ISP TalkTalk UK Reveals the Top 5 XMas Gaming Gifts by Traffic
Broadband ISP TalkTalk has taken a closer look at the internet traffic from over 1 million of their customers on Christmas Day and managed to identify the top five video gaming console gifts. The data reveals that Nintendo’s Switch console was by far the most popular gaming gift for 2021, with 22,995 new devices being connected on the big day.
After that came Sony’s PlayStation 5 (5,205) and PS4 (4,540) consoles – a combined total of nearly 10,000, with Microsoft’s Xbox consoles following just behind on 9,097 (sadly we don’t get a split by generation for those).
Finally, Meta’s (formerly Facebook) Oculus VR headsets took fifth place with 5,494 new devices being connected on Christmas Day. Gamers also wasted no time in trying their new gifts, with 9.31am being the busiest minute for new gifts being connected on the day, which is some seven minutes earlier than in 2020.
Away from gaming, Amazon closed the gap to Apple as the most gifted tech brand. In 2020 Apple accounted for 23% of all new devices connected on Christmas Day via TalkTalk’s broadband network, with Amazon second on 17%. But in 2021, Apple’s share reduced to 16%, with Amazon close behind on 15%.
Jonathan Kini, MD of TalkTalk Consumer and Direct Business, said:
“It comes as no surprise to us that gaming devices prove so popular at Christmas. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen internet usage across our network grow by 40%, and gaming has played a major role in that. By 2025 we estimate that peak broadband usage will more than double, which is why we’re continually optimising our network and rolling out affordable full fibre to ensure everyone is able to game to their heart’s content.”
As for fans of the venerable PC platform, which took a hit in 2021 due to the skyrocketing price of new graphics cards (essential for gaming), TalkTalk noted saw 15% more new computers plugged into their network, compared to Christmas Day 2020. However, it’s unclear how many of these were actually decent gaming rigs, as opposed to laptops or slower systems for work.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and Linkedin.
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that is worrying that Talk Talk takes that much interest in what is being used on their network. so what will they do with this info, sell it to the highest bidder?
All ISPs log where you visit
How do you think ISPs:
a) Block you from accessing sites they’re legally required to.
b) Prioritise traffic / use traffic management.
if they do not do the above.
It’s nothing nefarious – they’ll likely just be looking at how much traffic is hitting what endpoints – and then working backwards to see what devices make those calls.
If you’ve ever opened an incognito window – it warns you that anything outside of your device will still log where you went.
For something like this it let’s them see what servers people are using to optimize their network
Well, no, to those above. They’re monitoring and fingerprinting devices connected to customer routers. If you’re using their router they can see everything connected to it.
Customers can see the same information from their Service Dashboard on TT’s website.
Yes , I know all IPS’s log, they have to anyway because the government requires them to, but they should not even look at it unless they need to for legal stuff. Yeah, ok they say they get the info from some automatic system, but it does make you think what else they do with the data?
@ad47,
They use the data to plan 5g deployments so they can infect the dissidents with corona virus over the airwaves, naturally.
Aldi have a good deal on tinfoil at the moment, time to stock up your bunker.
I was just about to comment exactly the same as your comment. This was the first thing which popped into my head. This goes to show how well businesses capture & managed business intelligence. I suspect they have incredibly detailed granularity of each of its users which they sell on as highly vaulable “Consumer profiles” ‘or’ use in-house under one of their subsidiary companies to upsell. Either way you cut it, its alarming, firstly, customers behaviours are being closly monitored and secondly, technology being used in this way. Technology was created to aid humans but instead its being used to enslave us, one sale at a time, just as what was forseen. Its only a matter of time before we have in the UK A “Social score” based system (just like in China) which uses these key metrics to “Nudge” our patterns of behaviour Incentive/Reward > Neggative action depending on policys set be government or even dare i say it; coporate entities. Distopian nightmare. Its a shame, all was going so well up until about 2006 🙂
This story serves as a reminder that everyone should subcribe to a decent VPN, or at the very least don’t use your ISPs DNS servers.