HW Sales PlayStation 2 173.5K PlayStation 3 232.4K PSP 238.1K Xbox 360 347.2K Wii 687.0K Nintendo DS 536.8K Top 10 SW Sales Publisher Release Date Rank # Units 360 STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED LUCASARTS Sep-08 1 610K WII WII FIT W/ BALANCE BOARD NINTENDO OF AMERICA May-08 2 518K 360 ROCK BAND 2 MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS Sep-08 3 363K WII MARIO KART W/ WHEEL NINTENDO OF AMERICA Apr-08 4 353K PS3 STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED LUCASARTS Sep-08 5 325K 360 MERCENARIES 2: WORLD IN FLAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-08 6 297K WII WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA Feb-07 7 243K 360 MADDEN NFL 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-08 8 224K WII STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED LUCASARTS Sep-08 9 223K PS2 MADDEN NFL 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-08 10 158K
I'm sure it will hurt, although I do know that the video game industry (at least in the US...and probably Europe too) has been really strong despite the economic conditions in the past few years (EX: Sept 08 numbers were 7% down from Sept 07, which was 75% up from Sept 06). It does seem like a strong industry that still has a lot of growth. I'm not a business guy or anything (far from it actually), so I don't know if that seems unusual or anything given the circumstances.
I don't understand how or why people continue to buy Wii's at such a crazy rate. I think it is ridiculous that it has been 2 years since this stupid thing came out and you still can't find them at stores? Give me a break. It's not even that great of a system. We hardly, if ever, play ours.
Simple...it appeals to women. It targets a different market that PS3 and the 360 dont target. Also, parents that have kids that are 10 and under would prefer buying the Wii for their kids instead of PS3/360...probably because the latter offers more games of violence, war, crude language, etc... Now, not saying that those are the reasons why the sales remain so absurdly strong, but they are definitely contributing factors.
Probably true. Then you have the regular, longtime gamers that would play Nintendo games anyway and would add it to their collection. Lots of 360/PS3 owners will add it as a secondary system as well. Just all around would appeal to a wide 'potential audience'.
We picked one up a few months after the Wii came out. I was keen to get one to play the new Metroid game (underwhelming and a rehash of Prime and Echoes) as well as being able to download old games. The bonus for me was that my wife was willing to kick in money towards it as well. We don't play it often, but that's the only system my wife will play. Even if it's tennis or bowling, it's still fun to play a video game with my wife. I've got a 10 month old daughter, and I imagine that the Wii will be the first video game console she plays. My freaking parents have played Wii sports with us when they visit. When visitors come over with kids, they always are excited to play the Wii. Of course, I have a PS3 as well (bought all with my own money) that I play my hard-core games on. Gotta get in my Ratchet, Uncharted, Resistance, etc. I couldn't cut it with just the Wii. For the hard-core gamer, the Wii is indeed a party console that's a bit cutsie and a tad lame. For the mainstream public, it's the bomb. Nintendo was smart to keep production levels from getting too high. They've kept demand high for two years, and I don't see that slacking any time soon.
