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NPD says: A winner is Wii in the U.S.
One of the benefits of being a major company is that you get to find out things first -- like how much stuff you sold. When the NPD Group informed Nintendo of the most recent figures, the Big N sent a love text to our Joystiq overlords, bragging about their current sales standings in the U.S.But we already know that the Wii sells a lot, so what's the big deal this time? According to Nintendo, NPD figures confirm that the Wii has surpassed its competitors as the North American console leader. As of today, the Wii has sold almost 10.9 million units, which was enough to give it the edge over the Xbox 360. Of course, there's much more to being the king of consoles than selling a lot of hardware, as you need the software to match. However you feel about the Wii's game library, though, this is quite an accomplishment for the little white console that could.
DFC says Wii to be cause behind $57 billion gaming market in 2009
Hollywood, eat your heart out. It looks like gaming is lined up to be a big money enterprise come next year (as if it isn't already), according to analyst firm DFC Intelligence. David Cole, one of the firm's analysts, thinks that the driving force behind this sharp rise is none other than the Wii."The Wii does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time," said Cole. Another analyst, Jeremy Miller, is quick to point out that Nintendo is also a very successful publisher, stating "The Wii not only has unique features and a broad demographic appeal, but Nintendo is dominant as a software publisher." Despite Nintendo's winning formula that is the Wii, the firm sees the PS3 selling more than the Wii in 2012. We know of at least one entity that agrees.[Via Joystiq]
Apple Notebook Shipments Skyrocket 61%
This is a good news, bad news story. Let's start with the good news! DisplaySearch, a market research firm, is reporting that Apple's sales of notebook computers are up 61% from 1st Quarter, 2007 to 1st Quarter, 2008. In that fiscal quarter, Apple shipped over 1.4 million notebooks, compared to almost 900,000 the year before. That puts Apple just behind Asus in terms of growth year-to-year, as the Taiwanese board and component maker saw a 67% growth rate. Most other notebook manufacturers saw growth rates in the 20 - 40% range.The bad news? Apple's still in seventh place in overall notebook market share at 4.6%, trailing behind leaders HP (20.8%), Dell (15.1%), and Acer (14.7%) but still ahead of Asus (4.3%) and Sony (4.2%).My personal speculation is that Asus is seeing huge increases due to the Eee PC subnotebook, which has been extremely popular with geeks wanting tiny Linux or Windows computers. If trends continue, Apple's notebook market share numbers should continue to grow into 2008.[via DisplaySearch]
DS download centers and new colors boost sales in the UK
Following word that the UK would be receiving some new download stations, as well as some new DS Lite models, we now hear that this new switch is driving sales in the region. It's pretty much a winning combo.Despite the success, don't bet on more DS Lite models being released anytime soon. "There are now seven different DS colours available, so we have no plans to release more colours at this time," said a Nintendo spokesperson. The new download centers, however, will be rolling out in a "steady and consistent manner," so expect new demos on a regular basis.
Wii releases in Taiwan next month
Following its recent release to Korea, Nintendo has made an official announcement that the console will now also release in Taiwan. On July 12th, gamers will be able to nab a Wii of their very own. And, even better than the Japanese, their console will come bundled with Wii Sports. Do you think sales will be as poor as Korea?
May NPD: Um ... take a guess
It was a good month for Wii, as the system again sold the most in the United States. However, sales were down, likely due to shortages of Wii Fit. And, as you'd expect, people went crazy for that high-tech Balance Board and software. But, hey, a win is a win, right? So let's pop those champagne corks and get the party started!NPD Hardware sales for May 2008:Wii: 714.2K 39.1K (5.5%)DS: 414.8K 37.8K (9.1%)PSP: 192.7K 10.4K (5.4%)Xbox 360: 188K 1.4K (0.8%)PS3: 187.1K 21.6K (11.5%)PS2: 124.4K 8.3K (6.7%)The software sales have been pushed past the break. And, like with the software sales above, you'll probably like what you'll see.
May NPD: Buoyant
"Safe and steady" was the theme of May's NPD figures, with no console either enjoying a majestic surge or suffering a crushing collapse -- the DS simply registered a decent if unspectacular 9% rise in hardware sales. As it turns out, that bump was timely, because it meant the console reached 20 million units sold in North America, a landmark that has now been passed in all major regions.Of course, we could snicker at how the PSP only clinched 29% of the handheld market, and so we will. Wii: 714.2K 39.1K (5.5%) DS: 414.8K 37.8K (9.1%) PSP: 192.7K 10.4K (5.4%) Xbox 360: 188K 1.4K (0.8%) PS3: 187.1K 21.6K (11.5%) PS2: 124.4K 8.3K (6.7%) Software sales are waiting past the break.
Nintendo teams up with distributor to bring DS to Taiwan
For all of you in Taiwan who have relied on non-official distribution to satisfy your need for Nintendo, know that a new third-party distributor has made a deal with Nintendo to supply the region with video games from the Kyoto-based company. FarEasTone (FET) will be teaming up with Nintendo to provide the region with DS units and hopefully find as receptive a market as the handheld has in all other regions of the world it's available for sale. Two specific models of DS Lite were mentioned, in the crimson black (or "senior") unit and a "New Super Mario DS Lite console." The handheld will be available from July 3rd on.
Poor Korean sales due to region restrictions?
So things haven't been so great in Korea for the Wii. Since the console's release to the region, it has moved a low number of consoles and software. Perhaps offering up new bundles and some smart marketing will help turn this around.Over at GI.biz, they're claiming that the low sales numbers has to do with Nintendo enabling the Korean Wii to only play Korean titles. Apparently, Korean gamers want to import the big Japanese games, but they can't because of the restrictions. We could see how this is a problem.Still, when compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3, which have sold 150,000 and 50,000 units respectively, the Wii is doing much better, selling almost as many PS3s in its first month alone.
E.U. topples U.S., becomes second largest gaming market
Looks like we'll have to start focusing on your region more, Europeans, as it's come to our attention you folks love yourselves some video games. This news comes courtesy of Nielsen Games, who found out that the Europe Union spent over a billion more (in U.S. dollars) on video games in 2007.Another interesting statistic comes from the average age of a gamer in the UK: 33 years old. On top of that, 42 percent of UK game players have children. This ties into another nice statistic, which shows 81 percent of parents across Europe admitting that they often enjoy games with their children.It would seem the landscape is changing across Europe, for the better. Gaming is looking to be viewed in more and more of a favorable light. Now, if only we could get some of that over here in the United States. Because, here, if you play games, you must be a child.
Wii's kryptonite is Korea, apparently
It would appear that Nintendo has found the one place on the globe that isn't foaming at the mouth for the Wii. In recently launching the console to Koreans, GameShot is reporting that the console only sold 35,000 units of its initial shipment of 50,000. Wow, that's just crazy, considering that we here in the U.S. snatched up almost 20 times that last month.As for games, the top sellers were: Wii Sports - 30,000 copies sold Swing Golf Pangya - 8,000 copies sold Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure - 8,000 copies sold FIFA 08 - 2,000 copies [Via Kotaku]
CNET sees PS3 beating Wii ... in 2012
You see that chart right there? That's the predicted outcome of the console war this generation, courtesy of CNET. Aside from the hate in your heart caused by those black bars cruising past those lovely blue ones around the year 2012, what else do you see? Grim future for that Xbox 360? According to CNET, it will be.What do you all think about this projected outcome? Do you think the Wii's popularity will sustain at such a high level for the next 4 years (it does have a lot going for it)? Do you see the demand dying down a bit soon? Also, what are all those people of the future buying PS3s for? Is it a prediction of the future for some kind of alternate universe where the PS3 has games worth playing?[Via NeoGAF]
Japan's six top-selling Wii games are ...
Oh, Japan, how we love you. And you love us back simply by existing. Mecca for gamers, the country has more video games than Halle Berry has bad post-Oscar career choices. Every gaming nerd on the planet would love to live there.So, what Wii games do the Japanese public enjoy most? Well, it's not that surprising this list of the six top-selling Wii titles in Japan. But, we know how much you all love this kind of data, so without further delay, let's get to the numbers!The Wii's six top-selling games in Japan are: Wii Sports - 2,979,275 units sold total Wii Play - 2,368,967 units sold total Wii Fit - 2,038,730 units sold total Smash Bros. Brawl - 1,620,119 units sold total Mario Party 8 - 1,254,542 units sold total Mario Kart Wii - 1,227,169 units sold total All first-party titles. Big shocker there! Do you enjoy obsessing over sales data? Well, we've got you covered. Our monthly reports on the U.S. figures appear courtesy of NPD, and we also cover the weekly sales figures from Japan and several countries in Europe. Odds are, we're covering the beat where you live, so check out what folks are buying!
April NPD: Freefall
Ouch! Only the Wii escaped a big drop in hardware sales this month (thanks, we suspect, to Mario Kart), with DS numbers tumbling a hefty 40.6% (perhaps that Metallic Rose model is arriving in the nick of time?).Fortunately for Nintendo, every other rival platform chose this month for a dramatic plummet -- we can't be the only ones surprised that Grand Theft Auto IV didn't give the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 a bigger end-of-month bump?Hardware sales Wii: 714.2K 6.8K (0.94%) DS: 414.8K 283.2K (40.6%) PSP: 192.7K 104.3K (35.1%) Xbox 360: 188K 74K (28.2%) PS3: 187.1K 69.9K (27.2%) PS2: 124.4K 91.6K (42.4%) Software figures are past the break.
NPD: April sees Wii on top (yet again)
Well, you should all be used to this by now. Sound the trumpets and all that, Nintendo dominated the U.S. market yet another month, proving Pachter's prediction right. Even though that Grand Theft Auto IV game released in April, Mario Kart Wii was still in the running. But, before we get to software sales, we should probably check the hardware charts.Hardware sales- Wii: 714.2K 6.8K (0.94%) - DS: 414.8K 283.2K (40.6%) - PSP: 192.7K 104.3K (35.1%) - Xbox 360: 188K 74K (28.2%) - PS3: 187.1K 69.9K (27.2%) - PS2: 124.4K 91.6K (42.4%)%Gallery-4772%
Pachter: Wii owned in April, despite GTA IV release
The NPD numbers aren't going to be available until later this week, but Michael Pachter is still doing his thing and tossing some predictions out there. With that Grand Theft Auto IV game releasing in April (and shattering records like crazy), many might think that Nintendo is going to have to relinquish its throne for a short while, like when that Halo 3 game released. Pachter doesn't think so, however, and called for another victory for Nintendo.600,000 units is the magic number, according to the analyst, as he says Wii will once again reign supreme when the April NPD numbers release. Considering a pretty big Wii title released during that month, we're inclined to agree with the man.
Wii surpasses six million in Japan
Japan just loves that Wii, as news breaks today of the console enjoying a very successful life in the country. Over 6 million units have been sold, which breaks down to 4.68% of the Japanese population owning a Wii. With over 128 million people living in the country, it's easy to see how incredibly impressive such a figure is.The inevitable comparisons between the Wii and the PS2 are also something to consider. The PS2 has sold 20 million units in the region, but has been on the market since 2000. The Wii is gaining ground on it and has only been on shelves for about a tenth of the PS2's lifespan. Can the Wii keep up this level of success? Only time will tell.
Amazon sells out of Wii Fit preorders
For those of you who did not preorder Wii Fit and think it won't be a problem picking the bundle up on release date through walk-in at your local retail spot, know this: Amazon has cleared through their entire preorder stock in less than a month. It comes out to about 2.5 units sold every minute, according to an Amazon representative that spoke with Joystiq.It looks like the grim picture painted by Michael Pachter is coming true. Wii Fit fever has caught on, thanks in part to the software and Balance Board, as well as the mainstream media coverage and marketing push from Nintendo. Our advice? If you haven't planned on how you're going to get Wii Fit by now, there's a good chance you won't be able to nab one on release day.%Gallery-4745%[Via Joystiq]
Nintendo's strides in Europe good for the industry?
Analysts at DFC Intelligence are preparing to release their gaming industry forecasts soon, and they see Nintendo's domination in Europe as a good thing not just for the company, but for the industry overall. See, they think that over the next few years Nintendo will continue to dominate there, with the benefit coming from Nintendo's success showing their competitors the region is a strong marketplace and deserving of more focus.But, with all of this attention being turned to Europe in the future, supposedly, can it be a bad thing for Nintendo in the end? Added attention means added competition, but we're not too sure that Nintendo needs to worry about anything. In the U.S. and Japan, two very strong markets, Nintendo is still kicking butt and selling its products like there is no tomorrow. So while Nintendo's success in the region might drive the competition to more aggressively pursue consumers there, the appeal of the DS and Wii are much too great, in our eyes. At least, for the time being.
Pachter: Nintendo sales forecasts 'exceedingly conservative'
Michael Pachter, the industry analyst we all know, thinks that Nintendo isn't giving themselves enough credit and that they stand to sell far more than they realize. Nintendo, who sees themselves selling 187 million units of software for the DS (up from 185.6 million units the previous year), as well as 98.6 million units of hardware (up from 70.6 million units last year), might be pushing more product than they think. Pachter says the company is "executing flawlessly," and we're hard-pressed to find any reason to disagree with him. As for his thoughts on what Nintendo will sell, he sees the DS software sales rising past Nintendo's projections to 210 million units (wow). On the hardware side, he doesn't care to comment on an exact figure, so we'll just leave it at that.Do you expect 210 million games to be sold on the DS this year? With some big titles around the corner, which do you see selling the best on the handheld?
