NPD: Wii usurps Xbox 360 as best selling US game console, pulling away
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Jul 18th 2008 1:17AM
posted Jul 18th 2008 1:17AM
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Well, that's only because Wii bought one.
(Sorry, I had to do that.)
Wii have one. It's so so. The kids love it so that's all that matters. If it wasn't less expensive than the other consoles we wouldn't have got one. Now, anyone spending more than the retail price for one these is a fool. Fools, Pop the bubble already. I'll stick with my PS3.
I, like most gamers own all three. I also owned all three of last gen's consoles.
Wii:I don't play Wii games much, but I like it because I can play my old GCN games on it, no problem. My two boys enjoy it and I don't have to worry about paying for new games. I like popping in Ocarina of Time for it myself.
PS3: I have the least interest in this console. I like it because it seems to support most of my video formats: I prefer it because I can play my DVDs on it without it sounding like I'm launching a scramjet (I'm looking at you, noisy 360). I can't say I'm too impressed with the games. the non-exclusives- I'll most likely purchase on the PS3 to save myself from listening to the loud 360. As it stands, I purchased the 40G at 399 (I actually traded in frequent flyer miles for both the Wii and the PS3) and I like it fine. Just not compelling enough right now to turn it on all the time.
Xbox360: I used to use it for movies. No longer. I can't stand the noise. PS3 is my DVD player of choice (as I mentioned above). Exclusives are great. Gears, Halo, Mass Effect, I'm looking at you. The fact that PS3 is playing "also-ran" in games like Bioshock doesn't sit well with me--. I play RockBand all the time on the 360 so do my boys and my wife (my wife hates video games and isn't too impressed with the wii). Can't beat it for social interaction. Live is great and to me- well worth the 50 bucks a year. Add on top of that the Netflix this fall, and it could return to be my movie watching platform of choice.
For me, 360 wins this gen. I've already purchased more games for it, I use it more, and I find its exclusives more compelling. I was actually considering selling my PS3 after E3 came out with no real reason to keep playing it. Could finance an Iphone . . .
^^^ and so is Nintendo LOL :P
still think that xbox live is far superior to the competing services (from what i've heard.)
i have a 360 because it has live. if it didn't have live, i wouldn't have bothered to get one.
yes. psn is free. but i've also heard it's terrible.
same goes for the wii. and what great multiplayer games can you play online with the wii? (not being sarcastic, i just don't know of any COD4 equivalents.)
Yeah... i dont really like playstations online. Sure it is free but I just dont like it.
My PS3 doesnt get much use online.
the 360 has had online right from the get go. Everything is set up in a community fashion where it is easy to get your friends together and play.
but it seems to me that there are a lot more people on LIVE.
But a lot of people get wii's and dont use them. i know several people that have wii's but havent used them in a good 3 months.
I think your full of it (from what I've heard).
That's strange. I play my PS3 online all the time. Oh yeah, for free.
You obviously have no idea.. or you're just outdated.
PSN has come leaps and bounds from when it was first launched. It may still not be as smooth an experience as 360, but it still is free compared to 50USD a yr for Live. It is catching up and catching up fast!
Also, I agree there are fewer downloadable games on PSN, but quality over quantity. Almost all the games on PSN are unique, fun, charming and original. XBLA on the other hand, has so much trash!
I'm so tired of this rubbish!
PSN IS FANTASTIC!
Get over it.
No matter how good Live is, this is only of significant value to teenage hardcore gamers (xbox 360s primary market) who want to compare 'ranks' and all of that stuff that does not interest functioning grown-ups.
XBL is superior? PSN is fantastic? wtf people.
this is what you need it for. JOIN A SERVER! PLAY THE FKN GAME.
but just so you know. I would rather use fkn DOS!!!!! as the interface then pay for some mediocre bs that i can download of torrents.
p.s Dos is fkn kikass. so is teh terminal!
Yay!! Down with the evil empire (Microsoft)....
Wii outsells 360 nearly 3:1
PS3 outsells 360 nearly 2:1
360 blew its load way too early. Guess there is something to this 10 year cycle.
10 print "f*ck you Microsoft"
20 goto 10
If all you have done is "heard", and not actually tried the other services, how do you have any basis or credability to judge which one you think is better?
@XcRuNk:
Wow, you are an idiot. So Microsoft is the "Evil Empire" and Sony who secretly puts rootkits on people's computers is what? An angel? And Nintendo who is one of the least "green" companies out there is also an angel? You are the epitome of idiot fanboy. These are ALL giant corporations whose sole purpose it is to make money. Sony is nobody's friend. Microsoft couldn't care less about you. And Nintendo is just as bad as both of them.
And if you knew how to read you'd see that these are statistics for the month of June alone. The 360 still has a lead in total sales over the PS3.
And even if the PS3 outsold the 360, what would that mean? That people like BluRay? Because they both have most of the same games even though the 360 has more and better exclusives. So your blatant fanboyism is just that. Mindless, ignorant, fanboyism. Get over it. It's just a game. Pick your poison and shut up.
@xcrunk
I don't think they "blew their load" too early, I think that one of the main reasons everything else has outsold 360 recently is due to the fact that everyone already has a 360.
Guys...whatever.
I think overall, this is GOOD NEWS.
Microsoft isn't going down without a fight or a wheel barrel full of hundred dollar bills. This thing is going to get ugly really fast.
And we, the consumer, will win from the elevated competition between the console makers.
Now if only Microsoft could build a unit that was GUARANTEED not to RROD and drop the price to $249, I would jump on board.
by the way Zach...
the PS2 reached over 125 million units sold over 8 years. If everyone already has an XBOX 360 what happened to the other 100 million people? I believe 360 has sold through over just over 20 million units in three years.
If they peaked, that's not a good sign.
The NPD numbers show the 360 just outselling the PS2, yeah, Playstation 2. What's wrong with that picture?
Zach, don't you mean everyone has a Wii?
The article is about how the Wii has now OUTSOLD the 360 over it's entire lifetime, even though the 360 had a year head start!
Well really I was talking monthly sales, but your right Scott, I didn't see that it was a total. But I really think in terms on PS3 vs. 360. I think Wii is a cool idea and all, but I got really bored with it really fast. I don't think of it so much as a traditional game system as I do one of those old Tiger Electronics games. Fun to play every once in awhile but a little boring. Of course thats just personal opinion, nothing more, and I think some really kick ass games could be made for the Wii. As far as PS3 vs 360, the only reason I had a 360 was for Halo, which got boring, so now I think somebody needs to come up with a new killer game that is exclusive to "win" the console wars. All just opinion of course.
...to be low ranked.
Wii all knew this would happen eventually.
LOL, a video of a press release, huh? Hadn't seen Rick in a while...
Once is enough, dude. Low rank, attack!!
Fail
"666 thousand Wii consoles were sold in June"
It's an interesting number coming from a kid-friendly console maker...
my thoughts exactly, +1
I for one welcome our new phallic overlords
I still can't find them in stores. I've had one since 2006, but you can go to any Bestbuy, Wal-mart or Target around here and NOTHING. You have to get lucky. STILL..after this long.
Just imagine how many they would have sold if they could have actually kept up with the demand!
Very nice. Good job for Nintendo.
well duh. All x-box is good for is shoot um up games. I would know since I play them. The wii on the other hand has potential
I love the irony here.
It really comes down to Xbox Live vs. Blu-Ray at this point. The systems cost about the same especially when the 20 GBs sell out and we're back to $349.
Just goes to show that graphics aren't everything.
Right- when it comes to sales numbers obviously mass market appeal is.
I'd be curious to know (rather difficult statistic to collect) how much each one of these systems (cumulative hours per system) is actually used?
They sell a lot and I know a lot of people that have them but folks don't seem to play them much- like they're a novelty.
not really. Not many 3rd party developers on board with the wii. Its a novelty at best, with wii owners buying them then decorating entertainment centers with them. If you want to sell games, you'd better look elsewhere, wii owners aren't buying games, they're all playing wii sports and wii fit.
Nobody is buying Wii games? Then how have the sold 25% more games in their first 19 months than any console in history? Or maybe you're just full of yourself and have no idea what you're talking about.
http://www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/p1000595b.jpg
http://gamer.blorge.com/2008/04/27/xbox-360-leads-software-attach-rate-even-the-wii-beats-ps3/
A) The Xbox 360 has been out a year longer, giving users time to buy more games (29 months vs. 17 for Wii as of your link).
B) The Wii has sold far more consoles. That means that even if owners buy fewer games per system games can still easily outsell those on the Xbox.
C) The attach rates are closing. As of November the tie-in rates for the Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 were 3.86, 4.01, and 6.85, respectively. That means between November and April the average Wii owner bought 1.4 games, 360 owners 0.7 games, and PS3 owners 0.5 games.
D) You didn't make a claim about attach rates, you made a claim about sales. The fact is the Wii is selling more games than any console in history. Period. Attach rates are irrelevant to that argument.
You know they could keep up with demand if companys would stop holding them back for weekend sales and just sell them when they get them in. Thats the reason nobody can find one on the shelf, its not because there's a supply problem its a retailer problem. Just like wii-fit and mario kart its a greedy we have to hold them for our weekend ad problem.
No Robert they hold them because theres not enough for weekend AND weekdays. So its Nintendo's fault. you douche.
@Robert
If you advertise something, you have to have it in stock or at least include the minimum on had stock per store in the advertisement. That's why you never saw PS3 or Wii hardware in advertisements for the longest time, nobody could guarantee that they would have enough units on hand. So if they do get them in and they have an ad coming up, they hold them to meet those minimums. Its not a damn conspiracy or anything.
The 360 is in pretty deep trouble! The PS3 sold almost double what it did, in what is the PS3's weakest market and the 360's strongest. Meanwhile, the 360 is struggling to outsell the 7/8 year old PS2!
that was mostly because of the release of metal gear. i bet the sales of both consoles will be more similar in july
did anybody ever mention that NPD is what the current German Nazi Party is called? That abbreviation always kills me once it shows up in my feedreader, I just expect something different ;)
martin
Godwin's Law materializes again! :)
"As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."
OK, not Usenet, but valid by extension :)
Remember wii360? Looks like its just the wii now.
I sold my X360 becasue, one got a wii, I wasn't using it at all.
I just played PES from time ti time, but for that I can use the PC.
The wii, on the other hand, has plenty of good games in my opinion (and Plenty * 100 crap games yes!).
You just have to play just those. And now, with The Conduit, Wii sports resort, Wii music (I'm anticipating this one), the 2 star wars games, the wiimoteplus etc... we will see another boost on saled.
It will be hard for the XBox to regain that position in this generation. My money's not on it. But with enough killer apps--FFXIII, Gears of War II--they might be able to lessen the rate that the Wii is pulling away.
But FFXIII is'nt exclusive!!
Oh but FFXIII Versus is......to the PS3.
The reason Wii does well is because it is cheap, is easily accesible to people who struggle with complex controller systems, and most importantly is designed to be fun rather than 'serious and competitive' like many of the other consoles.
I think Microsoft and Sony have too much focus on 'serious and competitive' games, which are stressful and really not appealing to a mass market. Bring back Sam and Max.
One has to wonder if "Best selling" equals "Most profitable". The money in these things comes largely from the amount of games sold. Last I heard, 360 was in the lead with an attach rate of 7 games. What's the attach rate for Wii?
in this case best selling is most profitable. wii was making a profit on hardware from day one , they had no hardware problems excpt a minor one. i dont know exact figures but with the 360's hardwe nightmare and sellinh the console at loss in the first couple of years i think wii is leading on profitabilty.
Regardless of the attach rate, each Wii sold has been a profit for Nintendo. The Wii was never sold at a loss to the company, right from the very beginning.
The 360 and PS3, on the other hand, were both sold at a loss to their respective companies for a substantial part of their lives. This means the attach rate for these consoles is what is/was important for profit. Nintendo, on the other hand, could be selling no games at all and still raking in the dough.
I've got 22 Wii games, though, not including the pack-ins like Wii sports and Link's crossbow training.
The Wii sold 60 million games in its first 19 months, compared with about 35 for the Xbox 360 during its first 19 months. The console itself is also more profitable for Nintendo, so I wouldn't worry about their bottom line.
But how many of the Wii software sales includes WiiPlay? Which is REALLY a accessory sale, not software, IMO. I don't have any research, but every time they show the top 10 software sales, it seems WIiplay is always there.
Just wondering what the sales/attach rate is if you exclude Wiiplay...
apples to oranges comparison. As a developer its not a matter of whether you're going to turn you AAAA title out on the wii, 360 or the ps3, but rather hte 360 or the ps3. Wii owners have a super low attach rate and buy maybe 1-3 games a year unlike their 360/ps3 counterparts. I'd equate the wii to a dvd player or board game before I equate it to the ps3/360. \
I must be an extraordinary Wii owner then. I've had one for a little over a year and own...23 games.
And I'm not made of money either. I just really, really enjoy their game lineup and set aside money over time for anticipated games. I'm not a Nintendo fanboy by nature either, as I own maybe 7 GCN games, compared to about 40 PS2 games.
There was the longest time that I really wanted a PS3 simply so I could actually play next-gen hockey, but now with NHL 2K9 getting a Wii release (way to drop the ball again, EA Sports) with special controls for the Wiimote, I really have no reason to even consider another console at least for a few years (price drop with a PS3 slim?).
kudos to you dude, but the stats show that you're in the minority. I'd search it up but I'm on company time now :X
Don't look now, but Wii games have outsold PS3 games nearly 3 to 1. http://www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/p1000595b.jpg
pwned!
Fred: Last I heard, Microsoft was just now breaking even on console sales. It took them 2 yrs to get to that point. Wiis have been profitable(system along) since Day 1. The have to have an attach rate of at least 3 games per system more than Wii just to break even.
It's funny that Nintendo out-marketed Microsoft.
It'd be interesting to see how many games have been sold for each console. I wouldn't be suprised if Wii's bottom of that list.
i bought a wii as well, but the only game i bought for it is wii fit cuz i needed the board. That system will never see another dollar in terms of games from me. So yah many people buy the system, but does anyone buy any games for it? I got my 360 and I buy games for that thing on regularly because the games are in HD and are well worth it. So just cuz the wii sells alot, doesn't mean anyone other then nintendo is making any money on it
Super Smash Bros was the last game I bought for my Wii, and that was mainly because it doesn't use the pointing/motion sensing features of the Wiimote at all. If I want a workout, I'll go to the gym. If I want a good gaming experience, I'll stick with my PC or PS3.
Well...seeing as how the Wii is about $150-200 cheaper than a 360 (not counting the core), it would make sense that it'd sell more.
If you look at what your getting the best value system is the 360. The Wii is pretty expensive for what you're getting. Its not that powerful of a system (no HD at all) , you don't get any built in storage and wiimotes + nunchucks are pretty expensive. Not to mention the "Pro" 360 will be $300 for a while till they phase out the 20gb model.
No wonder nintendo is making a profit. Thats a good thing though.
Too bad the Wii has nothing but kiddie games. It was interesting at first, but after trying to play anything beyond Wii Sports, it quickly becomes an exercise in frustration and boredom.
Yeah, that "No More Heroes" sure is a kiddie game with all that blood and cursing.
There is no stopping the Wii or Nintendo now. They have sold their souls to the devil :o
They are doing something right, because people are still flocking to it. My 60 year old father in law just bought one with a bunch of games. I currently own all 3 and Before my son was born, I was all about the 360. The Wii got very little love and the PS3 has only seen Blu-ray discs for more than a year. Now that my son is more "Aware" I've traded in 90% of my 360 collection, yet still retain my 100plus original Xbox games, for family friendly Wii games and I couldn't be happier, because now my non gaming wife love playing the Wii. The 360 only gets used for Rock Band and GH. I'd say that I'm pretty close to 50 Wii titles and If I have the urge for some quick violence, I just fire up the PSP for a PS2 port. I could play some of the 360 games I've held onto after he goes to bed, but I have no problem getting my gaming fix on the Wii.
As more and more people get HDTVs, Wii's market will be challenged. I was watching blu-ray at a store the other day and my jaw just dropped.
Don't try to bring up the "profitability" card against Nintendo. If there's one thing Nintendo knows how to do, it's make money. Remember, they've never lost money on a console. EVER. They're not willing to play that game, so not only do they make money on every console, they sell the most!
Bah .. that was supposed to be directed @FRED
ding ding ding.
ashley are you single? :)
nintendo is making ridiculous money indeed. Its insane. Good for them.
The media convinced everyone that they had to have a Wii just like th emedia convinced everyone that they had to have an iPhone. America has completely turned to a mob mentality with buying habits. I guess that is what you get with so much control over two generations. We really are almost to the point of the humans in Wal-E. "Blue is the new Red" everyone changes to blue.
On the merits of a system to play games, the Wii is terrible. On the merits of hype, the Wii is like no other console before it. No family wants to be left out, you aren't good parents unless you get a Wii.
My Wii just sits there with nothing to play, so much promise bt so much garbage. I don't think I would ever miss it if it was gone, but my wife is begging me for Wii Fit. She will use it twice and then it will never turn on again. Nintendo got me for $250, and another $75 for a second WiiMote and Nunchuck, then $90 for WiiFit. SO I will have paid over $400 for something that will get about a months worth of playtime in over a year, just to keep the wife happy. SUch is the brilliant marketing campaign by Nintendo.
I agree with you on the games thing....I see games I want coming. But I have not played mine in a few months because nothing is exciting me now. And E3 did nothing for me (except The Conduit.)
America has always shopped like that, you can go through our consumer history and hype, hype, hype has always sold. Was the PS2 any different? It still says something that a company can generate that kind of hype for a product. The media just gives us what we want (or tries too).
Is anyone tired of how people keep saying the Wii only sells more because it is cheaper. If I remember people laughed when the "revolution" was announced, look who's laughing now.
The Wii sells more because people are not as interested in paying for a HD gaming device (or movie player) as Sony and Microsoft thought they were. Nintendo stepped back and decided to go a different way, something tells me the next generation Sony and Microsoft will follow.
Nintendo has won this generation of gaming by creating a new market. The only question is whether Sony will catch Microsoft in that market. I think they will.
I love my Wii.
I enjoy the fact that myself and all my mates (male and female) can get leathered and competitive playing Sports, Racing and all the other top team games for the Wii together.
And then I go to my bro's and watch him and several mates customise a car and race it round a track for 3 hours on his PS3, then we play a team game, which generally consists of him taking me out with continuous headshots until I'm so narked off, i throw the pad at his face.
I have also tried playing Halo online... man that is fun, but it gets boring really quickly. Plus its all about the 14 year old boys smack-talking each other. Boom another headshot... thats it I'm off.
All this talk about which console is better? Its horses for courses!
If you are a boy (or man), who enjoys killing and racing things and have lots of money and few friends, go for the PS3 and Xbox 360
If you like the idea of playing games as a team, that is easy to pick up use the Wii.
I don't understand how the PS3 or 360 expect to compete when their market is aim entirely at teenage boys.
Umm I think you are talking about the 360 and what your brother likes to use it for, rather than the PS3 or people who use the 360 for completely different types of games then the ones you mentioned. There are other types of games that simply do not exist on the Wii, where the player is immersed in a world created by the game developers (such as GTAIV). This is just like reading a book or watching movies, and involes rich and compelling storylines.
And really, if you don't have a job and need to play against girls because you suck at games, don't take it out on everybody else.
Absolutely and how does playing GTAIV differ from the same experience received on the PS2 before it - oh yeah the graphics are better....wow big change.
Oh and how much fun it was watching your friend play it for 13 hours as you get drunk by his side.
You completely missed my point RobertTurbo, but that is forgivable.
PS3 and 360 will always be aimed primarly at solo gamers. The wii is more like a gangbang.
Are you saying that Zelda and Mario are not as immersive as GTAIV? Have you actually played them? Ultimately the arguements for these machines always comes down to "oh the graphics on the wii are horrible compared to PS3 and 360".
As you can see that has meant a lot to those buying Wii's (n't).
See you in a years time, when even more have been sold, and the PS3 (glorified bluray player) and 360 (shooting or racing games only) lag even further behind.
badger out.
The 1st comment is actually appropriate -and funny- here. I wish I could see who ranked this low, so I can rank THEM low.
Nintendo is so stupid. If they simply made the Wii a high-def platform they would totally dominate. The Wii mote and nunchuck control scheme is great, especially when the game developer does not go out of their way to make you shake the remote.
I bought an Xbox 360 just to play GTA4 but i would have preferred to play it on a high def Wii.
For instance, playing Resident Evil 4 withWii controls is far superior to playing it with PS2 controls.
Hopefully Nintendo will smarten up and make a Wii 2 with a blu-ray drive soon
Very impressive numbers for Nintendo, hopefully they can keep up the buzz with some new exciting game releases.
The lifespan of the Wii can only be prolonged with decent upcoming games, and not yet another party game or something like it...
That said there are some fab Nintendo Wii games out there though!
Have a look at my top 5 here:
http://www.hypedworld.com/games/top-51-nintendo-wii-games/
=)
by the end of 08 the ps3 will probaly b ahead of 360 and might b ahead of wii i dont think u should judge the ps3 just cause the internet it actually pretty good