Wii On Track To Become The Best-Selling Console Of All Time

[Andy Chalk]

Wii On Track To Become The Best-Selling Console Of All Time

The PlayStation 2 has had a good run but Wii [http://venturebeat.com/2009/01/19/wii-is-on-track-to-outsell-playstation-2-while-ps-3-is-on-par-with-gamecube-sales/].

Okay, so it might be more than just a few years, but based on NPD Group [http://www.npd.com/] data collected since the launch of the Wii, the ridiculously popular console has already beat PlayStation 2 sales over the same time frame by ten percent, and if things continue is on track to ultimately become the best-selling console of all time. Since its debut in 2000, the PlayStation 2 has notched up 140 million unit sales, including 15.9 million units in the first 26 months after release; 17.5 million Wii consoles have been sold in the same time period, and Nintendo is currently on target for worldwide sales of 154 million units by 2014.

And the convergence doesn't stop there. While the Wii continues its arc toward Sony's crown, the GameCube [http://www.playstation.com]. The GameCube sold 6.75 million units in its first 26 months of release, while the PlayStation 3 has managed a frighteningly similar 6.79 million units.

And how is Xbox 360 [http://www.microsoft.com] is cruising along in distant second, the same place held by the original Xbox back in the day when the PlayStation 2 was the stomper and the GameCube was the stompee. On the upside, according to the NPD, the 360 is selling faster than its predecessor, and even more importantly has begun to turn a profit, something the first Xbox never did.

All is not lost for Sony, of course. The horsepower of the PlayStation 3 and the much-larger market available to it than the GameCube had could very well give the unit a longer lifespan and the possibility of eventually becoming a profitable system for Sony. But as far as victory in the console wars? "The chances of the PS3 making any kind of comeback are becoming increasingly remote, if not impossible," VentureBeat says, "because - let's face it - numbers don't lie."


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[Scarecrow38]

That actually surprises me. I have a Wii and can think of nothing else than "Why oh why did I not buy a 360?" Then again, I think the Wii reaches a much wider target audience with its excercise and sporting games etc.

 

[Trivun]

Each console has its own different appealing features. The Wii is good for casual gameplay, such as WiiFit or WiiSports, and anything along the lines of Mario Kart. However, it also has potential with regards to other games such as Resident Evil 5 (and, it is rumoured, the new Fatal Frame game). The PS3 is a big reliable piece of hardware that has good graphics and power, but doesn't come with the best games or reasons to play. It does its job well, but merely has a deficiency of things where it can do its job. The Xbox 360 is a good all rounder, with good graphics and a powerful engine, but isn't as reliable as the others (especially when you factor in the RRoD). However, it has plenty more games than its rivals which allows for more diverse gameplay and a better selection of reasons to play. Each console has good points and bad points, it is merely up to the gamer to decide what they want to spen their money on.

Just for the record, I own an Xbox 360, while one flatmate has a PS3 and another has a Wii, so I do know what I'm talking about having played all three. I prefer the Xbox, but the others still have their good points too.

 

[Aries_Split]

Each console has its own different appealing features. The Wii is good for casual gameplay, such as WiiFit or WiiSports, and anything along the lines of Mario Kart. However, it also has potential with regards to other games such as Resident Evil 5 (and, it is rumoured, the new Fatal Frame game). The PS3 is a big reliable piece of hardware that has good graphics and power, but doesn't come with the best games or reasons to play. It does its job well, but merely has a deficiency of things where it can do its job. The Xbox 360 is a good all rounder, with good graphics and a powerful engine, but isn't as reliable as the others (especially when you factor in the RRoD). However, it has plenty more games than its rivals which allows for more diverse gameplay and a better selection of reasons to play. Each console has good points and bad points, it is merely up to the gamer to decide what they want to spen their money on.

Just for the record, I own an Xbox 360, while one flatmate has a PS3 and another has a Wii, so I do know what I'm talking about having played all three. I prefer the Xbox, but the others still have their good points too.

Summed up my opinion nice and neatly.

I've yet to have a RROD!

 

[Jumplion]

Okay, I've seen the PS3 be compared to the SEGA Saturn, SEGA Dreamcast, SEGA Genesis, hell pretty much every SEGA console, original Xbox, N64 at one point, Commadore 64 and one point to, and now Gamecube.

Which one is going to be the "official" one?

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Okay, I've seen the PS3 be compared to the SEGA Saturn, SEGA Dreamcast, SEGA Genesis, hell pretty much every SEGA console, original Xbox, N64 at one point, Commadore 64 and one point to, and now Gamecube.

Which one is going to be the "official" one?

Is an elephant more like a wall, a fan, a rope, a pillar, or a spear? Which is going to be the "official" simile for an elephant?

(Which you use depends upon what aspect you're trying to describe.)

-- Steve

 

[irishdelinquent]

Huzzah! Sorry, that's all the enthusiasm I can muster for this.

 

[super_smash_jesus]

Well, How many years is it going to take to turn a profit on PS3's? I had heard that they have lost more money selling ps3's at the price they are than the ps2 consoles brought in. I don't know, I can see sony sticking with the ps3 while the next generation of console gets revealed. However, I can also see nintendo doing the same damn thing...

There is no doubt in my mind that the wii will outsell the ps2, its just a matter of how fast it will happen.

 

[PhoenixFlame]

This isn't surprising at all, considering the strength of the Wii, its widespread appeal and ease of use. The Wii has become a fixture in many homes much like the original Nintendo was back in the day.

I have no doubt the Wii will break the PS2's record (especially with what I believe was 5 million units sold in December, geez, that's crazy even for holiday sales). The Wii is enjoying immense financial success due to the combination of lower cost production and high sales - a combination any company would kill for.

That being said, you still have to wonder about the Wii's long term life. All the people I know who are regular gamers who own a Wii, including myself, now have the Wii as a mere appliance, a showpiece that people point out to visitors or play with people who don't normally like video games, and they don't play it that often. This is of course because the casual games the Wii touts as its flagships are not appealing to me, nor, I would argue, to the core gaming base as a whole.

The Wii may sell more consoles initially, but the real question is how far they can take the casual gamers (talking strictly in years of life) with gateway titles like WiiFit and WiiMusic. There's only so much you can do.

 

[gaara9999]

Well Its not hard to notice that the wii is doing well a bit like Britany Spears and Tantrums but thats beyond the point. tttttYou look at the way people have used graphics and the controller idea is amazing e.g LoZ TP and of course with new graphics comes forth a new game i remember back in the day of spyro becomind a pixalized purple dragon with the ability to blaze sheep and nut people hes now turned into a badass using air combo fighting against large monkeys and things that look like jaffa cakes. The wii is a brilliant idea and is doing well in its currant stage and im sure the more games that come out will mean better things of the wii e.g if you did LoZ TP on say maybe a gamecube or ds it wouldnt be as good as we saw with LoZ PH but the wii has took control of the old sword and shield and created a masterpiece! take a look into the future and just think about what the wii could do Maybe an Upgrade?