Wii sales top 1 million in UK

[wraggster]

via gibiz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=28183)

The Nintendo Wii has become the UK's fastest-selling home console in history, with 1 million units sold in 38 weeks.

It was 50 weeks before PlayStation 2 hit the 1 million mark, while Xbox 360 took 60 weeks to reach the same target.

According to Chart Track, the Wii now has a 68 per cent share of the UK home console market. The Nintendo DS also continues to perform well and has an 86 per cent share of the handheld market.

"The non-stop demand for Wii even in the traditionally slow sales periods for videogames in the UK is clearly behind this record breaking achievement," said Yarnton.

"The performance of both systems appears to indicate that unprecedented interactive entertainment experiences, provided by a combination of the revolutionary nature of DS and Wii with the increasing number of unique software titles for the system from Nintendo and third parties, are being enjoyed by both avid and new gamers of all ages."

Yarnton said he believes DS and Wii "will continue to be the main driving forces" behind the expansion of the games market in the coming months.

[VampDude]

That's because the Wii is a Nintendo console, and furthermore the Wii has a lot of potential (though some don't actually see it).

[mcdougall57]

That's because the Wii is a Nintendo console, and furthermore the Wii has a lot of potential (though some don't actually see it).

i agree if you h8 the wii nobody cares i couldnt care less if it was doing badly just so long as i can play my imported metroid prime corruption.

[Skateblind]

I think the fact that it is so cheap is the main reason behind it's intial success, in the end though, if your a serious Wii gamer, you will be spending a lot of dosh buying worthless add-ons and so forth to keep the experience interesting. IMHO, since its the cheapest option, most parents would prefer to buy their kids this toy rather than a powerful console. It is definitely not a console/toy for hardcore gamers.

[*Layzie*]

yh true say skateblind

but wii is def going to get better it can get on to "hardcore" status too

jus cuz controls are differnt than usual pad or graphics are lower that cant mean a console aint hardcore

it depends 80% on the game imo

[Skateblind]

Well, the games are a bit childish in my opinion and most of the good ones are all based on previous games. At least the X360 and PS3 have new and interesting franchises that have never been seen before. As for the control scheme, its not something that will keep people interested in the long term, they have already started releasing loads of new controllers and devices to keep the system interesting, but I feel in the long run, hardcore gamers will want the systems with the most power and potential. The two powerful consoles can do everything the Wii can and then some, but the Wii will never be able to keep up with them in terms of sheer power and capabilities. At the end of the day, I like the idea of those controllers, but its not something that will keep the HARDCORE gamer interested for more than a year or two. The prospect of motion sensing controllers have been around for a while now and some games have already been using them for a few years now, but if its such a good idea, then why haven't the other consoles(past & present) taken to the idea and made them standard with the console?

I'm sorry to go on about it like this, but the Wii is not next generation since motion sensing is not a new experience for console gamers, but having unsurpassed graphics, processing power and ease of use(online gaming included) certainly is. Anyway thats my two or two hundred cents. Don't hate me, just give me a decent reply on why you think I am wrong ;)

[thebawp]

I'm sorry to go on about it like this, but the Wii is not next generation since motion sensing is not a new experience for console gamers, but having unsurpassed graphics, processing power and ease of use(online gaming included) certainly is. Anyway thats my two or two hundred cents. Don't hate me, just give me a decent reply on why you think I am wrong ;)

I'm sorry, but all the things you point out as 'new experiences' for gamers, such as graphics etc. are done better on PCs. Oblivion looks a heck of a lot better on my PC than it does on the PS3, for example, and online gaming is as good on a PC (if not better) than anything offered by the Xbox 360 or PS3. If you define wanting good graphics as being 'hardcore' then I find it laughable that you deem people would use a PS3 or Xbox 360 for the best graphics.

Motion control has never been mainstream on consoles, it's been niche at best (I can think only of dance mats and eyetoy), but with the Wii it is mainstream. People are playing games who have never done so in their lives (or in years) simply because the Wii allows them to do things they feel they can't do with a clumsy control pad. Personally, I'm far more amazed that my mother will play on the Wii and laugh like a maniac when she wins (it's a little bit scary to be honest) and then try and tell my sister how to play (my sister has been a gamer for years) than anything I've seen on the other consoles.

Also, the Wii hasn't been out 12 months yet, so of course its catalogue is far from brilliant (having said that, I'm having a lot of fun with Super Paper Mario, Scarface and Metroid Prime 3 right now) and yes, I will admit, I doubt the Wii will ever be home to games like Mass Effect (which I guess I'll have to buy an Xbox 360 for) or GTA IV, however, to say it is not next gen simply because its graphics are way behind is short sighted in the extreme. The Wii certainly DOES have potential, but many publishers have only realised this recently, hence many hurried PS2 ports with added 'waggle.' Prime is a perfect example of what the console can do when it's pushed, and Super Mario Galaxy will do that as well. If developers can really get to grips with what the Wii can do, I think we'll see plenty of games to rival whatever the PS3 or Xbox 360 can do.

I'm sorry to go on, but I really hate it when people play the hardcore card, particularly if they relate it to something like graphics. What does hardcore even mean? I've been playing games since the late 1980s (born in 84) from the Amstrad CPC to the present day. Yet because I prefer Nintendo franchises and games, I'm not considered 'hardcore'? Why is this? And it's not like the Wii doesn't have titles for older gamers (if you like to think swearing and killing makes a game mature). I just find this attitude puzzling, that so called 'hardcore' gamers wouldn't be interested in the Wii. I'd say I'm as hardcore as any gamer, simply because I've been playing games for the majority of my life and never expect to stop doing so.

[Skateblind]

You have misunderstood part of my post, Im talking about next generation being about new things that have never been seen on a console before. Everything on the Wii has been done and seen before on console, where as with the other consoles, they all pushed the boundries with power, graphics and ease of use when it comes to online gaming. As for the hardcore part, we could argue about what is and isn't hardcore, so lets leave that alone as there is no true definition, I suppose its down to the gamer at the end of the day.

Now, I understand where your coming from with your PC argument and agree that a true hardcore gamer would prefer a PC, but not all hardcore gamers want to fiddle about installing hardware and software, so we might as well leave that part alone.

The PS2 is competing(spelling?) wiith the Wii, which is just more evidence for my argument that the Wii is not next gen. PC's dont really define themselves as next gen because they are constantly changing, where as the console will only come out once and do not constantly shift the boundries of power and capabilities.

Secondly, the Wii is not in the same ball park as the other two consoles, all it has is it's control schemes, which any console can 'copy', but the Wii could never compete with the other two in terms of power or graphics. The fact that your mother is playing your games proves to me even further that it is not a hardcore console for hardcore gamers, yes some hardcore gamers may play on it, but its not a serious piece of kit that only the devoted(hardcore gamers) would use. Do you see your mom playing your X360 or PS3?

[Cokemusic]

To put it simple from a technical perspective , the Wii is not a next gen console despite the fact that it may apeal to more people. It isn't much more than a slight improvment on gamecube + a controller everything achieved on the Wii in terms of innovation could have been done on the gamecube also.

Wheras the PS3 and Xbox are next generation pieces of hardware and are capable of shockingly amazing things , some one earlier compared PS3 grapgics to a computer , what's the point ? how long have people been developing for the PS3 compared to the PC ? exactly....

In my opinion the life expectany of the Wii is very short for the simple fact that a console based on innovation is going to fall if nintendo run outa ideas ( which the will within the next 2 years ) and then the Wii looses all it's credibility and starts to look exactly like it is , a gamecube with make up on.

[Skateblind]

Woo Hoo, Im glad you agree. I dont hate the Wii, I think it is pretty fun to play, but its not something that will keep me interested in the long term purely based on it's control scheme, anything else it could offer will be done better by the X360 or the PS3.

[robman84]

There's many good points being raised, as usual on this forum. I was personally rather disappointed that Nintendo didn't do more in terms of evolving the hardware spec from GC to Wii, however from Nintendo's perspective the resulting lower price point and focus on "innovation" (albeit easily copied by Sony and MS) has been a huge success financially.

5 years from now I seriously expect a similar situation to the last generation: Sony out front, Microsoft trailing far behind and Nintendo taking up the last place. That's just a sales prediction, by the way, no comment on their relative merits as games machines.

I truly hope the large installed user base of Wiis lends to a long shelf life in terms of developer support. It felt like the GC, rather like the Dreamcast, was abandoned far too soon by developers. Of course, they are companies trying to make a profit, like all companies.

As for the "is it next gen or not" question, I personally treat generations as chronological periods, not specifications. I'm sure there's a website out there that details each console in each generation, but disparity in specifications between competing consoles has been a feature of generations ever since the 70's when I started gaming at home.

So whilst the Wii is clearly well below the power of the PS3 and 360, it is, in my mind, technically Nintendo's "next gen" offering, being the current offering during this generation's cycle.

Me? I've only just finished collecting the 4 "last gen" consoles with the acquisition of a GC a few months ago. With those (DC still my fave) and my DS, I'll be good for another couple of years. Heck, I've still got about 10 triple-A games for those that I've not even booted up yet, such are the bargains available for the now-abandoned machines. 4 triple-A titles for 20 quid? Count me in, even if I don't get around to opening them for the next year or so :o)

[Skateblind]

I dont agree with your definition of next-gen, but it is correct nonetheless, I just feel that Nintendo are only trying to make money with the cheapness of their system and the games that follow. They could have had a really awesome system if they had bothered to push it a bit more foward in terms of graphics and overall power. To me the only appeal it has are its controllers, which is not something that clinches the deal when it comes to me choosing my first console or even second to buy out of the next/current generation.
I like the way sony have gone with their 10 year plan for the PS3, its means that you will be playing your PS3 games alot longer, yes it has backwards compatibility, but its not usually a highly used feature. If it does stick around for ten years or more, then it will be another feature to add to its list and will re-shape the way we think about a console's lifespan.

[mcdougall57]

i think the 10 year plan for sony is not so good because if your definition of next gen is correct that means in about 5 years from now nintendo and microsoft will have much more powerfull machines and they will be what you call for hardcore gamers and the ps3 will have no hold on the market, innovation or graphics

[JPJunkie]

I think that one day either nintendo, sony or microsoft will just be pushed out of the market because of the other consoles outselling them!

At the moment this means that nintendo will have be putting sony out of bussiness

[Cokemusic]

i think the 10 year plan for sony is not so good because if your definition of next gen is correct that means in about 5 years from now nintendo and microsoft will have much more powerfull machines and they will be what you call for hardcore gamers and the ps3 will have no hold on the market, innovation or graphics

if the Wii continues with it current success ( which I seriously doubt it will) then there'd be no need to make a new model in 5 years , it would make sense for Nintendo to make a newer model however that would leave millions of Wii users in the dark.

The amount of time it takes to repay the development costs for Microsoft's 360 would be far too high to make an even more advanced one in 5 years.

Any succesfull console like the PS2 ( with 120 million units shipped worlwide , probably at least a 105 million installed user base) should have a life of about 8-10 years + , even the PSP's ability to play PSX games have given the console new life.

I don't see the Wii having this kind of longetivity , for a couple of years swinging your gamepad around and bruising your eye may seem fun , but there's only so many uses of that control system , the developers will run out of ideas , the consumer will run out of patience , the Wii will run outa steam.



I think that one day either nintendo, sony or microsoft will just be pushed out of the market because of the other consoles outselling them!

At the moment this means that nintendo will have be putting sony out of bussiness

I think that Microsoft are most likely to get pushed out but then again I think the likelyhood of any of the three consoles getting pushed out of the market is quite low.

THe PS3 > Xbox 360's power
Wii > Xbox 360's innovation

The only thing keeping the console alive is 360 Live and it's exclusive titles , apart from that it has little to offer.