US survey shows PC gaming is holding its own

A new survey shows PCs are still the primary platform for US gamers.

The Jupiter Media Metrix report says 47 million Americans played games on their computers in October.

The figure is up 10% from the 42.4 million users recorded at the beginning of the year.

The stats come as two new next-generation games consoles - Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube - are stealing the limelight.

The rival machines were launched in the US last month, triggering a period of unprecedented competition as they go up against Sony's PlayStation 2, which launched last year.

The PC gaming report also offers a run-down of the most popular bought games.

Maxi's The Sims is winning the battle of the PC heavyweights, with an estimated 1.6 million users.

It's followed by Microsoft's Age of Empires (805,000 users); and Blizzard's Diablo II (624,000).

However, more simple fare is played the most.

The report points out that games bundled with the Windows operating system are still attracting massive audiences. It estimates that 21.3 million Americans played Solitaire in October.