After a two-month hiatus, Sony's PlayStation 4 is once again the most popular console in the US market, and a market research company now thinks it knows why.

According to Nielsen, consumers rate "better resolution" as the most important factor in the PlayStation 4's popularity.

The company surveyed consumers aged 13 and older why they were buy an Xbox One, a Wii U, or a PlayStation 4. For the latter, the most popular answers were "better resolution", "Blu-ray player", "game library", "faster processing power" and "what the family wants".

The top answer for Xbox One was "brand", indicating that Microsoft has been able to mobilise a loyal consumer base. Unlike PlayStation, exclusive games and content was also a motivating factor for Xbox One buyers.

The "fun-factor" was the top choice for purchasing a Wii U, according to Nielsen, followed by its kid-friendliness.

Nielsen corroborated Sony's claim that it was winning over former Xbox fans. It found that 59 percent of new PlayStation 4 owners had previously owned an Xbox 360, while only 43 percent of Xbox One owners had previously owned a PlayStation 3.

Sony has now sold 18.4 million PlayStation 4 consoles. Last heard, Microsoft had shipped "almost" 10 million Xbox One consoles.