Global sales of Nintendo's Wii top 50 million

Friday 27th March, 06:11 AM JST

TOKYO —

Game maker Nintendo Co said Thursday global sales of its popular Wii video game console have topped 50 million since it went on sale worldwide in late 2006.

Nearly 50% of the total sales of the Wii machine were in the United States and Canada, with Europe accounting for about 40% and Japan taking much of the rest, said the maker of Pokemon and Super Mario games.

The Wii hit stores first in the United States in November 2006, and went on sale in Japan and Europe in early December of the same year.

The Wii game console has quickly become a smash hit, in large part due to its unique wireless controller. The wand-like controller is equipped with motion sensors that allow users to control game action by jabbing and swinging it through the air. Wii games, including “Wii Fit,” “Wii Play,” and “Mario Kart Wii,” have all become global best sellers.

Apart from the Wii console, Nintendo has sold more than 100 million Nintendo DS portable handheld game machines worldwide in just four years and 3 months—a milestone reached at the quickest pace for any video game console.

Compared to Sony, which has long appealed to hard-core gamers with its PlayStation series, Nintendo has scored hits with easier-to-play games that attract newcomers to gaming, including the elderly.

Nintendo’s DS comes with a touch panel, making it possible to play some games without dealing with complex button-pushing.

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13 Comments

japanyesterday at 08:39 AM JST - 27th March

congrats nintendo, your scheme worked. now you've made the most profit and have the lamest system on the market. no doubt wii fit and mario kart are the coolest games ever made.
IchyaWarFare at 01:17 PM JST - 27th March

Not sure if this has happened to anyone, but if your Wii breaks, make sure to pay to get it fixed. Do not just buy another one. The DL content on it will not transfer over like it does with a 360 or PS3. None of the saves or anything and unless you are real tech sauve, it is not that expensive.
archiebald at 05:26 PM JST - 27th March

This is great. I remember when the Wii was announced and was going up against the Xbox360 and PS2, everyone said it would fail due to the specs.

But what it has proved is that game playability and content is far more important than pixels.

A nice case of substance over style.
DjAntomattei at 12:25 AM JST - 28th March

games that attract newcomers to gaming, including the elderly.

Great just what everyone wants, to play games with their grandma. Leave me with my death machines in peace, not this watered down gimmickery crap. Faint of heart please go away.
cwhite at 02:46 AM JST - 28th March

the only game console I don't have nor want
ClassWarUK at 02:42 PM JST - 28th March

Great result for the worlds least environmentally friendly company and with poor ethics. Check what Nintendo did to the bloke who invented the GameBoy. I will boycott their goods for life. WII is an updated Gamecube, with graphics no better than 1998's Sega DRewamcast. It's all in theb marketing. Games were interactive over 10 years ago , check out Dreamcast and PS1 DDR and DReamcast Samba De Amigo. The Wii is an overpriced pile of trash for kids and old people. Hrdcore gamers like me shun it. it's crap.
PaulieWalnuts at 08:37 PM JST - 28th March

Great result for the worlds least environmentally friendly company and with poor ethics. Check what Nintendo did to the bloke who invented the GameBoy. I will boycott their goods for life

in your other post today you mentioned buying a bunch of nintendo games and stopping at Mcdonalds for shaka shaka chicken. here it is

Bought 46 Dreamcast/Saturn and SNES games for 6700 YEn that a store was selling off. The stores like Book Off are putting down their prices and i noticed MCdonalds and put back the Shaka Shka chicken and McPork burger to teh 100Y menu

so do you like the world's 'least environmentally friendly companies' or not. bit confused over here. oi oi oi
PaulieWalnuts at 01:55 AM JST - 29th March

not quite a boycott then eh? more like capitalist exploitation of sweatshop industries, or at least I imagine that's how your anarcho mates might term it bewtwixt swigs of cider
Himajin at 02:53 AM JST - 29th March

Great just what everyone wants, to play games with their grandma.

Hey, you should see the elderly get into Wii bowling! A lot of nursing homes are using it, and therapists are recommending Wii Fit for older people too. Get Wii bowling up on a big screen and it's almost like the real thing, all they have to do is learn how to let go of the B button to release the ball...they don't have to learn a whole process to play.Regular games are too hard for older people to learn to play, and they aren't exercise.

It your not a stick in the mud, it is rather fun to do with the family, we did Wii bowling, baseball and golf all during New Year's holidays.
Himajin at 02:54 AM JST - 29th March

'If you're' sorry for the typo...
japanyesterday at 10:27 AM JST - 30th March

This is great. I remember when the Wii was announced and was going up against the Xbox360 and PS2, everyone said it would fail due to the specs.

to the true gamers, the wii on a whole did fail. sure they can brag how well the system is selling but its all about the games. 95% of the games on the wii sucks, end of story.
Himajin at 10:46 AM JST - 30th March

It's a for a different demographic.
Psych at 12:48 PM JST - 30th March

quite fun for me. my arm hurts playing wii sports. there arent that many, but hey, im not the pro gammer. its just fun to do something active on rainy days or days when its before paydays. It would be great to get games here in japan from overseas. (darn regional restrictions...)