AfterDawn: News

Nintendo Wii continues success in US

According to NPD figures, the Nintendo Wii has topped its rivals again for the month of February in the US, selling 755,000 units for the period.

The handheld DS followed with 588,000 units sold, and the Xbox 360 saw huge numbers, selling 391,000 consoles for the month.



The Sony PS3 lagged behind but still saw strong numbers for the period, shifting 276,000 units.

Overall hardware sales totaled $533 million USD, up 11 percent year-on-year.

The complete list:

* 1. Nintendo Wii: 755,000
* 2. Nintendo DS: 588,000
* 3. Xbox 360: 391,000
* 4. PlayStation 3: 276,000
* 5. PlayStation Portable: 199,000
* 6. PlayStation 2: 131,000


Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Mar 2009 17:50

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• 20 comments

• lecsiy

  Intrestingg.
  
  Year on year the 360 is up,
  Whereas the Ps3 is down.
  
  Obviously to do with MS price cut, but i think if Sony don't do something soon they're going to be in serious trouble!!
  
  And again,
  WHO IS BUYING THOSE WIIS!

  20.3.2009 19:37 #1

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by lecsiy: Intrestingg.
  
  Year on year the 360 is up,
  Whereas the Ps3 is down.
  
  Obviously to do with MS price cut, but i think if Sony don't do something soon they're going to be in serious trouble!!
  
  And again,
  WHO IS BUYING THOSE WIIS!
  I'd love to see how the fail rate plays into 360 numbers but its a strong brand that's hard to dismiss.
  
  The PS3 is suffering they really need to get prices down or win over devs the former(prices) being easier.
  
  Everyone is buying WIIs, it cuts though so many markets its become a mainstream cult hit like the Ipod only better hardware and as bad "software" hehehehe.
  
  But really I find the 360 and PS3 to be overrated shallow shiny games just don't cut it for the price paid anymore and the WII is under developed and under utilized..

  20.3.2009 19:46 #2

• lecsiy

  Quote:I'd love to see how the fail rate plays into 360 numbers but its a strong brand that's hard to dismiss. I'm sure a few off theese are seconds or thirds. However, with Microsofts 3 year warranty, i cant see it being a substantial figure.
  
  Lecsiy

  20.3.2009 20:10 #3

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Quote:I'd love to see how the fail rate plays into 360 numbers but its a strong brand that's hard to dismiss. I'm sure a few off theese are seconds or thirds. However, with Microsofts 3 year warranty, i cant see it being a substantial figure.
  
  LecsiyYou forget total sales calculate in refurbs and with a 30% fail rate and a at best 10% fail rate on the new units it just adds up, still MS is making a killing off it and the numbers lost to a straight up 30% reduction to over all sales is not that damning.
  
  I just like bitching :P
  
  MS screwed up on the 360 but via pricing schemes has made it number 1(piratically) for gaming, I discount the WII alot just for the whole fad and lack of "real" games but even so I am very unimpressed with the real games on the PS360 >>
  
  Sony is going to ahve get thier balls in gear if they want to make any headway.
  
  I wonder how the Xbow 2/ 360 2 is coming...I jsut hope it dose not take a sht on BWC....

  20.3.2009 20:16 #4

• lecsiy

  Quote:You forget total sales calculate in refurbs and with a 30% fail rate and a at best 10% fail rate on the new units it just adds up, still MS is making a killing off it and the numbers lost to a straight up 30% reduction to over all sales is not that damning. Do you have any evidence for this?
  
  I may be wrong but
  
  I was under the impression total sales = Total retail sales.

  20.3.2009 20:18 #5

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Quote:You forget total sales calculate in refurbs and with a 30% fail rate and a at best 10% fail rate on the new units it just adds up, still MS is making a killing off it and the numbers lost to a straight up 30% reduction to over all sales is not that damning. Do you have any evidence for this?
  
  I may be wrong but
  
  I was under the impression total sales = Total retail sales.
  And how many of the millions of refrubs made it to the retail market?
  
  http://venturebeat.com/2008/09/05/xbox-3...e-console-woes/
  Heres the one that quotes a 30% retail,60% manufacturing line fail rate.(if thats not the right link tell me I have it here soemwhere)
  
  I can't find anything regarding current fail rates but between all the rumors and hardware breakdowns(taking the unit apart) I can surmize they have not really did anything about the core issues of the overheating problem just managed to fix it where the fail rate is cut in half at worse.
  
  Its widely known the 360 hardware is a joke build wise(and the WII for not having any upconvert HD support or out puts but lets not go there ^_~)

  20.3.2009 20:31 #6

• DSWarrior

  I have a Wii and I love it...but the truth is: it sells better because it's far cheaper. That's why I bought it...I wanted a new-gen system and I like Nintendo consoles and handhelds, so I went and bought it...
  
  PS3's are cool, but way overrated and expensive...and Sony doesn't seem to care. If they keep their current pricing the PS3 sales will go down faster and lower than the Titanic...
  
  X360's are cool too, but also waaay overrated. (I personally despise and hate everything Microsoft related, starting on Windows, going through 360's and ending on Zunes) but that's my opinion. I like the graphics on the 360 and find it easy to use...
  
  But anyway, all electronics are fads...In a few years no one will care how many Wiis or PS3s were sold and most of them will be used as doorstoppers or dust collectors...like PSOnes and Gamecubes....So why bother arguing about which one is best? or which sells the most? Let's just enjoy our consoles and play our hearts out...If someone doesn't like the Wii, well don't buy it... :-S

  20.3.2009 21:32 #7

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by DSWarrior: I have a Wii and I love it...but the truth is: it sells better because it's far cheaper. That's why I bought it...I wanted a new-gen system and I like Nintendo consoles and handhelds, so I went and bought it...
  
  PS3's are cool, but way overrated and expensive...and Sony doesn't seem to care. If they keep their current pricing the PS3 sales will go down faster and lower than the Titanic...
  
  X360's are cool too, but also waaay overrated. (I personally despise and hate everything Microsoft related, starting on Windows, going through 360's and ending on Zunes) but that's my opinion. I like the graphics on the 360 and find it easy to use...
  
  But anyway, all electronics are fads...In a few years no one will care how many Wiis or PS3s were sold and most of them will be used as doorstoppers or dust collectors...like PSOnes and Gamecubes....So why bother arguing about which one is best? or which sells the most? Let's just enjoy our consoles and play our hearts out...If someone doesn't like the Wii, well don't buy it... :-SBecause the news,speculation and facts in this 7th generation of gaming is far more interesting than the games/products they have been spamming out...

  20.3.2009 21:37 #8

• bomber991

  I'm thinking there's a few reasons for the Wii doing so well, so I'm just gonna list them all there, though they're not really in any particular order.
  
  1. The price point. $250 for what was a 'next-gen system'. That's not a lot of money at all compared to the other options. I think the 360 was $300 and $400 when it came out, and the PS3 was $400 and $500.
  
  2. No multiple SKU's. WTF is the difference between the Xbox Arcade, Core, Premium, and Elite? Beats me, I'm into gaming and I couldn't tell you. I think some of them don't offer an HDMI output or something like that. I wouldn't bother to figure it out either unless I was gonna buy one, but it's as confusing as the options with Windows Vista are. Sony did the same crap. There were two consoles at launch, and then like 2 or 3 other versions that came out afterwards.
  
  3. Motion sensing that works. It seems like a cheap gimmick, "Oh neat I can swing the controller in my hands and it swings the golf clubs on the screen!". But whatever, it's cool as hell on the games where it works right.
  
  4. Good social gaming straight out of the box. Wii sports comes with the system, and that's all you need to start having fun with other people on the wii. The PS3 gives you nothing, and same with the 360 I think. Anyways, the social kinds of games you can do on the 360 and PS3 are going to be Halo-type games that you can't play with your girlfriend, parents, or visiting relatives. The only other kinds will be something like Mario Party / Fusion Frenzy, or a puzzle game like Tetris. Still all those are boring as hell compared to Wii Sports.
  
  Anyways, I'm sure there's more reasons. I just want to say though that I'd still prefer the PS3 for solo and online multiplayer gaming. The 360 is good too except for the paying for Xbox live part. Nobody seems to realize how much $6 a month really is. If you're making minimum wage then that means it took you a damn hour of working your crappy job to make that money.

  20.3.2009 23:04 #9

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by bomber991: I'm thinking there's a few reasons for the Wii doing so well, so I'm just gonna list them all there, though they're not really in any particular order.
  
  1. But its not really a net gen system but what do the zombifed masses care :P(I am kidding :P)
  
  
  2. They do have bundles tho, the SUKs are not so bad but for the arcade which is pointless.
  
  3. Which is unrefined its weak motion sensing at its best but then again there not that many precision games on the WII. Other wise tis good enough for most party games.
  
  4. This is probably what has sold it to the masses good solid dumb fun for all(but most gamers who want real games).
  
  sorry my game nazi is showing :P

  20.3.2009 23:10 #10

• DXR88

  the 360 is fine piece of hardware once you get the heat issue fixed, a good case mod, a set of after market fans and a better Cpu compound.
  
  I took the whole Xbox 360 apart and notice several design Flaws.
  
  the first thing i notice was that they have the heat pipes passing threw the CPU and GPU heat sink and they were threaded at the top of the heat sink. this is not the proper way to pass heat.
  
  the second thing is that with all that case room you would think they could have seperated the Cpu and GPU a bit further.
  
  the third thing Was the compound when i removed my heatsink there was nothing it had literally reduced the compound to nothing.
  
  the fourth thing the systems fans a really under powered for the heat rating.
  
  the sad part is these are things they can fix but they won't.
  
  as for the Wii doing so well, I'm baffled as to how exactly it keeps selling so well despite in my eyes it being nothing more than an expensive weight loss machine.
  

  
  

  20.3.2009 23:42 #11

• SProdigy

  Great comments from all and I agree on alot of fronts.
  
  DXR88, I totally see your point about heatsinks and all. Why on earth isn't there a fan or some type of shield/conduit that directs the heat towards the fans and out of the system? No wonder my DVD discs feel like baked potatoes after an hour of play! (On a side note, thank God the HDD is on the outside of the case, or I bet those would be frying up too!)
  
  Okay, to address the gimmicky Wii. I have to say I like alot about mine. Price point is a good start, and most games are $10 cheaper at launch, though we can bicker about online play and HD gaming all we want, only the adult crowd has these things hooked up to their home theater rig; the rest sit with the kiddies attached to a spare tv in another room, so HD gaming doesn't matter in that case.
  
  Hey some Wii games look really good (and some really bad!) If you can sift through the junk, there are some gems when it comes to gameplay. FPS, if you can squint through some bad textures/framerates, are fun with the point-and-click approach, and reloading via motion gives me that old arcade feeling. Same with the Wii Wheel. I guess that's what Nintendo was going after, and they struck gold.
  
  Don't forget about VC and WiiWare games. Emulation supported by the publishers, which means a solid translation of many games, and some that were never released in different markets before (Super Mario Bros. 2 Japan ie. Lost Levels.) Yes, the pricing is chaotic, and DRM could be an issue down the road, but this means nothing to the rich (or intelligent modders ;-))

  21.3.2009 00:30 #12

• ZippyDSM

  SProdigy
  
  The trouble is normal games are watered down enough for the supposed gamer systems the WII games are mostly half water half casual piss, they should be 20-30$ and no more, for the more normal games sure 40$ is reasonable but holly hell 40$ for a gimmick game? WTF? I mean seriously....

  21.3.2009 00:40 #13

• blueboy09

  i agree with you too, DXR88, in regards to the overheating issues of the XBox360. Aslong as we have greedy corporate people on this pkanet we will see flaws out of the ass when it comes to hardware design. After all these business people apprently thought we are stupid and didnt see their flaws, but i have to congratulate u for exposing these flaws to the public. There's always someone out there who's smarter than they are even if they choose to ignore that!

  21.3.2009 01:34 #14

• xveryx

  The ps3 was $500 and $600 when it first came out not $400 and $500.

  21.3.2009 08:41 #15

• SProdigy

  Originally posted by ZippyDSM: SProdigy
  
  The trouble is normal games are watered down enough for the supposed gamer systems the WII games are mostly half water half casual piss, they should be 20-30$ and no more, for the more normal games sure 40$ is reasonable but holly hell 40$ for a gimmick game? WTF? I mean seriously....Well... yeah! I wasn't talking about Wii games being a great value overall, just in comparison to 360 and PS3, especially the same title that is brought out for all of the systems. For those who pay full price and buy lots of games, $10 saved for each game goes a long way.
  
  Now for those games worth $40-50... no comment! ;-)

  21.3.2009 10:10 #16

• jeff_2

  stop buying the Wiis!!! they are not good and who is it exactly that is buying these things?

  21.3.2009 13:24 #17

• embo22000

  Originally posted by jeff_2: stop buying the Wiis!!! they are not good and who is it exactly that is buying these things?What does everyone here thinks the wii sucks its a great gaming machine it has tons of fun games and its just pure fun. There's only a handfull of hardcore games like no more heroes and madworld but its great. PS3 and 360 are awesome too right now im playing killzone on my ps3 and RE5 on my 360. By the way wii and 360s are way too easy to mod :)

  21.3.2009 19:16 #18

• xblade132

  For three years now, Wiisports still remains the best game on the Wii and even so, that's getting old. Nintendo did it quite well targeting families and the younger audience with their gimmick of a console but what it ultimately comes down to no matter what anyone says, is the games and yes, I mean games with an "s". Not just one game that still continues to be your best game since launch.
  
  But, you've got to incoporate the Virtual Console in someway into that. Does anyone else think its just a bit sad to say that your best game is your launch title that was packaged with the system and older games of your past consoles?
  
  Now handheld consoles on the other hand, Nintendo is great. I will be picking up a DSi at launch but that's an entirely different topic.

  23.3.2009 09:20 #19

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Originally posted by ZippyDSM: SProdigy
  
  The trouble is normal games are watered down enough for the supposed gamer systems the WII games are mostly half water half casual piss, they should be 20-30$ and no more, for the more normal games sure 40$ is reasonable but holly hell 40$ for a gimmick game? WTF? I mean seriously....Well... yeah! I wasn't talking about Wii games being a great value overall, just in comparison to 360 and PS3, especially the same title that is brought out for all of the systems. For those who pay full price and buy lots of games, $10 saved for each game goes a long way.
  
  Now for those games worth $40-50... no comment! ;-)Metroid,zelda and Marioa re worth 40$ a pop :P

  23.3.2009 09:25 #20