Japanese company Nintendo’s Wii has
overtaken Microsoft’s Xbox 360 to
become the biggest selling
“next-generation’ games console.
Despite having launched a year
earlier than Wii, the Xbox 360 has
been under threat for some time. The
latest figures come from VG Chartz,
which aggregates sales figures
collected from around the world.
In the second week of August 2007,
the Wii was on the brink of taking a
lead.
The figures available now show that
sales of the Nintendo gaming consoles
are 60,000 units ahead of Microsoft’s.
Wii is far more popular at the moment
than both the Xbox 360 and Sony’s
PlayStation 3.
Sony had reduced the price on its
PlayStation 3 in July 2007 – from $599
to $499 for its 60-gigabyte model.
Microsoft had recently slashed the
price of the Xbox 360 in North
America, Japan, Europe, and Australia.
The 120GB Xbox 360 Elite is being
released in Europe and Australia soon.
The Wii is officially more than just a
gaming sensation. Reports from markets
say that Nintendo’s latest console has
captured the hearts, minds, and
dollars of not only gaming fans but
also the elderly, vacationers, the
health-conscious, and of other casual
markets.
By the week ending August 23, 2007,
VGchartz gathered that Nintendo had
sold 10.57 million Wii consoles over
lifetime, while Microsoft sold 10.51
million Xbox 360 consoles. To outsmart
the Xbox 360 in less than a year since
release, the Wii had outsold
Microsoft’s game system by a margin of
2.3-to-1 worldwide.
A key factor in Wii’s quick pace in
catching the Xbox 360 is the
acceptance of Nintendo’s gaming
console in Japan. The Wii sold 3.46
million units in Japan, while the Xbox
360 sold only 0.43 million in the same
region.
While typical sales numbers from the
game companies relate to shipments to
retailers rather than
sold-to-consumers, VGchartz claims
that it tracks its data based on
actual consumer sell-through figures.
The popularity of the Wii, along with
the DS handheld, have helped Nintendo
speed past its competitors.
The Wii was outselling Sony’s
PlayStation 3 by a margin of 6-to-1 in
June 2007, helping Nintendo overtake
Sony in market value. In fact,
Nintendo’s recent success has put it
ahead of both NTT and Honda, making it
the fifth largest company in Japan.
