July NPD Unit Sales: Wii On Top… Again

Believe this, Nintendo and their Wii console takes another month as top seller. The only product that moves more hardware than the Wii is the DS. As a gamer, it’s hard to understand how the Wii product continues to sell like this with the least supported game library on the planet.

The DS is completely understandable as it has a huge library of games, is more cost effective, comes in pretty colors and can save you tons of arguments and fighting from your kids on a long trip. In many ways the DS is synonymous with peace and quiet. What does the Wii offer us? Wii Sports and a new control scheme along with a few hit titles from Nintendo but little else for now.

I’ll be the first to admit, I thought this would be Nintendo’s chance to turn it all around and get the third parties involved. They have everything going for them in terms of sales, third party developers should be pushing out games each month considering the craze factor of the hardware. This just isn’t true.

More than likely, in this generation, the Wii isn’t really just considered a “kids console” but a console for non-gamers. The difference is obvious in their sales numbers, there are a lot of non-gamers so the console sales are through the roof! However, non-gamers don’t really spend a lot of money on games (after all, they’re non-gamers). It’s a catch-22, Nintendo finally drives huge volume in console units but still cannot manage to get third parties cranking because their sales attach rate (number of games sold per console) is way too low. At least they’re making money!

Nintendo will be the first (and only) to admit their game sales figures are through the roof, much like the console itself, but they’re not breaking out third party numbers. They can easily push the statistics up when considering Wii Play and Mario Galaxy as part of their “sales numbers” when talking about overall attach rate.

Also in the news, PlayStation 3 takes a huge drop off in sales, still beating the Xbox 360 however. They’re heading back to their normal sales figures now that Metal Gear Solid 4‘s frenzy is dying down.

Now, the figures (thanks 1up):

  • Nintendo DS: 608,000
  • Wii: 555,000
  • Playstation 3: 225,000
  • PSP: 222,000
  • Xbox 360: 205,000
  • Playstation 2: 155,000

So there you have it! Wii smokes the competition, PS3 starts to normalize down to where the 360 is at, and the PS2 is still a statistic even though it’s older than many Wii gamers are.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Sony: PSN Matchmaking “In a Few Days”Sony: PSN Matchmaking “In a Few Days”

While full PlayStation Network service is expected to return by May 31, Eurogamer is reporting that an internal Sony source is promising that online matchmaking will be up “in a few days”.

SCE corporate communications director Patrick Seybold would not confirm this, only stating:

“We’re working to get the network back on as soon as we can.”

An unnamed PlayStation Europe community manager has confirmed that Sony is prioritizing online play, and getting online matchmaking up as soon as possible.

According to a tweet from Musterbuster:

“Once again, 31st May is the date for FULL restoration of PSN services. Restoration is phased. Online gaming will return BEFORE May 31st.”

We’ll keep following the story as it happens. Soon, PS3 gamers will finally be able to hack enemies to pieces with Kratos online in Mortal Kombat.

The Calm Before The Storm, Why No News?The Calm Before The Storm, Why No News?

Journalists and bloggers around the Net are doing whatever they can to scrape up news on the gaming industry. What’s the deal, it’s a Monday and nobody in the gaming industry has anything really big to announce, talk about or “leak” onto this here Interwebs?

Sure, we can read about a 7 year old’s request for game design tips for Little Big Planet, more than enough DSi news beating down the same door over and over or pour through pages upon pages of Warhammer Online reviews. But, where is the news?

Here is some news for you: nobody wants to make waves in the game industry right now. Consumers around the globe are looking for what is hot and what is not for the holiday rush. Parents are watching their children and looking to see what they’re talking about to build an internal memory of this years wish list of items. Maybe a Wii Game or a DS game or a 360 console or perhaps the PS3.

Moms and Dads are looking at the entertainment industry to find the best bargains and deals so we can stow away our tech toys in closets, basements and attics for holiday mornings. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas to be looking for great game deals this holiday season.

(more…)

Episode 708: Hello 2024Episode 708: Hello 2024

The first episode of 2024 is a short one, though the guys discuss the original Mickey Mouse hitting the public domain, Square Enix declaring it will be “aggressive in applying AI”, CD Projekt RED staying independent, and Valve ending all support for CSGO in favor of Counter-Strike 2.

The news includes:

  • Activision Blizzard workers speak out after Bobby Kotick’s CEO exit
  • Star Wars Outlaws releasing “late” 2024
  • Studio behind PlayStation Firewall games shuts down due to “lack of support” for VR within industry

Let us know how your 2023 went.