Posted on 05/21/2007 9:22:25 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
Wii on winning spree, scores fourth consecutive win over rivals by Shubha Krishnappa - May 19, 2007 - 2 comments
Among the trio of next generation gaming consoles, Nintendo has emerged as the numero uno in April for the fourth consecutive month after selling 360,000 of the popular video game devices in the United States, repeatedly outshining both its rivals Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 in the US video game consoles market.
After attaining the top position in the first three months of the year, Nintendo has once again performed exceptionally well by selling nearly four times as many Wiis as Sony sold PlayStation 3s and more than twice as many as Microsoft did Xbox 360s, a market research firm, NPD Group Inc. said.
According to fresh sales results provided by NPD, US gamers bought 360,000 units of the wii console last month, making it the best-selling video game console in the country.
The more-powerful systems, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 lagged behind in the fierce battle for dominance in the booming gaming consoles market by moving 82,000 and 174,000 units, respectively.
Nintendo sold 436,000 Wii video game consoles in January, while Xbox 360 sold 294,000 and Sony's PlayStation 3 sold 244,000 units.
In February, US gamers bought 335,000 Wii consoles and 228,000 of Microsoft's Xbox 360, while Sony's PlayStation 3 consoles managed 127,000 units.
In March, Nintendo shipped 259,000 Wii video game consoles, while Microsoft and Sony managed 199,000 and 130,000 units, respectively.
In the hand-held category, Nintendo DS remained the most popular game system of any kind in April, with impressive sales of 471,000 units, ahead of PlayStation Portable, or PSP, with 183,000 units. Nintendo DS is a portable game player that is still selling briskly more than two years after its introduction.
Although, Sony's last-generation PlayStation 2 has outshined Xbox 360 in April by selling 194,000 units, but compared to its last three months’ sales data PS2 did not do well this month.
Sony's 7-year-old gaming console moved 299,000 machines in January 295,000 in February and 280,000 units in March.
After reigning as the champ of hardware sales in United States, Nintendo ruled the software game charts too, with the top four best-selling games belonging to the company.
Games for Nintendo DS, took the top two spots, followed by two games for the Wii.
The four Nintendo titles are: ‘Pokemon Diamond’ and ‘Pokemon Pearl’ for the DS that sold 1.04 million and 712,000 units respectively. ‘Super Paper Mario’ for the Wii came in third with 352,000 games sold in April, while ‘Wii Play With Remote’ recorded 249,000 sales during the month.
"Nothing is more valuable in the entertainment world than an evergreen franchise," says Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO, Nintendo of America. "These new Pokémon titles have cemented their place alongside the most enduring intellectual properties of the book, music and movie industries. And that appeal will expand even further with the introduction of Pokémon Battle Revolution to our Wii home console next month."
The overall market of video game hardware and software came up with booming results.
Total U.S. sales of video games and hardware reached $838.6 million, a 20% increase from April 2006 ($699 million), according to figures sent Friday from the NPD Group.
However, the sales were down from $1.1 billion in March.
After observing the fresh NPD sales data, it seems that consumers still reacting well to lower cost consoles. Launched in November last year, Nintendo’s Wii console retails for $US250, while PS2 costs only $129.
Xbox 360 and the PS3 start at $299 and $599, respectively, while their high-end versions are priced at $US400 and $US600, respectively.
Besides Nintendo console's U.S. price, which is just half the cost of the least-expensive version of PS3, its motion-sensitive controller that has been popular with mainstream gamers as well as new audiences like senior citizens and very young children has helped build buzz for the machine, and made it more appealing to some consumers.
The three companies are locked in a fierce battle for dominance in the $13 billion U.S. video game market.
Don’t forget EASports, they’ve got Madden on the Wii and Madden is a phat cash cow. The gaming world has a lot of room, and Wii isn’t just for kids.
I am not a daddy, but I do agree I would most likely own a Wii if I were. However, the kids would have to share the hi-def TV with my PS3 and XBox, or better yet, keep it in their room so Daddy can play Gears of War. ;)
May I ask what genre “Gears of War” is? I’m assuming is a FPS. I did a lot of BF1942 and BF2 online. I’m now almost exclusively B2142 because it’s play balance and promotion/medaling system and maps are awesome. I also love their revisit of WWII sites in some of the maps, i.e. Verdun, and the concept behind why the war is occurring in the first place
Wish my machine was PCI, but that is another story.
Gears of War is a third person action game, but when your character takes cover, the over the shoulder view almost makes those portions of the game first person.
I have all three systems, but unlike GunRunner, I don’t consider the Wii to be a kid’s system. I love it. My 360 still gets the most playtime, but when Metroid and Mario arrive on the Wii, I expect to get more than my moneys worth.
My PS3 is useful for Blu-Ray movies, but the games are very lacking, and it doesn’t look like much will be released anytime soon.
I don't even know if that's going to happen. I just saw an article somewhere yesterday about a new HD-DVD player about to be released at a $299 price point. Between that (if it happens) and Wal-Mart's adoption of HD-DVD, I don't know if Blu-Ray will ever be able to catch up.
Ya.
Hahaha, I love the bashing that the “hard core” guys throw around.. I really do. If MS and Sony have so much respect for themselves, how come MS has yet to make a single dime in profit from its XBOX division? After 7 years you’d think any self respecting company would see a profit.
I’ll put Metroid Prime, Resident Evil IV, Zelda, etc against anything you think your “killer” systems have.
Just because there is a good bit of the market that aren’t teenage boys, or social awkward males in their 20s still acting like teenagers, doesn’t mean that if you focus on that group, you are “killer” or going to make money... Clearly you DON’T make nearly as much when focusing on making sure you simply have the most number of polygons on the screen as you can.
With more than years head start, Wii is about to outsell 360 totals... so so much for your theory about such a huge market for what you declare to be good games.. And outselling PS3 by 3 or 4 to one.. but I guess your right, only 5 year olds are buying WIIs.... (rolling eyes).
HD DVD player is 200-300 range true, but doesn’t do maximum HDTV resolutions of 1080p and every ounce of evidence is that the US market is by and large ignoring the HD format wars, refusing to buy until the battle is decided for the most part. Nothing, not even Wal Mart selling them has had much of an impact on HD adoption.
FOlks buying HD-DVD players in the US are going to be mostly disappointed as most of teh big studios are on board with SONY and not releasing new releases in HD-DVD format, and only on Blu Ray... Blu Ray is winning in Europe and the US consumer is by and large waiting to see which one wins the battle.
Wal Mart selling the things won’t change that... If HD format was a big deal for US folks, the HD’s with built in players would have players for one of the formats, they don’t.. alll HD TV’s with built ins being sold are simply putting in standard DVD players.
Not talking about the 360 add on, talking about the 200-300 HD-DVD player being sold by Wal Mart.
Yeah, it was a shame he was born in the USSR. He's since moved, with his family, to the US, but is just working for Microsoft, last that I knew.
The wii is the first Nintendo console I’m skipping, ever. PS3/360 for me. I never used my Gamecube, and these games are basically the same with a gimmick controller.
A 56” HDTV really needs the power, plus I can watch blu-ray and hddvd on the other 2. Had Nintendo gone HD with it, I might’ve considered it.
bookmark for later reading
Hahaha, I love the bashing that the “hard core” guys throw around.. I really do.
What I enjoy is the idea that they’re somehow more sophisticated. LOL, these are games we’re talking about.
Really? Hey if you like playing 4 year old games, fine. And Zelda? Does it make me socially awkward if I don't want to play a candyland game where a pre-pubescent warrior runs around hacking at cartoon monsters?
If you haven't played Gears, Resistance: Fall of Man, Rainbow 6 Vegas, Splinter Cell 4, SOCOM, GRAW 1 & 2, Halo 3, GTA, maybe its better you don't know what you're missing. Not to mention the next-gen sports titles that the Wii can hardly run, and its lack of any hi-def capability.
I'm sure that new Pokemon game is awesome though. Have fun!
Then you are correct, it does not support 1080p, but the HD-DVD format does.
Its a standard kill the aliens that are invading the planet game, but it is in the running for having the best graphics ever seen on a console. And it was produced at a relatively low cost when compared to other big budget games. Its online co-op and MP capability is the best since Halo, and the gameplay makes it easy to maneuver and use cover.
There's a pretty good WWII flight combat game called Blazing Angels that you might want to check out. It is a lot like the flight combat portion of BF1942.
I have to admit, I’ve heard that EA did a great job with Madden on the Wii. But in other sports games like Tiger Woods, the controller scheme leaves a lot to be desired. And the lacking graphical capabilities of the Wii makes it sports titles look like they are several years old.
My kids are happy with the $8 video game console I got from Walmart that has about 30 1970s-era video games. They've played with a Wii at their friends' houses. I asked them if they wanted one. They both said, "naaa..."
It looks like I'm the big winner here 8-)
My favorite game is "Hero Spud." The game names read like a poorly translated Chinese menu.
Mucho importante. Sounds like an iPod-like approach. They deserve the win.
That's what interested me. The kids need something physical to do indoors in the New England winters.
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