.

Unless you just emerged from a seven-month trek across the untamed jungles of western Botswana, you probably know that today, the Xbox 360 went on sale across North America. But although sellouts are already being reported and long lines are de rigueur, a leading entertainment industry group is saying that interest in the console isn't at the frenzied levels Microsoft is portraying it as.

Nielsen Entertainment, the media-research firm most famous for its television ratings, today released a survey of 2,000 "active gamers," or those who own a console and play games for at least one hour per week. Appropriately titled "Benchmarking the Active Gamer," the study said that around half of active gamers were taking a "wait and see" approach to the next-gen console contest.

"Many active gamers appear to be in a holding pattern before making a purchase decision on next-generation consoles," read a summary of the report released by Nielsen. "Nearly 50 percent of active gamers stated they will likely wait until both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are released before making a final decision."" [more]