Wii sales top 1 million in UK

[wraggster]

via gibiz

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.