200k Wii units for US retail per week - analyst

Firm also predicts console shortages will boost 360 sales

Nintendo is expected to deliver between 150,000 and 200,000 Wii units to North America every week until the end of 2006, according to the latest report by Lazard Capital Markets.

All the major new hardware manufacturers should benefit from impressive sales where units area available according to Lazard's Colin Sebastian, who noted: "Our retail checks and comments from specialist retailer GameStop indicate that there is strong demand for PS3 and Wii ahead of meaningful replenishments, while the Xbox 360 appears to be benefiting from new console shortages and the release of new title Gears of War."

Sebastian also expects the sale of PlayStation 3 software to improve by the year end, stating: "We note that the initial PS3 tie-in ratio is a little light of expectations, however, we expect follow-up game sales and holiday gifts to provide a boost by the end of the year."

For some industry watchers it might be stating the obvious, but ahead of the Thanks Giving weekend in the US, the firm also predicts strong sales for software including, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Resistance: Fall of Man, Guitar Hero 2, Call of Duty 3, WWE Smackdown, Need for Speed Carbon and Final Fantasy XII.

More interesting is the estimation that between 10 and 15 per cent of all PS3 purchases may have been bought with the intention of being resold by profit-minded consumers.

"We estimate that approximately 20,000 PS3s have sold on eBay since pre-orders for the console began last month, with an average auction price of approximately US $1500," said Sebastian.

gameindustry.biz