Total United States Console Sales
In Video Games Xbox 360 Is Top Seller, but Wii Sales Are Increasing
Despite having been released a year before other consoles, the Xbox 360 might soon be passed by Nintendo's Wii in terms of total U.S. console sales through February 2008.
When video gamers aren't actually playing games, they're probably arguing about them, and one of the most common debates among video gamers is what video game system is the most popular. In the United States, the NPD Market Research company releases sales numbers for the consoles every month. So what happens when all the numbers are added together? Overall, the Xbox 360 has currently sold the most consoles in the United States -- but the Wii isn't far behind.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 on Top in Overall Sales
First, the raw numbers -- the Xbox 360 has sold a total of 9,636,000 consoles, the Wii has sold a total of 8,076,000 consoles, and the PlayStation 3 has sold a total of 3,796,000 consoles in the United States. Thus, the Xbox 360 has sold the most number of video game consoles. These numbers are according to the NPD and are through February 2008.
Nintendo's Wii Has the Momentum
Though the Microsoft Xbox 360 is currently outselling Nintendo's Wii, it's important to note that the Xbox 360 was released an entire 12 months before the Wii. Any analysis of the sales race between Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii should not ignore this fact.
When one looks at the sales race between Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii starting when the Wii was released (November 2006), one finds that the Wii has outsold the Xbox 360 for all but 3 months of its lifespan. In all, starting in November 2006, the Wii has sold 8,076,000 consoles while the Xbox 360 sold 6,745,000 consoles (and the PlayStation 3 again sold 3,796,000 consoles).
Sony's PlayStation Goes from First to Last
Anyone who has followed the video games sales race over time should be quite surprised by the fact that Nintendo's system is currently selling the best while Sony's system is currently selling the worst. In just the last generation of video game consoles, Sony's PlayStation 2 was far and away the best selling video game system. Though official numbers aren't available, estimates provided by each company show that Sony's PlayStation 2 has sold well over 100 million consoles worldwide, whereas Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube both sold just over 20 million worldwide.
Outlook
Most analysts believe that, with the current trend in video game hardware sales, the Wii will eventually pass the Xbox 360 in United States console sales.
Recent events are also helping in Nintendo's favor. First and foremost, Super Smash Bros. Brawl released for the Wii this March, and according to Nintendo, it has already become the fastest-selling title in Nintendo of America's history, selling nearly 1.5 million copies in its first week alone. In April, Nintendo will release Mario Kart Wii, another top-selling Nintendo franchise. And in May, Nintendo will release Wii Fit, a game which has sold very well in Japan and for which it is planning a very large marketing campaign.
Though surprises could always happen -- and the video game sales wars are full of surprises -- it certainly seems that the momentum is with Nintendo's Wii. For full sales charts, see the graphs at the bottom of this page.
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