Wii Shows No Sign of Slowing Down
The Wii has hit the 18 month marker, a year and a half. So how is the Wii doing? Basically, very, very well. The Wii has reached an important milestone, in the first 18 months, it has sold both more games and more consoles than the PS2 did in its first 18 months. Of course, for six of those 18 months, the PS2 wasn’t release in the U.S. yet, but even taking that into account, the Wii is lining up comparable to the PS2.
Why are we comparing Wii number to a console almost a decade old? Because the PS2 is the final word on console success. Part of the reason the PS3 is having a hard time is because it has to compete with the PS2. At the moment, there are 120 million PS2s floating around. Compare that to the 25 million Wiis that have been sold and you’ll see why Nintendo is excited about the fact that it looks like the Wii is on the path to becoming as popular as the PS2.
Shortages continue to plague us, but Wiis can still be found without too much trouble. This fine line, where the supply seems to be meeting the demand almost exactly seems to suggest that Nintendo is stockpiling the extra console for the holiday season. A very good idea indeed. If demand has been so high during these slow seasons, it’ll be crazy come Christmas. But, if Nintendo wants to reach numbers as high as the PS2, then simple math tells us they are going to have to produce these things faster than they have been.
The Xbox 360 has been thoroughly routed by the Wii. Despite launching a whole year later, the Wii has sold close to 6 million more units than the Xbox. Apparently, Microsoft is developing both a motion controller, and a Mii system for their console, trying to tap into the same market that the Wii is having so much success in, but personally, I don’t think it’ll help their sinking console.
The PS3 has been selling better than the Xbox recently, but, less units have sold total since the PS3 was launched a year later than the Xbox, like the Wii. So Far the Wii has outsold the PS3 about two to one, but the PS3 is poised to make a leap. Soon the price should be coming down (possible for the holidays) and the PS3 is after all dozens of times more powerful than the Wii. The PS3, for all intents and purposes, is really a whole generation, maybe more, ahead of the Wii in terms of power. Consequently, the price has been much, much higher. But, if some of that starts turning around, than the PS3 might see their Ps2 fans beginning to convert over, which has the potential to seriously affect this console battle. But time for the PS3 is running out. This holiday season is the ‘now or never’ point. If the PS3 doesn’t have a good showing then, it is possible that in everones minds, the Wii will be this generations winner, and nothing will be able to stop it.
We are close to being able to crown the Wii, and things look good, but the battle isn’t over. It is possible that this good start for the Wii is only do to the low retail price it started with. Possibly, as the difference in price start to matter less, the Xbox 360 or PS3 will be able to make a comeback.
Tags: super mario galaxy, new nintendo game, nintendo wii fan club, metroid prime 3, the force unleashed
