One-third of gamers would go carless for six months

NEW YORK, USA: What would many people give up to be the first to own the latest gaming consoles? How important is access to high-speed Internet service when considering a move? Some of the answers in the latest Verizon FiOS Innovation Index, a survey of consumers' views on technology and the connected home, may come as a surprise.

More than 900 men and women were surveyed to gain an understanding of their pain points, desires and interests at the height of anticipation for the releases of Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.

Just under half of the respondents were gathered from registrants to Engadget Expand, a biannual conference for tech fans, and the balance of the respondents came from the general consumer population. Some of the survey results were unveiled this weekend at the Expand conference.

Seventy-six percent of those surveyed already own a video game console, yet they are very interested in purchasing one of the new platforms being introduced this month.

In fact, one-third (34 percent) of respondents identified as "hardcore game players" said they would give up their car for six months to be one of the first to get the new one of the new consoles.

"This time of year has historically been great for generations of gamers from the debut of the home version of Pong in 1975, to the release of the PS4 and Xbox One," said Chris Melissinos, a director of business strategy and development for Verizon, who presented some of the findings at the Expand show.

"Gaming and technology continue to spread deeper into society and are becoming a bigger part of our lives. So we wanted to reveal how people feel about the technology they love and what they want to see in their connected homes, which even in today's mobile world remain the hub of their digital lifestyles," added Melissinos.

Click here to view PowerPoint presentation of the survey results!