SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - American consumers aren't really interested in having all their devices networked in the home and would rather pay less for the services they currently get, a new survey released on Friday concludes.

Consumers also want greater interoperability between devices that perform related functions, especially in the entertainment and office areas of their home, according to the study conducted by consulting and technology services provider Accenture.

"Nobody's convinced consumers they (devices) all need to talk to each other; the stereo to the PC to the game box," said Charles Roussel, a Boston-based partner in the high-tech group of Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting.

The news might come as a shock to some companies that are angling to get a piece of the technology landscape of the future.

After years of speculation that either the PC or the TV set-top box would be the device housing the next killer convergence for the home, it now looks like video game consoles, like Sony Corp.'s 6758.T PlayStation or Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT.O Xbox, could have the edge.

Microsoft has even built a prototype of a networked home of the future, complete with smart kitchen appliances, voice activation and biometrics.

But that vision isn't around the corner. And in the meantime consumers want to be able to use what they have now more efficiently, Roussel said.

"It's not about functionality anymore," he said. "It's about form-factor, what the devices look like sitting on your shelf and how they work together in clusters in your home."

The video game makers have a smart strategy, though, to build strong brand identity now, Roussel said.

"Over the next two or three years, when home networking evolves, you have a brand consumers think of," he said. "It's not about adding features onto that device," per se.

CONSUMERS WINCE AT HIGH COSTS

Currently, consumers are satisfied with the devices they have, so to get them to buy new stuff, it has to be a material improvement, according to Roussel. Electronics manufacturers and service providers should focus on making the products better and reducing the cost, he added.

Consumers primarily look for ease-of-use, price-point and design, Roussel said. "The curve appeal of the device is important."

Among the specific statistics from the 4,500 consumers who responded to the e-mail survey this spring were:

-- 57 percent said they don't have and don't want a wired home network.

-- 66 percent said the same of a wireless home network.

-- 88 percent said it's important for new devices to connect easily with their existing home electronics.

-- 88 percent said they were paying too much for satellite and cable; about 60 percent said that for their PC; and about 50 percent each said that for their game console and TVs.

The lack of low-latency, high-bandwidth connection, at a reasonable price, is an impediment to home networking, Roussel said.

Another "one of the reasons home networking hasn't taken off is that consumers translate that into more complication," he said. "They think 'If I can't make my PC work, or my DVD, and I link them together my house will explode."'

The results are not valid outside of the United States, particularly in Asia, Roussel cautioned.

"The networked home will evolve much more quickly in Asia" because of the high population density of cities, low networking costs, and electronics manufacturers getting into the housing development business there, Roussel said.