by Playfuls Staff |
16th March 2007
After years of languishing behind Sony and Microsoft,
Japanese game-maker Nintendo has re-emerged as the top dog after its Wii video
game console was the best selling console in the
U.S.
again in February, [more] with consumers snapping up virtually every system available
in
America
totaling more than 335,000 units.
Only one game system sold more in February, the portable
Nintendo DS, with sell-through of 485,000 units. Together, Nintendo systems
represented 54 percent of all hardware sales in February, more than those of
all other manufacturers combined.
"We're gratified that the explosive appeal of Wii, in
terms of both new players and new ways to play, has created unprecedented
demand, substantially beyond supply," says Reggie Fils-Aime, president,
Nintendo of America. "But we also understand that there are hundreds of
thousands of consumers still waiting to get their hands on the system so we continue
to both ship more units to retail every week and work non-stop to build
capacity."
The NPD Group has announced that US game console software
sales were $441 million in February, up 28 percent from the same month a year
prior. The Xbox 360 sold through a reasonable, if not spectacular 228,000
copies, and the PlayStation 3 slumped to a disappointing 127,000 units, despite
no apparent shortages.
PlayStation 2 sold 295,000 units and the PlayStation
Portable sold 176,000, markedly behind the DS.
The figures appeared to vindicate Nintendo's revolutionary
approach which emphasized fun games aimed at casual players who could control
the action using an innovative motion-detection remote control unit. In
contrast Microsoft and Sony both offer higher powered and more expensive
machines that feature better graphics quality and are far more expensive. Both
companies also positioned their consoles as the centerpiece of a digital
entertainment system.
The strength of Wii and Nintendo DS was also apparent in
monthly software sales where three of the top four best-selling games for the
month (Wii Play and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii, and Diddy
Kong Racing DS for Nintendo DS) play exclusively on Nintendo systems. In addition, so far this year 10 of the top
20 best-selling games are exclusive for Nintendo hardware.
Nintendo’s future seems better then ever as the research
company IDC has predicted in a study released at the beginning of March that Nintendo's
Wii will outship and outsell the 360 and PS3 in 2007 and 2008.
IDC said that Microsoft's Xbox 360 was the best selling
current generation console for 2006 because it enjoyed a full year lead in the
market. According to IDC’s study, called Worldwide Videogame Console Hardware
and Software Forecast 2006-2011: Ready for a New Game, Nintendo, is the
only one of the three manufacturers working to grow its total accessible market
for its hardware and software by broadening its audience beyond the traditional
market.
